AllergyCheck

Symptoms of food allergies vary from person to person. However, we have listed the most common food allergy symptoms.

• tingling or itching in the mouth
• swelling around the mouth, throat, face or tongue
• respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath or wheezing
• itchy red rash (hives)
• feeling sick (nausea) or vomiting
• diarrhoea or abdominal pain

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, however, they can also vary by intensity. For example, you may consume a problematic food and experience tingling in the mouth, but another time the reaction could be more severe.

Symptoms of environmental allergies vary from person to person. However, we have listed the most common environmental and hay fever allergy symptoms:

• Frequent sneezing
• Runny or blocked nose
• Itchy throat
• Itchy eyes
• Dry mouth
• Dry ears
• Coughing

An allergic reaction happens when your body overreacts to a specific substance. Your body then sends out chemicals to defend against it.

It is possible to develop a food allergy to a food that you have eaten for years with no problem. The reason for this is still unknown. According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), it is estimated that 2 million people in the UK suffer from a food allergy.

Yes, you can develop an allergy at any given time – seasonal or food related.

Some studies speculate that moving to a new location may trigger environmental allergens, or if you are exposed to allergens when the immune system is weakened, such as pregnancy or illness. This may trigger food allergies. However, it is still unknown exactly why adults suddenly develop allergies.

You are most likely to develop adult-onset allergies in your twenties, thirties and forties, as opposed to later in life.

Under EU legislation, the UK classify 14 major food allergens. These listed allergens must be declared on all pre-packaged food in the UK:

• Celery
• Cereals containing gluten
• Crustaceans
• Eggs
• Fish
• Lupin
• Milk
• Molluscs
• Mustard
• Nuts
• Peanuts
• Sesame seeds
• Soya
• Sulphur dioxide (sometimes known as sulphites)

It’s common to believe that a food allergy and a food intolerance are the same thing, but they take on different processes in the body.

A food allergy can cause a life-threatening condition called anaphylaxis. This is when released chemicals act on the blood vessels to cause swelling. Food allergies normally appear instantly and up to two hours after consumption.

A food intolerance, on the other hand, may take up to three days to show any symptoms, making it problematic to identify the cause. A food intolerance is not life-threatening but can cause distressing symptoms, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), migraines and headaches, skin issues, tiredness and joint pain.

Suspect you may have a food intolerance instead of a food allergy? Not to worry. We were named Food Intolerance Testing Company of the Year 2018 and 2019 and we specialise in home-to-lab tests. You can find our award-winning food intolerance programmes here.

For more information on the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance, click here.

Note that if you have not been exposed to a particular food or environmental allergen prior to taking the test and/or you are not displaying symptoms, your antibody levels may not be raised, and your result may be negative (no reaction).

If you know that you have a bad reaction to a particular food, then do not attempt to eat that food.

† An AllergyCheck negative result does not mean that you are not allergic to the particular food or environmental factor. Potentially fatal anaphylactic reactions of varying severity can still occur on exposure to allergens even if you obtain a negative result from the test. YorkTest do not claim to treat or cure symptoms and recommend that you discuss any medical concerns you have with a GP before undertaking a YorkTest test or programme.