Diarrhea, stomach ache, flatulence: Food intolerance or food intolerance often leads to problems in the digestive tract. Read here which symptoms you can recognize and how the test is carried out!
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Quick overview: food intolerance
definition: With food intolerances, the digestive tract is unable to process certain food components.
Symptoms: Often one expresses itself Food intolerance through abdominal pain, flatulence or diarrhea.
test: The prick test rules out the possibility that it is an allergy. It is also possible to take a breath test, a blood test or simply follow a diet that avoids provocative foods.
therapy: Treatment depends on the trigger. Those affected usually have to change their diet accordingly. Tablets can help with some intolerances.
At a glance:
Fructose intolerance: What can I eat and drink?
What is food intolerance?
The term food intolerance (food intolerance) refers to various symptoms that can occur in the digestive tract due to the consumption of certain foods. The disease reactions are described more precisely as:
This article deals with non-allergic food intolerance. In the case of a food allergy, the immune system responds with an excessive production of antibodies to particular ingredients, usually proteins. Symptoms range from mild rash and itching to life-threatening reactions (anaphylactic shock).
Forms of food intolerances
In the case of food intolerances, certain enzymes are missing in the intestine, which is why food components can only be used inadequately or not at all. The most common intolerances include:
Gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity
The terms gluten intolerance, gluten intolerance or celiac disease are often used interchangeably. However, if you look closely, there are significant differences here. True celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disease. Even small amounts of gluten cause the intestinal mucosa to react with inflammatory processes and, as a result, the intestinal villi recede.
In contrast to celiac disease, gluten intolerance or, better described, gluten sensitivity does not cause permanent damage to the intestines.
Food intolerance: possible causes
In general, the causes of food intolerance are very different.
For lactose intolerance Those affected cannot tolerate milk sugar (lactose). The body does not have enough lactase (enzymes), which breaks down the milk sugar into its components in the intestine.
In hereditary fructose intolerance The body cannot cope with the fructose found in fruits, juices and some vegetables. In the genetic form of fructose intolerance, fructose cannot be broken down in the liver.
For gluten intolerance or sensitivity, a reaction occurs due to the gluten protein. The substance is not broken down in the small intestine, which leads to inflammation in the intestine. Experts suspect genetic causes.
In histamine intolerance Those affected lack an enzyme that breaks down histamine from food. Histamine intolerance is also called pseudoallergy because the symptoms are similar to an allergy, but the intolerance is a problem of processing and not of antibody formation.
Histamines are contained in all foods that have a longer ripening time or are stored for a long time (cheese, sauerkraut, smoked products). Many finished products, canned goods or frozen meals also contain histamines, as does wine, which develops histamines through fermentation.
Food intolerance: symptoms
In the case of food intolerances, various symptoms appear after a time delay after eating. Above all, it causes gastrointestinal problems. The following are possible, for example:
Headaches, dizziness, general fatigue and a depressed mood can also be signs of food intolerance or intolerance.
Food intolerance test
There are various methods available to find out which foods someone cannot tolerate:
- Elimination diet
- Skin prick test
- Allergen-specific immunoglobulin E test (IgE)
The exclusion diet is a somewhat lengthy form of testing because selected foods are avoided over a certain period of time and then reintroduced into the diet. When symptoms no longer occur, individual foods are eaten again and the reaction is waited until the allergenic substance is found.
During the prick test, extracts of foods that are believed to cause allergies are placed on the skin and then brought under the surface of the skin with a sharp needle. The reaction of the skin shows which substances the person is allergic to.
During the IgE test, a blood sample is taken and tested to see which allergens the IgE antibodies attach to. To confirm the diagnosis, the identified food is left out and then specifically eaten again to check the reaction.
Diagnosing intolerances is often time-consuming
Discovering intolerances is often a difficult process because those affected do not associate symptoms such as headaches or joint pain, tiredness and exhaustion with certain foods.
If the symptoms are unclear, it makes sense to keep a food diary and document the foods eaten and possible symptoms in preparation for the conversation with the doctor.
If certain foods can then be limited, diagnosing and testing food intolerance becomes comparatively easy.
For lactose intolerance and fructose malabsorption Special breathing tests are available. The patients take a prepared solution, then the H2 concentration in the air they breathe is measured; high values indicate intolerance or malabsorption.
In congenital fructose intolerance A blood sample is taken and tested for transaminases (certain enzymes).
In histamine intolerance Provocation tests are carried out, patients are given drinking solutions in which they do not know which contains histamine.
For gluten intolerance In the first step, gluten-containing products are avoided and the reaction is monitored.
Therapy of food intolerances
Treating food intolerances is still hardly possible today. The safest form of treatment is to avoid the provocative foods. In medical terms, this is then referred to as a maternity diet.
For people with lactose intolerance, there are lactase tablets that can help consume dairy products without discomfort. Antihistamines help with histamine intolerance. However, these medications cannot eliminate the cause of the intolerance.
Gluten-sensitive people are recommended to live gluten-free for a certain period of time and then slowly move towards the individual tolerance threshold up to which they can tolerate gluten.
People with celiac disease must avoid gluten for life. Nutritional therapy and nutritional advice help you put together a balanced food plan.
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