What’s the difference between an allergy and an intolerance?

Allergies are immune responses causing immediate reactions, while intolerances are non-immune, delayed, and not life-threatening.

Allergies An allergy is an immune system response. It is caused when the body mistakes a protein for a harmful substance and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it. Allergic reactions are immediate reactions, and they can be life-threatening in some cases. Intolerances: An intolerance is a non-immune system response. Symptoms of intolerance usually occur several hours after exposure to a trigger, whereas an allergy can result in an immediate reaction. Often people need to be exposed to more significant amounts of food types to trigger an intolerance, unlike an allergy. Food intolerance is not life-threatening.