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People often confuse food allergies and food intolerances.
人们经常混淆食物过敏和食物不耐受。
But it's important to know the difference because they each require a different treatment.
弄清其中的区别十分重要，因为它们需要不同的治疗方法。
So what is the difference?
那么这两者有什么不同呢？
A food allergy is your body's immune system responding to specific proteins in certain foods.
食物过敏是指人体的免疫系统会对某些食物中的特定蛋白起反应。
For instance, in shellfish, one of the triggers for allergic reactions is a protein called tropomyosin.
例如，在贝类中，会引起过敏反应的一种蛋白名为原肌球蛋白。
And with peanuts, it can be a reaction to one of its many proteins.
花生里也存在多种引发过敏的蛋白质。
When a food particle enters the body of someone who's allergic, the body's immune system perceives it as a problem, an invader.
当食物颗粒进入过敏体质的人的身体，免疫系统会将其视为入侵者。
Just as your body might respond to a virus as a threat, with food allergies, part of your immune system sees the protein of the food as a threat.
就像你的身体可能会将病毒判定为威胁一样，食物过敏中，你的免疫系统的一部分将食物的蛋白视为威胁。
The allergic reaction can be thought of as a disproportionate and inappropriate response from the immune system to the food.
过敏反应可以看作是免疫系统对食物的过度反应。
Allergic reactions can range from being mild: tingles in the mouth, hives and rashes, to being extremely severe, like having trouble breathing.
过敏反应可能很轻微：例如口腔刺痛、身上出现麻疹和皮疹，也可能非常严重，比如呼吸困难。
And they can even be life threatening.
它们甚至可能危及生命。
Allergic reactions, with some exceptions, almost always happen quickly, within 30 minutes of eating or exposure to the food.
除了一些例外情况，过敏反应通常出现很快，在进食或接触食物之后30分钟内就会出现。
A food intolerance, on the other hand, is usually our body having trouble digesting certain foods.
另一方面，食物不耐受通常是指我们的身体难以消化某些食物。
Unlike allergies, food intolerances are not related to the immune system.
与过敏不同，食物不耐受与免疫系统无关。
For instance, being lactose intolerant means you don't have enough of the enzyme that breaks down the lactose in dairy.
例如，乳糖不耐受意味着你身体中没有足够的酶来分解乳制品中的乳糖。
Intolerance to certain foods can often result in digestive issues, including bloating, diarrhea or just generally feeling unwell.
对某些食物不耐受通常会导致消化系统问题，包括腹胀、腹泻或感到不适。
Intolerance to food can happen pretty quickly too, but could also show up in the next few days.
食物不耐受的反应可能出现得很快，但也可能在接下来的几天里出现。
In other words, if you experience unpleasantness from something you've eaten a day before, most of the time it's not an allergy.
换句话说，如果你因为一天前吃过的东西感受到不适，大多数情况下不是过敏。
There's a third kind of reaction that's neither an allergy or an intolerance.
还有第三种反应，既不是过敏也不是不耐受。
For example, celiac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by eating foods containing gluten.
例如，乳糜泻是一种由食用麸质引起自身免疫性疾病。
Celiac disease may share some similar symptoms to a food intolerance, such as bloating or belly pain.
乳糜泻可能与食物不耐受有一些相似的症状，如腹胀或腹痛。
But unlike celiac disease, food intolerances don't damage the small intestine.
但与乳糜泻不同的是，食物不耐受不会损害小肠。
So with all these real but nuanced differences, what's the best way to get a proper diagnosis?
那么，明白了这些真实但细微的差异，如何才能获得正确的诊断呢？
Don’t get one of those “do-it-yourself at-home food-sensitivity” kits.
不要买“家庭自制食物过敏性测试”的试剂。
Those tests are not scientifically proven to do what they purport to do, and they aren't reliable diagnostic tools.
这些测试没有科学依据，不能作为可信的诊断依据。
If you wonder whether you have an allergy or an intolerance or celiac disease, talk to your doctor.
如果你想知道自己是否有食物过敏、食物不耐受或乳糜泻的病症，请咨询你的医生。
They'll be able to recommend the right course of action.
他们会告诉你接下来怎么做。
And in the case of food allergies, an allergist is your go-to person.
如果是食物过敏，应该去看过敏专科医生。
The two common ways they'll be able to diagnose you is by taking a really good food history and giving you an oral food challenge by giving you certain foods and seeing what happens in a medically safe and controlled environment.
他们通常采用的两种诊断方式是，梳理你过去的饮食记录，给你提供某些食物，并让你在安全和可控的医学环境下，吃掉一些特定食物来观察你进食过后身体的反应。
An allergist can also come up with a plan in case you're exposed to a food you're allergic to and may even be able to recommend treatments for some of those allergies.
过敏专科医生也可以制定计划，以防你接触让你过敏的食物，甚至可以推荐一些治疗过敏的方法。
