Do you suspect you have a food intolerance?
You can order self-tests online.
You can find out whether these are meaningful here.
Flatulence, abdominal pain, feeling of fullness, nausea: If certain foods are not tolerated, the body reacts to certain components of the food.
Lactose intolerance is widespread.
Those affected lack the enzyme lactase, which utilizes milk sugar.
As a result, digestive problems occur when people with lactose intolerance consume products such as milk or cheese.
But a whole range of other intolerances can also be behind digestive problems, including:
histamine intolerance
fructose intolerance
gluten intolerance
Anyone who thinks they are suffering from a food intolerance should first speak to their general practitioner.
They will give you a referral to see a gastroenterologist or internist.
With the help of various tests, this person has the opportunity to find out whether and to which foods they react.
Blood, urine, and hydrogen breath tests are used to make a diagnosis.
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Do you get flatulence after eating muesli with milk?
It could be a food intolerance.
© Thomas Trutschel/Imago
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Self-tests for food intolerance: "I generally advise against self-tests from the Internet"
But the self-test market also has a lot to offer.
Test providers advertise their products with slogans such as “Now simply test food intolerance at home”.
But how useful is testing without the involvement of a doctor?
"I generally advise against self-tests from the Internet," warns Hans-Michael Mühlenfeld, general practitioner and chairman of the Bremen Association of General Practitioners.
"
It's just as pointless to try drinking a liter of milk on an empty stomach
.
Even a person without lactose intolerance gets diarrhea from it,” quotes the official capital city portal berlin.de ecotrophologist Sonja Lämmel from the German Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB).
Thilo Jakob, Director of the Clinic for Dermatology and Allergology at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, also strongly advises against self-tests from the Internet.
The editorial network Germany (RND) informs that
patients who have spent 200 to 400 euros for such tests
keep coming to his clinic .
"There is a lack of any scientific evidence," says Jakob: "And some abstruse nutritional recommendations are given, such as omitting milk, protein and cereals altogether: there's not much left."
Which brings gluten free and lactose free
Which brings gluten free and lactose free
How do self-tests for food intolerance work?
Prick your finger, send in a few drops of blood for testing and then receive a list of foods that you say you cannot tolerate: This is how a self-test for food intolerances usually works.
The self-tests are therefore blood tests that test the blood for certain antibodies - the immunoglobulins G (IgG).
These are formed when the body reacts against a substance in the body.
If IgG to a certain food is found in the blood, it means that you cannot tolerate it, claim the test providers.
However, that is nonsense, quotes the Hannoversche Allgemeine Thilo Jakob: "
It is quite normal that we have antibodies against food in our blood
, which simply means that we have taken them.
But apparently good money can be made with such tests.”
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more : Dangerous vitamin deficiency - Stiftung Warentest with a clear message: These people are at risk.
List of rubrics: © Thomas Trutschel/Imago
