What is the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?Updated 16 days ago

A food allergy and a food intolerance are distinct conditions with different causes, symptoms, and management strategies. Food allergies involve an immune system reaction to specific food proteins, often triggering severe and potentially life-threatening symptoms such as hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, and anaphylaxis, typically occurring shortly after exposure. In contrast, food intolerances do not involve the immune system and are usually caused by difficulty digesting certain food components, leading to milder symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, which may appear hours after consumption. Unlike allergies, food intolerances often allow for small amounts of the trigger food to be tolerated. For individuals with FODMAP intolerances, enzyme products like FODZYME® can help by breaking down specific carbohydrates responsible for digestive discomfort, demonstrating how digestive enzymes can effectively manage food intolerance symptoms.