Every one of us is different in our makeup, being one of the beautifully wonderful things about the human body. This is why we all respond to different foods in different ways. For instance, two people with the same food intolerance can experience completely different symptoms from one another, with the impact of food sensitivities varying hugely from one individual to the next.
If you are experiencing symptoms that you believe could be connected to a food intolerance, you will no doubt be reading up on the subject of food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities.
Below, we look at the most common food intolerances.
- Gluten - The term ‘gluten’ covers the proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and triticale. This means those that have an allergy or intolerance to gluten must avoid products with these ingredients in. Symptoms of a gluten intolerance are widespread and can come in various forms. These include headaches, bloating, abdominal cramps, loose stools, anxiety, skin problems, pains in the joints and anaemia. This is essentially the body's digestive system rejecting gluten foods. Common gluten-based products include bread, pasta, cereal and beer.
- Dairy - An intolerance to dairy is something close to 13% of the global population experience. Most have an intolerance to lactose (Lactose Intolerance), which is when the digestive system cannot digest lactose; a kind of sugar found mostly in milk and other dairy products. Those that are Lactose Intolerant do not produce enough lactase; this is a substance the body uses to digest lactose. Lactose, therefore, remains in the digestive system, where it's fermented by bacteria. If not addressed, intolerance to lactose can result in malnutrition, Osteoporosis and Osteopenia.
- Caffeine - Although caffeine is mostly associated with coffee, it's also found in many different foods and drinks. These include tea, energy drinks, chocolate and even some medications. There are several factors that can cause a caffeine intolerance. These range from genetics and age to sleep hygiene. Symptoms of caffeine sensitivities include insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure and headaches.
Who are food intolerance tests for?
During our time in business, Supply Life has successfully performed over 15,000 food intolerance tests in our UK-approved laboratory. This means we have helped close to 15,000 individuals learn about their digestive system, giving them the intel and support to introduce positive changes to their diet and lifestyle.
When conducting food intolerance tests, we test blood samples to detect food-specific IgG antibodies to 220 different foods. We achieve this through the use of pioneering immunoassay microarray technology. This means we cannot only pick up the most common food intolerances but more rare ones that are difficult to detect and diagnose.
Start learning more about your body and order your food intolerance testing kit from Supply Life now. You won’t regret it.