Food allergies & intolerance
Reactions to food are common; true food allergy is much less so. Working out which is which — and what to do about it — saves patients years of unnecessary restriction.
Allergy, intolerance, and everything between
True food allergy is an immune reaction — sometimes rapid and dramatic, sometimes slower and confined to the gut, as in eosinophilic oesophagitis. Food intolerance, far more common, produces genuine symptoms (bloating, discomfort, altered bowels) without an immune mechanism — lactose and fermentable carbohydrates are frequent culprits. Coeliac disease sits in its own category and must never be missed.
How Dr Zeki investigates
- History first: the pattern, timing and reproducibility of reactions narrows the field quickly
- Targeted testing — coeliac serology, breath testing where appropriate, endoscopy with biopsies when the oesophagus or small bowel is implicated
- A deliberate avoidance of unvalidated commercial "intolerance tests", which mislead more than they inform
Treatment
Where a true trigger is identified, structured elimination and reintroduction — with dietetic support — establishes what actually needs avoiding, which is usually far less than patients fear. The goal is the least restrictive diet that controls symptoms, not the most impressive list of exclusions.
Seeing Dr Zeki
Consultations take place on Tuesdays at HCA UK at The Shard, with testing and endoscopy at London Bridge Hospital — usually within days. Call 020 3301 4916 or email Dr Zeki's secretary to book. Fees and insurers.