Every tenth German citizen suffers from an “allergy“. But a large proportion of so-called “allergies” are not allergies, but pseudoallergies or food intolerances (food intolerances).
“Allergies” can be triggered by almost all natural and artificial substances. Four to eight percent of the population in Germany suffer from food allergies. Symptoms range from skin complaints such as itching and hives (urticaria) to runny nose, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea and abdominal pain, and anaphylactic shock. Pseudoallergies, as the word implies, are not allergies, but belong to the group of “non-allergic or non-immunological hypersensitivities”, since no immunological mechanisms are detectable. Patients with pseudoallergies, for example, react to food additives and much more. Food intolerances are also not allergies. They occur due to congenital or acquired enzyme deficiencies or defects. The consequences can be disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to flatulence and diarrhea, for example. Three percent of the population in Germany, for example, suffers from lactose intolerance (milk sugar intolerance) – and fructose intolerance (fruit sugar intolerance) is also on the rise.
