What is Food Intolerance?

Food intolerance have become an epidemic around the globe with the global diet consisting more additives, processed, salty, sugary and fatty foods than ever before.

Large portions of the populations in developed nations suffer from food intolerances. Dubai is no different and has many citizens who suffer from one kind of food intolerance or another. There are plenty of food intolerance tests in Dubai that offer to inform and educate you on what types of food to avoid.

Not an allergy

Food intolerance is not the same as having a food allergy. While food intolerance is the inability of the human digestive system to be able to digest certain foods, food allergies trigger the immune system and cause responses that can sometimes be seen externally such as swollen facial features. Symptoms of food intolerance take longer to show up than in the case of food allergies.

Causes and symptoms

There are several causes for food intolerance and why the body find it difficult to digest certain foods. Here are a few of the most common reasons.

• Chemicals in foods such as caffeinated drinks, chocolate, cheese and other similar foods have chemicals in them that irritate the digestive system.
• Natural toxins from foods such as beans can cause extremely unpleasant digestive problems and lead to diarrhoea and gas build-up.
• The absence of certain enzymes in the body such as those necessary for the breakdown of lactose from milk, can cause people to become lactose intolerant.
• Symptoms include but are not limited to, bloating, cough, runny nose, irritable bowel, migraines hives and feeling ‘under the weather’.

How to combat food intolerance

There currently isn’t a cure for food allergies or food intolerance. The best way to combat such problems is to avoid them in the first place. There are plenty of health centres that offer food tolerance tests in Dubai. When you apply to get tested, doctors will check your system for 100’s of food irritants. Your body will be measured for IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4, four subclasses of antibodies. These antibodies are produced by the immune system when parts of the food you consume escapes from the digestive tract and enters the bloodstream. This is what causes inflammation and irritation at times.

Should you get a food intolerance test in Dubai?

If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be suffering from food intolerance:

• Bloating
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Constipation
• Sleeplessness
• Congestion

If you’d like to test yourself for food intolerance, you can do so by having a restrictive diet where you carefully note down everything you eat on a daily basis and when you eat so as to measure your body’s reaction to the foods you’ve eaten. Alternatively, drop-by or book an online appointment at GMCClinics to have yourself tested and you will be able to find out what kind of foods you will need to avoid to return your digestive system and your whole well-being to a normal and healthy state.