The doctor told about the causes of food intolerance of a number of products

Internist, gastroenterologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Svetlana Kanevskaya told the Newspaper on April 23.Ru" about the food intolerance of a number of products, as well as the harm of ultra-processed foods to the body.

"It is important to remember that ultra-processed foods rich in emulsifiers, preservatives and sweeteners are harmful to health. All this damages the human microbiota, intestinal wall, causes insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis," the expert said.

She added that excessive consumption of sugar and fructose causes glycation of proteins and fats in the body, contributing to the development of atherosclerosis and premature aging and the development of cancer.

The doctor also spoke about food intolerance in patients. She cited the example of intolerance to milk and dairy products. So, most often the cause of bloating and diarrhea is lactose intolerance. In addition, there may be a food intolerance to wheat proteins — celiac disease. This is a more serious disease with serious negative health consequences.

The expert attributed the nonspecific symptoms to abdominal pain, bloating, rumbling, stool disorders, headache of unknown origin, unmotivated weakness, fatigue, skin problems, increased anxiety, decreased mood, sleep disorders.

"It's all about intolerance to certain food components, which is completely different from food allergies and is an IgG-mediated or non-immunological reaction to food components. In this case, there is a violation of the process of digestion, absorption and metabolism at the level of not only enterocytes, but also the whole organism. That's why there's such a variety of non—specific symptoms," she explained.

Kanevskaya attributed the lack of certain enzymes or proteins and transporter receptors to the causes of food intolerance. Their deficiency can lead to fermentation, bloating, pain, and diarrhea. An imbalance of the microbiota in the intestine can lead to inactivation of digestive enzymes and disruption of food digestion, provoking sluggish inflammation of the intestinal wall, deterioration of nutrient absorption and damage to the tight contacts between enterocytes. This creates conditions for the penetration of lipopolysaccharides of bacterial cell walls into the bloodstream and the subsequent development of systemic inflammation.

At the same time, intolerance to caffeine, monosodium glutamate and sulfites, according to her, leads to the formation of pseudoallergic reactions.

In addition, it is possible to form immune complexes of food protein + IgG4, which can even lead to the development of autoimmune diseases. According to her, any food protein can be an antigen.

"Unfortunately, the clinical symptoms have absolutely no specificity, and it is difficult for the doctor at the reception to find the cause. In this situation, when other organic symptoms are completely excluded, the FOX food intolerance test comes to the doctor's aid, where the doctor can see an increased level of IgG4 on 286 foods and recommend that the patient eat foods only from the "green zone" — these are those foods for which the IgG4 level is low from 30 to 90 days, which is significantly improves clinical symptoms," the doctor noted.

Kanevskaya stressed the need to check whether there are any other reasons described above, correct the microbiota and gradually expand the diet, adding one product every three days, first from the "yellow zone" and then from the "red zone". The doctor added that if symptoms return after the product is introduced into the diet, it must be removed permanently.

"Pesticides, herbicides that are used in agriculture, antibiotics and growth factors used in the rearing of chickens and cows, mercury, which accumulates in excess in tuna, and heavy metal salts that accumulate in mushrooms — all this, when eaten, harms our health. That's why choosing environmentally friendly products is not a fashion statement, but a necessity in our time to preserve health. And gluten and lactose are just the visible part of the iceberg of this big problem," the expert concluded.

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On April 17, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the State University of Education Irina Lyalina told Izvestia which foods are good for the intestines and which, on the contrary, will cause harm. The expert noted that fatty fried foods are considered the most harmful to the stomach and intestines. In addition, carbonated drinks, sausages and strong tea are harmful. Among the healthy foods are porridges, some fruits and jelly. In addition, it overloads the digestive tract, disrupts the microflora and is addictive to fast food.