food intolerances and food allergy

• what is an allergy

  an inappropriately large immune response to a harmless substance
• properties of allergy

  • allergies can be fatal b/c they lead to breathing failure
  • allergies often go unnoticed because the sufferer is so accustomed to them that they see them as normal
  • gluten (the protein in wheat) is a common allergy
  • Some allergies change over time, they can get worse as a person grows older or a person can outgrow them
  • allergies are treated with anti-histamines that cause the immune system to stop over-reacting
• what is a food intolerance

  a body normal processes are not adapted to cope well with the substance

  (has nothing to do with the immune system)
• symptoms of food intolerances 


  abdominal cramps

  excess wind

  indigestion
• what foods are humans most intolerant to

  lactose in milk

  gluten in wheat

  sucrose
• things involved in growing crops 


  pesticides - keep pests away

  fertilisers - to provide plant nutrients

  hormones - to speed up growth
• additives thought to be allergenic/carcinogenic 


  colourants, stabilisers, sweeteners, flavour enhances "E" numbers