Can you suddenly develop an intolerance to certain foods?

[OrchidLass]

At the age of 47? I've noticed over the last week or so, if I have bread/toast or cereal with milk for breakfast I'm doubled up in pain and running to the toilet within about 15/20 minutes. I've only just realised its when I have certain things, can you suddenly just become intolerant or am I totally barking up the wrong tree?

Absolutely you can.

you can but that doesn't sound like it is.
And I think you were looking for Health or Chat.

I know you can develop coeliacs disease, my dad didn't start to suffer from it until his 40's.

Yes you can.

One of my best friends developed a wheat intolerance last year in his thirties. Lost over a stone in a couple of months since he mostly lived on bread and pizza beforehand! Another one had two emergency admissions to A&E last year for anaphylaxis but no clue what could cause it. Apparently he has suddenly developed an allergy to bananas. Again, he was 30.

47 doesn't sound unreasonably old for adult-onset intolerances or allergies.

Go to your GP - it could be a food intolerance, or it could be something else entirely. My sister developed a lactose intolerance, over the space of a year or so of gradually worsening symptoms, and felt much better when she was able to understand and deal with it. However, it did take a little while, so go get yourself checked out, and if nothing else is wrong, consider food intolerances.

In the mean time, stop eating what you think may be causing you discomfort. You'll probably be asked to keep a food diary anyway, and it may not be what you think it is - either way it's good practice to start this now.

Good luck.

I have IBS which can be triggered by wheat products. Doesn't usually take such a fast and dramatic effect as what you have experienced though. Try to keep a food diary and see your GP.

I can't eat potato skins, so jacket potatoes are out, it only started last year, within 10 mins of eating one I have horrendous stomach cramps.

Yes. It happened to DM. And being gluten and lactose intolerant can be linked as one aggravates the other. Having been gluten-free for years she has now found that she can eat a slice of bread if she avoids lactose. She can also now eat onions, garlic and many other foods that also used to upset her due to her bowel being so irritated. It was very complicated!

Yes. I have developed a lactose intolerance quite badly in recent months.

Yes.

Keep a food diary and symptom list to help identify triggers. Then see your GP to rule other stuff out.

Have you had a sickness bug recently?
There's one that causes a temporary (up to 1-2years) intolerance of milk.

55yo FIL loves seafood paella. It's always been his favourite food. A couple of years ago he ate his dinner and within minutes had a swollen tongue, rash and couldn't breathe. Emergency doctor, severe allergic reaction. Couple of months later he ate seafood again. Exactly the same thing. Never had a problem before.

I'd see a GP though as sudden changes in bowel habits always need checking out.

Yes I think you can as well. Not me personally but I work in a hospital and see so many people who could eat anything until they hit their late thirties early forties then suddenly things like wheat, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, red meat etc became a real problem. I wonder if it's because your hormones change?

To clarify, he has a very obvious and severe allergy to seafood which appeared suddenly a couple of years ago.

This is really interesting to me, I have been thinking exactly the same. Over the last few weeks I have been experiencing stomach pain and diahorrea, and I've noticed that it seems to be after eating yogurt, but I've never had this before.

I was wondering whether it is possible to develop food intolerances later in life. I am 48.

Yes it definitely is not only possible but to be expected because our bodies change a lot.

One way to deal with it is to follow the Hay diet (not mixing carbs and protein and or fruit at the same meal) this helps a lot of problems with digestion.

yes my daughter has developed an intolerance to eggs, started when we went to corfu for a holiday and now she is so restricted because its amazing how many products have eggs in them

I'm 41 and now if I eat an apple my throat and tongue itch and lips swell. I've eaten apples all my life

same for me with a shellfish allergy in my late 30`s :(

You definitely can. I became allergic to pineapple at 20, and wheat intolerant at 36 (after gallbladder removal)

wheat , gluten and yeast allergies can develop any time,

go to your GP and check you haven't got coeliac disease.

I was wondering about this, I have been getting very bloated recently and was wondering if it could be a recent wheat or lactose allergy

Yes you can. Like Tapirbackrider I developed a lot of intolerance after gall bladder removal. The wrong foods now cause hideous biliary colic almost instantly

DD (17) started getting horrendous bloating and IBS a couple of years ago. Doctors and specialists have been petty useless to be honest, but through a process of elimination we have concluded that she is lactose intolerant, and not great with a few other things such as tomatoes. Interestingly DD was a very sicky, colicky baby, although breast fed. I wonder if the gallons of milk I drank whilst breast feeding did her more harm than good.

DH tried going lactofree having seen how much better DD is, and found his gut health much improved. However, a few months down the line without dairy, he is now extremely sensitive to lactose. I do wonder whether he has created more problems for himself.

I must admit, I was a bit of a food intolerances denyer a few years ago. What an idiot I was.

Definitely but the severity of your reaction suggests that you might be wise to seek medical advice, rather than just assuming it's an intolerance.

I developed hayfever in my late 30s, much to my utter disgust, so all sorts of things can trigger an allergy/intolerance at any age, regardless of how well you tolerated them before.