Symptoms of food allergy can be mild or severe, sometimes even life-threatening. They may occur after some time but can also develop very quickly after consuming an allergenic food, within a few minutes or hours.
In case of allergy diagnostics, the tested antibodies are IgE classes, which human immune system may or may not produce in response to components of consumed food (food antigens). We distinguish between allergies that are associated with and those that are not associated with antibody production. When IgE antibodies are produced, their quantity is measured. This is known as a quantitative test.
Food intolerance, on the other hand, is an abnormal, chronic reaction of the body to certain food products.
Human immune system reacts to food by producing specific IgG antibodies, which must be produced in relatively greater amounts for poorly tolerated foods. An excess of antibodies, combined with allergens from intolerant products, forms so-called immune complexes. These deposit in various tissues and organs (skin, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, etc.), causing local or systemic, chronic inflammation.
Symptoms of intolerance depend on the site of complex deposition; they are not sudden and can appear even several days after consuming the relevant foods. Therefore, long-term health issues may stem from undiagnosed food intolerance. Discomfort experienced by a person can vary depending on the body's ability to compensate for the side effects caused by the accumulation of immune complexes.
Food intolerance test detects an excessive increase in IgG antibody levels, observed in cases of poor tolerance to a particular food. This is a qualitative test. It is not expressed by the number of antibodies but rather by their relative dominance compared to antibodies for foods that the body tolerates normally.
Therefore, there is a fundamental difference between allergy and food intolerance. Sometimes, the symptoms may overlap; in other cases, they differ. The same applies to the results of the tests—different types of antibodies are detected.
Production of both IgG and IgE antibodies is part of the human immune response when contacting a food antigen. Therefore, for the test to be reliable, all foods to be tested for tolerance must be consumed.
After receiving the test result, if there are doubts about how to follow a diet or which foods to include or avoid, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
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