Food allergy reactions: symptomsWhereas food allergy reactions can be provoked by quite small amounts of the food - a smear of the food from a badly washed saucepan for some highly allergic individuals - much larger quantities are needed to provoke the symptoms of food intolerance. Food intolerance is also far more insidious than food allergy: it is often difficult to say when it began, because the symptoms are very mild at first but gradually get worse. There are exceptions to this rule however, for in some cases a bad bout of influenza or diarrhoea can spark off food intolerance. As in Susan's case, those with food intolerance tend to col-lea more and more new symptoms as the years go by, and become intolerant of more and more foods. Food allergy usually persists for many years, often for a lifetime, even though the food is scrupulously avoided. Food intolerance, on the other hand, may well disappear if the food is not eaten for a few months. But it will tend to recur if the food is ever eaten regularly again. The symptoms of food intolerance are extraordinarily varied and affect almost every body system. The illustration opposite summarizes the major symptoms that are generally agreed upon. Most doctors working in this field would probably wish to add various other symptoms to this list, and there is intense debate over symptoms that might or might not be attributed to food. An important aspect of food intolerance is that the symptoms are not constant - they tend to come and go and vary in severity. Non-food factors may play an important part, particularly stress, which can greatly exacerbate the symptoms. One of the most curious facets of food intolerance is that the person concerned often has a craving for the particular food or foods that cause the problem. In such cases - which account for as many as 50 per cent of food-intolerant patients - eating the food initially gives a sense of great well-being. *16\180\8* Allergies «Buy Lipitor» |
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