Nine in ten food allergy cases 'are all in the mind'

By Fiona Macrae for the Daily Mail
Updated:


Up to one in five people wrongly claim they are allergic to foods such as wheat, which is common in bread

Many people wrongly claim they are allergic to foods such as wheat

Nine in ten Britons who believe they have a food allergy or intolerance are perfectly healthy, researchers say.

Studies show that although 20 per cent of adults  -  around ten million  -  claim they are unable to eat foods from milk to mustard, fewer than 2 per cent actually have a problem.

Researchers from Portsmouth University found the discrepancy after reviewing studies into the prevalence of food allergies, which are caused by an over-reaction of the immune system, and intolerances, which have similar but less severe symptoms.

They blamed internet searches, self-testing kits and celebrity food fads for the epidemic of make-believe allergies and intolerances.

As a result, they said millions are unnecessarily restricting their diets, starving themselves of their favourite foods  -  and of key nutrients.

Others could be suffering from another medical problem which goes untreated because they believe their symptoms are caused by a particular food such as milk, eggs or wheat.

For instance, some may stop eating wheat when in fact they are suffering from a bowel condition called coeliac disease. If the complaint is not diagnosed or treated it can raise the risk of other health problems including brittle bones in old age.

Dr Carina Venter, a dietician who specialises in allergies, said: 'Our concern is that people are self-diagnosing allergies which is very unreliable and could even mask a different illness which would remain undiagnosed and untreated.'

Cutting wheat out of the diet could lead to a deficiency in B vitamins, while avoiding dairy products will lower levels of calcium, vital in maintaining strong bones, she added.

Dr Venter, whose report was funded by the Flour Advisory Board, said: 'When you feel ill, it is almost a natural reaction to try and link it with what you have eaten.

'But anyone who thinks they have symptoms related to a food needs to go to see their GP who may refer them to an allergy centre or dietician.

'Children are more prone to nutritional problems when foods are excluded from diet, so it's critical that they receive a correct diagnosis.'

Dr Venter has previously warned that new mothers are too quick to decide if their children have food allergies or intolerances.

Her study of almost 1,000 babies born on the Isle of Wight revealed more than half had at least one food cut out of their diet by the age of one. Yet, tests showed the true rate of problems was barely one in 25.

'Mums tend to put down every rash, tummy ache, diarrhoea and cry to food allergy or intolerance,' she said.

'I sympathise with them  -  it seems reasonable to blame the food when an infant screams or turns red in the face after being fed it the first time.'

The most common allergies include milk, wheat and peanuts.


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