Glossary

ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Is explained up to now by a genetic defect in the metabolism of the messengers in the brain, but metabolic disorders and delayed food allergies probably have a certain influence.

Allergy: a defence reaction of the immune system against foreign, normally harmless substances that trigger inflammatory reactions. A distinction is made between immediate allergies (type I) that occur within seconds to minutes and delayed allergies (type III) that become apparent only some hours to days after the intake of the foreign matter (e.g. food).

Antibodies: defence substance in blood serum; immunoglobulin

Atopic dermatitis: neurodermatitis

Coeliac disease: chronic disease of the small intestine resulting from gluten intolerance. Important symptoms: diarrhoea, bloatedness, loss of weight and sick feeling.

Delayed food allergy: type III allergy, IgG-mediated. Foodstuffs cause a delayed immune reaction that provokes complaints after hours to days.

Food allergy: reaction mediated by the immune system against foodstuffs that normally are harmless.

Food hypersensitivity: all reactions that cause complaints after the consumption of foodstuffs

Fructose malabsorption: fruit sugar incompatibility through a considerable disorder of the fructose metabolism. Fructose (fruit sugar) cannot be decomposed or not to a sufficient extent. Important symptoms: stomach-ache, winds (often foul-smelling), pasty stools (often foul-smelling), diarrhoea (in part watery), irritable bowel or irritable stomach syndrome, depression, anxiety.

Gliadin: elastic protein in gluten-containing cereals

Gluten: generic term for “elastic protein” that occurs in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

Histamine intolerance: histamine incompatibility. The histamine taken in with food cannot be degraded due to the absence or reduction of the activity of the histamine-degrading enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO). Important symptoms: migraine, headache, dizziness, gastrointestinal problems, tachycardia, cardiac dysrhythmia, low blood pressure, menstrual pain, common cold, dry nose, asthma, depressions, itching of the skin, red skin.

IgE: immunoglobulin E, a special class of antibodies that play a role in immediate allergies.

IgG: immunoglobulin G, a special class of antibodies that play a role in delayed food allergies.

Immune complex: combination of an antigen and an antibody that is destroyed by the complement system.

Immunoglobulin: proteins that bind foreign proteins to themselves, thus rendering them harmless and causing them to be destroyed by the immune system. A distinction is made between the following classes: IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD and IgE. IgG and IgE can be detected in a blood test and indicate an immediate allergy (IgE) or delayed allergy (IgG).

Lactose intolerance: milk sugar intolerance as a result of the absence or reduction of the production of the enzyme lactase that splits milk sugar and so renders it digestible. Important symptoms: stomach-ache, winds, colics, bloated feeling, sick feeling or diarrhoea.

Psoriasis: skin disorder that involves a scaly rush

Type I allergy: immediate-type allergy; is mediated by IgE.

Type III allergy: delayed-type allergy; is mediated by IgG.