Understanding Food Sensitivities

Food Allergies vs Food Sensitivities

They use different immunoglobulins of the immune system causing different reactions, causing different reactions. Food allergies use the IgE immunoglobulin and food sensitivities use the IgG immunoglobulin (side note: Immunoglobulin will sometimes be switched with the word antibodies depending on what you’re reading). IgE reactions tend to occur faster and is also known as Hypersensitvity type 1; whereas, IgG reactions tend to be delayed (can take up to 3 days to get a reaction) and is also known as Hypersensitivity type 3 (PEDIAA, 2019).

IgE Immunoglobulin

• Reaction causes release of histamine

• Itching, hives, anaphylaxis, red skin

• Reactions happen very quickly

• Test: Skin Prick test, IgE Blood test

• Through an Allergist

IgG Immunoglobulin

• Reaction causes release of inflammatory mediators

• Chronic inflammation (eg. eczema, bowel symptoms (constipation, stomach pains, diarrhea, etc), migraines, etc)

• Reaction can take up to 3 days to occur

• Test: Elimination Diet or Food Sensitivity Test

• Through a Naturopathic Doctor

IgG reactions can manifest in different ways, and since they’re delayed, can be a little trickier to track, and therefore has a higher tendency to become chronic reactions. This in turn can lead to chronic inflammation, which can cause a number of other symptoms. IgG immunoglobulins have been seen in patients with allergic-like reactions (Shakoor, et al; 2016, Crowe; 2019)

Gut Health and Your Immune System

Your gut is exposed to the outside world, which makes it a key player in regulating your health. 70-80% of your immune system is found in your gut through GALT (Gut-associated lymphoid tissue) receptors. These are receptors found all over your intestines that communicate to different parts of your body by presenting foreign bodies (eg. bacteria, viruses, etc.) to the immune system to start building up an immune response (Microbe Notes, 2018).

Discovering Your Food Sensitivities

Both of these methods should be monitored by a qualified practitioner

Elimination Diet

• Pros:

  • Understand how your body reacts to different foods

  • 100% accurate with tracking and reintroduction phase

  • Cheaper

• Cons:

  • Requires time and commitment

  • Takes 4-6 weeks of eliminations + the amount of time needed to reintroduce the foods

  • Can be difficult to see if a food causes a reaction if you are not in tune with your body or second guess yourself

Food Sensitivity Test

• Pros:

  • Convenient

  • Good for people who like visuals or are analytical

  • Takes most of the guessing out of it

• Cons:

  • Not 100% accurate

  • Is changeable depending on the health of your gut

  • Expensive

When I work with patients on these concerns, I ask my patients to fill out a questionnaire at the beginning before the eliminate the foods, and afterwards, so we can see things have shifted, and where they’ve experienced an improvement of symptoms. To better understand how to incorporate these into your life to discover your food sensitivities, book an appointment with your Naturopathic Doctor.

~ Dr. Charmagne

Managing Your Allergies

With spring finally making it's way here, we can all bath in the wonderful warmth that is spring. However, along with spring, comes pollen - and hay fever. It can be unbearable going through your days with a runny nose, red eyes, and a general sense of "this sucks." Here are a few things you can do to help decrease these symptoms.

Gut health

70-80% of your immune system is found in your gut, and as a result, it play a very important role in balancing your immune system (Vighi). As such, it makes sense to start here, since allergies are an immune response to something outside yourself (includes food, and environment). One way to heal the gut is by eliminating any food sensitivities you have from your diet. This way, your gut can start to heal since it is not constantly being bombarded by reactive foods. The best way to see which foods you are sensitive to is by doing the Elimination Diet, which can last 4-6 weeks, plus a food reintroduction phase - where you DO NOT add any foods that you are anaphylaxis too - which can make it last quite a while. That being said, it is the most accurate way of finding out which foods you are sensitive to. Another way is by doing an IgG test, that you can ask your Naturopathic Doctor or me about. This test is an easy finger prick, and the results tell you which foods your body is sensitive to, based on that finger prick. It saves you from having to commit to a diet and reintroduction phase; however it is not 100% accurate, and there can be foods that it misses, or foods that it added for one reason or another.

Probiotics

Probiotics help regulate your immune system, by interacting with immune cells found in your intestinal track. These interactions have cascading effects throughout your body, depending of the bacteria. Different strains of bacteria can help modulate in different ways, by either exerting immune-activation, deviation, regulation, or suppression responses (Hardy). As such, it is important to know which probiotic you are looking for, and how it effects the immune system. For allergies in particular, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus lactis, Bifidobacteria longum, Bifidobacteria breve  (Hardy) are the probiotics that have been seen to improve symptoms of allergies. They are able to do this by modulating the immune system and shifting it from a more reactive state to one that is not. 

Isoquercetin or Quercetin

Quercetin has been used and recommended for control of allergy symptoms, among other things. It is found in a number of herbs, fruits, and vegetables including: apples, berries, green tea, onions, etc. Quercetin is helpful for allergies because it is able to stabilize mast cells and prevent them from releasing histamine (Natural Medicine, Li) - which causes you to have your allergic symptoms. Quercetin on its own may not be enough to manage your allergy symptoms, and is often recommended with Vitamin C, because they work synergistically. Lastly, I have switched to recommended Isoquercetin instead of quercetin because it is more bioavailable to your body, it is 40 time more absorbed (Valentová). 

Stinging Nettle

Stinging nettle is an amazing herb, full of minerals, and helpful for a number of different ailments. They are also a natural anti-histamine (Roschek), without the sedative effect of pharmaceutical anti-histamines. It can be taken as a tea (1-2 tsp/cup, let steep for 15-20 minutes; and drink 2-3 x day), or as a capsule. Find capsules that use freeze dried stinging nettle, for the most effective relief. This herb is safe to sure during pregnancy.

~ Dr. Charmagne