Q Is food intolerance different from food allergy? I often feel bloated and have diarrhea after eating.
A Food intolerance occurs when the body cannot properly digest certain components due to enzyme deficiency, intestinal lining damage, or gut microbiome imbalance—without an immune system reaction. Unlike allergies (which cause immediate hives or breathing difficulty), symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fatigue appear hours to a day after eating. Lactose intolerance, FODMAP sensitivity, histamine intolerance, and gluten sensitivity are common examples.
Detailed Answer
Food allergy involves an IgE antibody-mediated immune reaction with systemic symptoms within minutes. Food intolerance, on the other hand, bypasses the immune system and results from lactase deficiency, intestinal lining damage causing malabsorption, gut microbiome imbalance, or reduced ability to process substances like FODMAPs and histamine. Symptoms often appear 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating, making it difficult to identify the trigger food.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, food intolerance is seen as the spleen and stomach (脾胃) losing their transforming and transporting (運化) function, making it unable to properly process certain foods. The underlying cause is identified as a combination of constitutional factors and acquired poor dietary habits and stress disrupting organ function, with treatment focused on restoring spleen-stomach function.
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