Food intolerance - overview
Lactose intolerance
Approximately 20% of the Germans are suffering from primary (hereditary) lactose intolerance. With a population figure of 80 million inhabitants this means that estimated 16 million persons are affected.
In case of this most common form of food intolerance, the enzyme lactase can no longer be formed in the intestines and lactase deficiency results. A distinction is made between primary and secondary lactose intolerance, depending on the cause of this decrease. In case of primary lactose intolerance, the decrease is genetically based and manifests itself starting at around 10 years of age. In case of the acquired secondary form, lactase deficiency is the consequence of another disease. Due to lack of lactase, lactose contained in the food can no longer be digested and therefore reaches the small intestine in an undigested form. As a result symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and flatulence, occur. Therefore, the presence of lactose intolerance should be considered and investigated after clarification of other organic causes in persons with these kinds of symptoms.
Fructose intolerance
With a frequency of 1:20,000 in Europe, hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) is rare but a quite severe form of food intolerance. Three common mutations (A149P, A174D and N334K) in the aldolase B gene account for approximately 85% of all HFI cases in Europe. Those mutations lead to an accumulation of fructose-1-phosphate due to a decreased enzymatic activity of aldolase B. The ingestion of fructose is linked with fatal consequences for the patient. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, hypoglycaemia, potentially fatal liver and kidney failure. However, affected individuals often develop an aversion to sweets, so the diagnosis is frequently missed until adulthood.
Products for diagnostics of food intolerance
Both forms of food intolerance can be easily detected by using molecular genetic methods directly from blood specimens. There is no need for time-consuming and uncomfortable patient testing, which can lead to life-threatening consequences in case of fructose intolerance!
Our test systems allow for fast and reliable detection of hereditary lactose and fructose intolerance.
The choice is yours: Different technologies and test systems provide you with your individual results.
The test systems GenoType LCT and GenoType SugarTol are based on the user-friendly DNA•STRIP technology and reliably detect both forms of food intolerance. The FluoroType LCT test is based on the innovative FluoroType® technology enabling the secure identification of primary lactose intolerance.