Allergies and intolerances: what is food sensitivity?

Do you know the difference between an allergy and an intolerance? Stomach aches, itching, fatigue, sniffly nose – both allergies and intolerances can cause a wide variety of symptoms and problems. As these symptoms can affect your quality of life, you should ideally get to the bottom of your complaints.

With an allergy, your immune system reacts to a substance that is actually harmless, usually a protein. Common food triggers are, for example, soy, nuts, egg or wheat. However, many people experience allergic reactions to pollen, animal hair or house dust.

When someone has an intolerance, their immune systems do not play a part in their symptoms. Often, their bodies lack a certain substance needed to digest certain foods, as is the case with fructose and lactose intolerance.

In contrast to allergies, the body has a delayed reaction to intolerances. This means you should keep a close eye on your symptoms and get tested if you suspect you have an intolerance or allergy.

Read more about the different allergies and intolerances in our articles, where we inform you about triggers, symptoms and various treatment options:

Food allergies and food intolerances

• Food allergy vs food intolerance
• Egg allergy
• Milk allergy
• Allergen immunotherapy

Pollen allergies

• Birch pollen allergy
• Cross-allergy
• Pollen allergy

Other allergies

• House dust allergy
• Latex allergy

Intolerances

• Lactose intolerance
• Histamine intolerance
• Fructose intolerance