A new study has found many people have self-diagnosed themselves with a food intolerance to groups like gluten and dairy, the Daily Mail reported.
Experts have coined a new name to describe obsession on how diet can affect you negatively based on incorrect information: nutrichondria.
Wellness genetics company, DNA Fit conducted a study on 4,000 adults in Britain and found that close to half of them self-diagnosed themselves with a food intolerance, while only 15% of the people had a real allergy confirmed by a doctor.
The study also found:
* One in three believe they are lactose intolerant
*One in four feel they are intolerant to gluten
Gluten and dairy are the biggest products people think they have an intolerance to. This has led to a host of gluten-free products and milk alternatives like oat, almond and coconut milk on the market.
Nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert sees a lot of clients who are eliminating entire food groups because they strongly believe they have intolerance. She believes false information on the Internet is the reason for this misdiagnosis.
"The problem is, there are now so many unqualified people on social media giving out anecdotal advice," Lambert told FEMAIL.
Adding, "Things like dairy and gluten are now becoming more and more popular to cut out of one's diet and this stems from myths like 'dairy is bad for you' and 'gluten messes with your gut health'. No such statements are true."
She also warns that self-diagnosis could lead to nutritional deficiencies.
