5 Surprising Ways Food Sensitivities Can Impact The Body

Food sensitivities are common. When someone suffers from food sensitivities, they may experience chronic bloating, gas, loose stools, constipation, nausea, and/or stomach pain. For many individuals, this sounds all too familiar!

Food sensitivities are characterized by the production of antibodies, specifically “IgG” antibodies, which can lead to chronic inflammation. Gluten and dairy are two of the biggest food sensitivity culprits, but people can be sensitive to certain vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and even spices.

Food sensitivities can be sneaky, in that they are responsible for “delayed onset” symptoms, which can occur several hours and even days after foods are ingested. In this way, they are different from true food allergies, which often occur immediately after eating a particular food and typically result in hives, tingling of the mouth, facial swelling, and in severe cases, an anaphylactic reaction.

The digestive system is thought to be the centre of our health. It is home to 70 percent of our immune system, 90 percent of the body’s serotonin, and trillions of commensal bacteria. It is no surprise, then, that when the digestive system is underperforming, symptoms can manifest in other areas of the body. Below are 5 surprising ways that food sensitivities can affect us:

1. Joint and muscle pain

Individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain may find relief when removing foods they are sensitive to. I have seen this phenomenon in many of my patients who suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity – a condition that affects approximately 6 percent of the population. A study conducted at the Centre for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland found that 20 percent of individuals with non-celiac gluten sensitivity experienced numbness in their legs, arms, or fingers, and another 11 percent of individuals suffered from joint pain [1].

 2. Headaches

Many people with irritable bowel syndrome also experience chronic migraines. It is well known that certain foods trigger migraine attacks in some patients. Research has shown that diet restriction based on elevated IgG antibodies to food offenders may reduce the frequency of migraine attacks [2].

3. Chronic fatigue and low energy

When someone suffers from leaky gut, they experience increased intestinal permeability, which often leads to multiple food sensitivities. Leaky gut also leads to inflammation in the digestive tract, and mounting an inflammatory response is an energy-intensive process. Our body spends many resources addressing underlying gut inflammation, and consequently, we become quite tired.

4. Anxiety and depression

Dysbiosis – when we have an abnormal overgrowth of certain bacteria in our digestive tract – and inflammation in the gut have been linked to causing several mental health issues including anxiety and depression [3]. As we learned before, food sensitivities can both be caused by and exacerbate leaky gut. Research has also shown that gluten triggers depression in 22 percent of individuals with non-celiac gluten sensitivity [1].

5. Skin issues

We now know that the functional integrity and microbial residents in our gut can play a mediating role in skin inflammation [4]. An underlying food component may exist for individuals who suffer from skin issues like itchy skin, cystic acne, psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema. Research suggests that there is a “gut-skin axis,” where certain foods may affect inflammatory skin conditions. Dairy has been linked to acne in several large population studies, for example, but what is interesting is that no positive correlation has been found between fermented dairy (e.g. yogurt containing probiotics) and acne [4].

If you experience chronic gastrointestinal or other unpleasant symptoms, it is important to work with a primary healthcare provider, such as a naturopathic doctor or family doctor, to rule out red flags and determine the underlying cause of your health concerns.  

- Dr. Dominique Vanier is a registered naturopath in Burlington with a clinical focus on digestion and women’s hormones. Naturopath Burlington. This article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to treat or diagnose any health conditions.

References:

1. Igbinedion S, Ansari J, Vasikaran A et al. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: All wheat attack is not celiac. World J Gastroenterol. 2017;23(40):7201-7210. doi:10.3748/wjg.v23.i40.7201

2. Alpay K, Ertaş M, Orhan E, Üstay D, Lieners C, Baykan B. Diet restriction in migraine, based on IgG against foods: A clinical double-blind, randomised, cross-over trial. Cephalalgia. 2010;30(7):829-837. doi:10.1177/0333102410361404

3. Clapp M, Aurora N, Herrera L, Bhatia M, Wilen E, Wakefield S. Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: the gut-brain axis. Clin Pract. 2017;7(4). doi:10.4081/cp.2017.987

4. Bowe W, Logan A. Acne vulgaris, probiotics and the gut-brain-skin axis - back to the future?. Gut Pathog. 2011;3(1):1. doi:10.1186/1757-4749-3-1