The painfully truthful answer to this question is ‘nobody really knows’. However, this is not to say that medical professionals and researchers into the condition are all looking down their microscopes aimlessly. There are many theories into the causes of food intolerance and in some cases quite compelling evidence is put forward.

One common observation of people with food intolerance is that no two sufferers are the same. In every case it would appear that a number of different factors can lead to the development of food intolerance. Some people are food intolerant from birth which suggests a genetic link, while others can trace their intolerance back to a bad bout of the flu or a viral infection.

It is widely believed that stress plays an important role in food intolerance but to what degree is not yet understood as stress is of course a significant factor in a persons health and wellbeing overall.

Others believe the additives and hydrogenated fats in modern convenience foods are to blame for the increasing cases of food intolerance but this does not account for the many people who suffer from the condition who rarely eat such foods.

Though there are often a great many similarities between sufferers there are usually a handful of very different factors which also seem to have contributed to the onset of the condition and it is these factors which cast doubt over the root causes of food intolerance.

The suggestions as to what causes food intolerance are both varied and many. It is clear that a great deal of detective work is needed by both medical practitioners and the individual in order to find out what may have caused the intolerance and how best to tackle it. As research and interest in the condition grows we can only hope that the many questions which plague food intolerance and its associated conditions will one day be answered.