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Food allergies affect over 200 million people worldwide, but food sensitivities affect a much higher number, making both a public health concern. Once women reach the age bracket of 13 to 21, they are significantly prone to and diagnosed with food sensitivities. As we continue to age, our immune and digestive systems don’t function as well as in our youth. Other internal, external, and environmental factors like stress, psychological factors, IBS, sensitivity to food additives and more may have something to do with food-related sensitivities.

Difference of Allergies and Sensitivities

To differentiate, food allergies typically are symptomatically like anaphylaxis, cause skin rashes, and in some cases can be life threatening. Food sensitivities, however, are comparatively less serious and limited to digestive issues.

How to Address Them: Understanding Them

While we can’t control our bodies in every way as we age, here are some precautions we can take and common issues that will help us recognize an issue when it begins.

• Lack of Enzymes: the enzymes needed to fully digest food begin to decrease as we grow older. For example, lactose intolerance is due to a decrease in lactase, a digestive enzyme that breaks down lactose. Lactase production naturally decreases as we age, so what you can do to supplement that is consistently consuming dairy products to prevent deficiency.
• Additives/Food Dyes: sensitivity to food additives can worsen as we age. Food dyes and colorings, antioxidants, flavorings, and preservatives are the most common instigators. The FDA allows more additives than other countries and, as we are more and more exposed to them, reactions can happen with age. Skin reactions, gastrointestinal issues and respiratory symptoms are the most common physical responses. It’s always best to read food labels carefully and keep a food diary if new symptoms arise.

• Stress: Many sensitivities that arise in women aged 28 and older are stress-related. There are different personal ways each one of us uses to relax, and therapy is always a helpful resource if you find your stress levels are not reducing.

• Premenstrual Syndrome: A small study found a connection between lactose intolerance and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), as well as mental depression especially in females. Their prevalent theory is that high concentrations of lactose interfere with tryptophan and serotonin metabolism, which are crucial for mood control.

While we can’t control everything that goes on around and in our bodies, we can be aware of what helps, what signals a developing issue, and the preventative methods we can take as we grow older and wiser. Always consult your doctor if you have any questions, unexplained symptoms, or concerns.