Some foods cause the same problems in everyone when we eat too much of them or in the wrong combination — this is not necessarily food intolerance. Learn more about how different foods can affect digestion in the “What to expect with food and digestion” infographic.
Quotes to note from the review article by Gibson et al. on fructose malabsorption as a normal phenomenon.
Dr. Robert Loblay is Director of the Allergy Unit at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia and co-author of the RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook. In this Expert Q&A, Dr. Loblay answers some basic questions on food intolerance to clear up common misconceptions.
The recent study by Di Sabatino and colleagues DOES NOT demonstrate the existence of gluten sensitivity. Although the authors report that “the severity of overall symptoms increased significantly during 1 week of intake of small amounts of gluten, compared with placebo,” it simply turns out that 3 of 59 participants reacted strongly enough during their gluten challenges to skew the group results in favor of gluten sensitivity. Taken on their own, however, we cannot diagnose these individuals with gluten sensitivity because they did not complete the required number of gluten and placebo challenges.
Quotes to note from McQueen et al. on whether the complete avoidance of dietary triggers helps prevent migraine in the long term.
Quotes to note from Clarke et al. on ending an elimination diet that has given a negative result.
Quotes to note from the meta-analysis by Schab and Trinh on the nature of the effect that artificial food colors have on hyperactivity in children.
Gluten is not the only thing in wheat, and it’s the carbohydrates that are actually behind some of the newest gluten myths aimed at otherwise healthy people. Learn the facts about water weight, acne, rough skin, and hormones, plus the important health benefits of wheat.
To follow up on “A balanced look at gluten sensitivity” that was posted on Science-Based Medicine in August, we look at the latest results presented on the role of gluten and FODMAPs in IBS. Are IBS sufferers really the best place to look for evidence of gluten sensitivity?
When dealing with foods on the list of Big 8 allergens – milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybean – there are a lot of reasons to see a doctor and not many reasons to do an elimination diet on your own. Which of these foods actually cause reactions that don’t involve the immune system?
Even though food allergies often diminish over time, they will never cross over into a food sensitivity or intolerance. If you have previously experienced (or even suspected that you have experienced) an allergic reaction to a food, see a doctor – don’t try to test for food sensitivities on your own.
When food-related symptoms occur more frequently as we age, this does not necessary mean that we have developed a medical problem – food intolerance – that needs to be treated by completely avoiding certain foods.
No blood test can detect food intolerance. IgG/IgG4 ELISA tests claim to detect a form of food intolerance that doesn’t actually exist. Real food intolerance can always be detected with an elimination diet and food challenges.
Medical associations around the world warn against the use of IgG blood tests for a concocted version of food intolerance.
If your symptoms seem unpredictable, stop thinking in terms of foods and start thinking about food chemicals and finding your threshold dose.
Up to 10% of the population will experience food intolerance in their lifetime, which translates to millions of people worldwide.
Fruits are often associated with salicylate sensitivity and histamine intolerance, but it is also possible to suffer allergic reactions and even anaphylaxis from common fruits.
Hold off on your sensationalized television advice, Dr. Oz – when a person suspects that their health problems are caused by food, they must approach things systematically, cover all the bases, and do it for the right reasons. And that includes going gluten-free.
How do doctors and dietitians identify food sensitivities? Through an elimination diet and food challenges. You can’t get any sexier than that.
Food intolerance is an adverse reaction to a natural food or a food additive that is not produced by your immune system. Food intolerance can be caused by organic, fresh, or processed foods. It can start to affect you at any point in your life.
Food intolerance is real. What is it? Which foods do you react to? What can you expect if you have pharmacological food intolerance?