What are allergen-free supplements?
Allergen-free supplements are dietary supplements that do not contain allergens, making them safe for people with food allergies.
The most common allergens in supplements are gluten and lactose.
What are allergens?
Allergens are substances that can cause allergic reactions in sensitive people. When someone is allergic, their immune system recognizes these substances as dangerous and responds by producing antibodies.
When exposed to the allergen, the body may react with symptoms such as itching, swelling, rash, breathing problems or gastrointestinal complaints.
Intolerance
Are you not allergic but do you experience a reaction to certain allergens? Then you may have a food intolerance, caused, for example, by a deficiency of one or more enzymes. This makes it harder for your body to break down the substance (allergen).
What allergens are there?
According to European legislation, 14 substances are classified as allergens:
- Gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, Khorasan wheat)
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanut
- Soy
- Milk (including lactose)
- Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts)
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame seeds
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphite (at concentrations exceeding 10 mg SO2 per kilo or litre)
- Lupine
- Molluscs
Gluten-free supplements
People with celiac disease can use gluten-free supplements without any problems.
Celiac disease , often incorrectly labeled as a gluten allergy, is not an allergy but an autoimmune disease . In celiac disease, the immune system attacks gluten and damages the body's own intestinal tissues. This then leads to inflammation of the intestinal lining and symptoms such as persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite.
Gluten intolerance or sensitivity , on the other hand, can cause similar symptoms, but there is no autoimmune reaction and intestinal damage as in celiac disease.(1)
Lactose-free supplements
Lactose-free supplements do not contain milk sugar (lactose), making them easily tolerated by people with lactose intolerance.
Lactose intolerance is a condition in which the body has difficulty digesting lactose. This occurs because the enzyme lactase, which is needed to break down lactose into glucose and galactose, is insufficient.
Typical symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea and flatulence after eating dairy products. (2)
Sources Used
- Posner, E.B., & Haseeb, M. (2023, August 8). Celiac disease . StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441900/
- Malik, T. F., & Panuganti, K. K. (2023, April 17). Lactose intolerance . StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532285/
