Food Intolerance
Food intolerance is not caused by the immune system but instead symptoms can be delayed for a number of hours. Intolerance to several food groups is not uncommon. Most people are able to tolerate a reasonable amount of food but can develop symptoms if they eat too much of a specific type.
The Impact Of Food Intolerance On Daily Living
Food intolerance reactions can be both unpleasant and inconvenient, however they are rarely serious and, as far as we know, they cause no long-term harm. The severity depends entirely on what you have eaten, your particular degree of sensitivity and the way your symptoms present. However the response, food intolerance issues can lead to longer term health risks discussed below.
Long Term Health Risks Of Untreated Food Intolerance
There are some diseases that can develop as a result of untreated food intolerance, these can be from years and years of undigested food in the system that develop into a specific disease and can still be a contributing factor even after the disease has been established. Some of the common ones below include:
- Anaemia
- Auto-immune conditions
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Diabetes type 1 and 2
- Graves’ disease
- Crohn's Disease and others
- Behavioural problems in children
- Bowel cancer
- Coeliac Disease
- Heart disease (atherosclerosis)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Infertility
- Learning difficulties
- Malnutrition (from poor absorption of nutrients)
- Miscarriage and difficulty conceiving
- Neurological conditions e.g. multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, epilepsy, memory loss
- Obesity and metabolism issues
- Osteoporosis, bone density loss
- Psychological disorders e.g. depression, behavioural difficulties
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Ulcerative colitis.