What’s The Difference Between a Food Allergy and a Food Intolerance?

It can be easy to confuse a food intolerance for a food allergy, but the two are very different.

Food allergies are relatively rare. Only around 2% of adults have genuine food allergies. With an allergy, the immune system mistakes a food for an ‘invader’ and reacts swiftly, generally within a few minutes. It is thought that the most common food allergies are reactions to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, and seafood.

Food intolerance is biologically very different from an allergy and, whilst the symptoms can be unpleasant, they are not life-threatening.  Food intolerances are much more common than food allergies with approximately 45% of people in the UK suffering from symptoms. These complaints include digestive problems, such as IBS-type symptoms, eczema, migraines and headaches, fatigue, depression and low mood, joint pains, and sinusitis.

If you think you may have a food intolerance or have symptoms that might be related but cannot find an explanation with your GP, you can now test for food triggers in the comfort of your own home.

Louisiana’s home-to-laboratory test analyses your blood sample for IgG antibody reactions to 100 or more food ingredients to identify your personal food triggers. The sample is then posted back to Lorisian’s laboratory (in a pre-paid envelope) for analysis. Clear test results and a support pack will be delivered back to you, straight to your door.