Food Intolerance & Allergies

Care for Food Intolerance

About colon cancer & other colorectal disease

If you suspect your ongoing gastrointestinal troubles may be caused by something in your diet, you’re not alone. There is a growing number of patients with celiac disease, gluten intolerance and other food sensitivities.

Doctors, dietitians and other clinicians can help you distinguish between a true food allergy and food intolerance, and recommend a long-term plan for managing your diet and your health.

There are also patients whose bodies cannot properly absorb nutrients from food, due to complex medical conditions like small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and short bowel syndrome.

Food allergies versus food intolerance

If you have an adverse reaction to eating certain foods, you may be unsure whether you have an actual allergy, or whether your symptoms are due to an intolerance. Because true food allergies can be life-threatening, it’s important to understand the differences between the two — and to seek professional medical advice instead of trying to diagnose yourself.

Characteristics of food allergies:
  • The immune system mistakes the food as harmful and produces antibodies to attack it. This immune response can affect several organs in the body.
  • Symptoms usually come on quickly, and may develop even after eating only a small amount of the offending food.
  • While some people develop gastrointestinal problems, including vomiting and diarrhoea, symptoms are usually not limited to the digestive tract and may include skin rash, hives, an itchy mouth or throat, and difficulty swallowing or breathing.
  • Food allergies can cause a severe reaction, called anaphylaxis, which can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Characteristics of food intolerance:
  • Eating the offending food triggers digestive problems instead of an immune system response. Symptoms tend to come on more gradually, and may not appear unless the food is eaten regularly or in large amounts.
  • Symptoms are primarily gastrointestinal, and include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, bloating, diarrhoea and heartburn. Some people with food intolerance also develop symptoms such as headaches and fatigue.
  • Food intolerance is not life-threatening.

Conditions we manage

Gastroenterologists have extensive experience diagnosing and treating food allergies and sensitivities, including:

  • Celiac disease, a digestive and autoimmune disorder in which eating gluten — a protein found in wheat, rye and barley — causes damage to the small intestine. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, it triggers an immune system response; however, celiac disease is not considered an allergy because it cannot cause anaphylaxis.
  • Non-celiac gluten sensitivity, also known as gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity.
  • Lactose intolerance.
  • Sensitivity to sulfites or other food additives, such as MSG.
  • Common allergic food reactions including soy, wheat, cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.

Our doctors also manage malabsorption, which occurs when the body cannot absorb essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins. Malabsorption is often caused by a related gastrointestinal disorder, including: