Food hypersensitivity remains an understudied and overlooked subject globally. It is characterized by adverse reactions to dietary substances potentially triggered by various mechanisms. Food allergy, a subset of food hypersensitivity, denotes an immune response to food proteins categorized into immunoglobulin IgE-mediated or non-IgE-mediated reactions. Conversely, food intolerance, another facet of food hypersensitivity, refers to non-immunological reactions occurring at typically tolerated doses of food or its components. The main objective of this study is to determine and differentiate the differences, characteristics, and types of food hypersensitivities. We conducted an extensive review encompassing the key studies from 1990 onwards, including prospective studies, nested case-control studies, and meta-analysis. In conclusion, there are big differences between the main characteristics such as symptoms, complications, and treatments between allergies, and food intolerances. Commonly reported trigger foods include cow milk, gluten, eggs, nuts, and seafood.
