Food intolerance: sifting the facts from the fantasies

Editor - I was pleased to see the article on food intolerance in the November issue.¹ It raised important questions about beliefs held by some people about the adverse effects of eating wheat and dairy products. I have several friends who believe that they have allergies to dairy and wheat, some of whom avoid these food types altogether, because of unfounded and irresponsible myths propagated by the popular press, some alternative health practitioners, and word of mouth.

I find this worrying not just because of the need for a balanced diet and an adequate supply of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, but also because it is used to legitimise unhealthy eating habits. One friend of mine who works for a well known fashion magazine told me that “only the fat girls in the office” still ate wheat and dairy products as it was “so unhealthy and fattening.”

There is a need for articles like this to be published in the popular press so that the public can make educated and informed decisions about what they eat, and I hope that the findings of the British Nutrition Foundation will receive as much coverage as the latest fad diet.

Ginevra Read fourth year medical student, Royal Free and University College, London
Email: ginervraread@hotmail.com


studentBMJ 2001;09:443-486 December ISSN 0966-6494

1. Buttriss J. Food Intolerance: sifting the facts from the fantasies. studentBMJ 2001;9:416.7. (November.)