If you feel ill after eating, you may 'self-diagnose' yourself with a food allergy. Yet it's important to undergo allergy testing to determine if you have a food allergy, because many other conditions could be mimicking the symptoms of food allergies. In an article published in the Current Allergy & Clinical Immunology Journal, Drs Michael Levin and Harris Steinman outlined some of the medical conditions that cause similar symptoms to those associated with food allergies.
According to the study, the parents of to 34% of children seen by a pediatrician believe that their child has food allergies, but less than 10% actually receive a positive allergy test. Suspected but unconfirmed food allergies may lead parents to remove foods from their child's diet unnecessarily.
The first condition mimicking a food allergy is what the article terms 'psychological aversions.' Children who refuse foods or gag when forced to eat certain foods may not actually have a food allergy to react this way to certain foods. Though difficult to treat, this condition does not mean that the child is allergic to the food.
In other cases, digestive or anatomical issues may be to blame. Gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or inflammatory bowel disease can cause symptoms similar to those of a food allergy, such as nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The symptoms of some of these conditions, such as IBS, may be trigerred by certain foods, leading to the belief that the patient is actually allergic to these foods.
Enzyme deficiencies can also cause food tolerance. While a true food allergy involves the immune system, similar symptoms are caused by a lack of digestive enzymes. The most common of these is lactose intolerance, an inability to digest the sugar found in milk products. Other enzyme deficiencies involve an inability to process fructose, alcohol, or other sugars. Those with food intolerance caused by enzyme deficiencies experience similar symptoms to those who are allergic to these foods.
There are many possible causes for symptoms often blamed on food allergies. If you think you have a food allergy, it is important to undergo a medical exam and allergy testing so that you can receive the right treatment for your condition, whether it is diagnosed as a food allergy or something else. Read more about the study here: http://www.health24.com/dietnfood/Allergy_intolerance/15-3110-3111-3124,...
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