It has long been known that consumption of certain foods can have profound effects on the physical and mental health of susceptible individuals. This is even more evident in today’s world with the huge variety of processed foods we now consume.
Recent work by Atkinson and co-workers has identified that food-specific antibodies (produced by the body’s immune system) and symptoms of food intolerance are closely linked. Food intolerance is associated with a wide range of unpleasant symptoms and many chronic conditions. Unlike food allergies, food intolerance is unlikely to be life threatening.
Symptoms include:
- Anxiety (acute or chronic)
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Attention Deficit Disorder
- Bed wetting
- Bloating
- Bronchitis
- Coeliac Disease
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Constipation
- Depression
- Diarrhoea
- Fibromyalgia
- Gastritis
- Headaches
- Hyperactivity Disorder
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Insomnia
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Itchy skin problems
- Malabsorption
- Migraine
- Sleep disturbances
- Water retention
- Weight control problems
Less than 2% of the population suffers from food allergies; however, up to 45% of the population is estimated to suffer from some form of food intolerance.
Symptoms often occur some time after the food has been eaten and it can be difficult to identify the food or foods which cause the symptoms. For example, the milk or bread eaten one day could be the cause of joint pains three days later. Some food-related symptoms may be caused by enzyme deficiency or chemical sensitivity, while in others an immune response may be involved.
Many food intolerances are associated with an inappropriate immune response to a particular food or foods. While the causes of food intolerance are not fully understood, inadequate digestion, dysbiosis, candidiasis, parasites, intestinal infections, a poorly balanced diet, alcohol consumption, or the effects of drugs and medications may play a role. Production of antibodies is one of the ways in which the body’s immune system reacts to substances that adversely affect it.
In normal circumstances, these antibodies combine with proteins in the food to form complexes, which are then eliminated by the immune system. However, if the immune system is overwhelmed or over-worked, then complexes can accumulate in places such as joints or the digestive tract to produce symptoms of food intolerance.
For example:
- Respiratory: rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma.
- Musculoskeletal: arthritis, joint pains, aching muscles and weakness.
- Gastrointestinal: vomiting, abdominal bloating, cramping, excessive wind, water retention, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, weight control problems and colic.
- Central Nervous System: migraine, headache, impaired, concentration, mood and behavioural changes, depression, anxiety, fatigue and hyperactivity.
- Dermatological: urticaria, atopic dermatitis, eczema, itchy skin and other rashes.
Symptoms can appear up to three days after eating the offending or ‘reactive’ food and can last for weeks. Therefore, it can be very difficult to pin-point which foods could be causing the symptoms. In the investigation of food intolerance, it can be helpful to assess the level of food antibodies in a blood specimen.
A diet that eliminates the problem foods will often be enough to prevent the onset of symptoms. Identifying these foods is the difficult part. Your Food Intolerance Test, however, is the first step in this process. A raised level of food antibodies is not a problem in itself, but can help to identify those foods which are the most likely candidates. Where your test shows an
elevated level of antibodies to a specific food, you should eliminate it completely from your diet for a period of at least 3 months. When the symptoms subside, the eliminated foods
can be reintroduced one by one and the effects monitored.
Avoiding the foods that have been identified as positive in your Food Intolerance Test may help reduce and even eliminate your symptoms.
Your reactions are tested against over 200 food types including the following:
- Cereals: Corn, Durum Wheat, Gluten, Oats, Rice, Rye, Wheat
- Nuts & Beans: Almond, Brazil Nut, Cashew, Cocoa Bean, Peanut, Legume Mix (pea, lentil, haricot), Soya Bean, Walnut
- Meats: Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Pork
- Fish: Freshwater Fish Mix (salmon, trout), Shellfish Mix (shrimp, prawn, crab, lobster, mussel), Tuna, White Fish Mix (haddock, cod, plaice)
- Vegetables: Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Cucumber, Leek, Peppers (red, green, yellow), Potato
- Fruits: Apple, Blackcurrant, Grapefruit, Melon Mix (cantaloupe, water melon), Olive, Orange & Lemon, Strawberry, Tomato
- Other Foods: Cow’s Milk, Egg, Garlic, Ginger, Mushroom, Tea, Yeast
With the information you obtained from your Food Intolerance Test, you can make some changes to your eating patterns. If your test showed any positive reactions, it means that you have an elevated antibody reaction to that particular food. Reactions can be mild, moderate or strong. It is advisable to eliminate any foods that have shown a mild, moderate or strong reaction, for at least 3 months.
If you have a lot of positive results, then you might find it too challenging to eliminate all of the foods at once, and therefore you may find it easier to:
a) avoid the foods with a moderate and strong reaction, and
b) to rotate the foods showing a mild reaction.
To rotate foods, you need to eat them no more than once every 4 days. For example, to rotate wheat, you could have wheat bread on day 1; oat cakes on day 2; corn bread on day 3; rye bread on day 4; pasta on day 5 etc.
Some people feel worse for a few days when they eliminate a food and although it can be difficult to give up certain foods, you need to persevere. Substitute your reactive food with other foods which have not shown a reaction (some ideas for food substitutions can be found later in this booklet). Trying out new foods may help to decrease cravings and add pleasure to your eating. The majority of people find symptom relief within one to three months after cutting out the foods to which they show a food antibody reaction.
Nutrition and health needs to be considered when changing your diet.
Stockwell Pharmacy offers a Food Intolerance Test and a Nutrition Consultation service.
