A food allergy is an IgE mediated immune response. Food allergies affect approximately 1-2% of the population and accounts for only a small percentage of adverse food reactions. Anaphylactic shock is a severe hyper- reaction of the immune system, but not everyone with food allergies experiences anaphylactic shock. People suffering from food allergy can usually identify what they are allergic to without the help of a dietitian or testing, this is because the reaction occurs every time and shortly after they eat their allergic food.
Food sensitivity is also an immune response but is a non- IgE mediated immune response. Many more people are affected by food sensitivities, approximately 20-30% of the population. Delayed reactions manifest in many different ways and they can affect any organ system in the body and can take from 45 minutes to several days for symptoms to become apparent. Food sensitivities often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and can be hard to determine what the reactive foods are due to the long delay in symptoms.
For more information on Food Sensitivities, check out: https://rejoovwellness.com/food-sensitivities/
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