Food intolerances: Metabolic food disorder

Several types of food intolerances occur with the two most important types being metabolic food disorders and idiosyncratic reactions.

Metabolic food disorder is an adverse reaction to a food or food component that occurs through some effect of the substance on the metabolism (the processes by which a substance is handled in the body) of the individual.

The individual with metabolic food disorder display increased sensitivity to certain chemicals in foods because they lack an enzyme necessary to metabolize that particular chemical or because they have a genetic abnormality that makes them especially susceptible to the toxic effects of a particular foodborne chemical. 

Lactose intolerance is the best example of the first type of metabolic food disorder, Lactose is a disaccharide found in milk.

Lactose-intolerant individuals have low level of the enzyme, beta-galactosidase, in their small intestine. It is the result of inability to digest lactose.

Since the lactose cannot be digested in the small intestine, it is fermented in the large intestine resulting in abdominal cramps, flatulence and diarrhea.
Food intolerances: Metabolic food disorder