Research has shown that food sensitivities can be linked to IgG antibodies produced when these ‘problem’ foods are eaten.
Normally these antibodies do not have any ill-effects, but if the immune or digestive system are not working optimally, their presence may provoke a wide range of symptoms. The efficacy of a diet based on the measurement of IgG antibodies specific for food components has been demonstrated in several health conditions, both in independent studies and clinical practice. Excellent results have been obtained in patients with migraine, IBS, bloating, asthma, dermatitis, tiredness, and obesity.
Our Food Sensitivity Test helps to identify potential "problem" foods by detecting food-specific IgG antibodies in your blood. Using these results as a guide, you and your health care professional can adjust and plan appropriate dietary and lifestyle interventions.
IgG food sensitivity reactions are known as Type III allergic reactions and must not to be confused with type I IgE allergic reactions.
In type I allergic reactions, IgE antibody production is stimulated by the detection of potentially harmful proteins or antigens by our natural immune system. Response is of immediate onset and may be accompanied by potentially life-threatening symptoms. A type I allergic reaction will not show up in a food sensitivity test and an individual should therefore continue to avoid any food to which they have known allergies, regardless of their IgG food sensitivity test results.
In contrast, IgG antibody reactions form part of our acquired immune response which is slower forming with delayed onset of symptoms by up to 72 hours.
How it works
Our test provides a quantitative result for the presence of IgG food-specific antibodies to over 200 foods from a single finger prick blood sample. It is a unique product, based on microarray technology, offering significant benefits over traditional plate-based ELISA tests. Food extracts are ‘printed’ onto nitrocellulose pads on a glass microscope slide, together with calibration standards and controls for each patient. Each food is tested in duplicate. A blood sample provided by the patient is diluted and dispensed onto each printed microarray. Food IgG antibodies, if present, bind to the food extracts and the results are measured by a high-resolution scanner, before being calibrated against the standards using a reporting software to give quantitative results. This software then produces a tailor-made report of the final food IgG antibody result for each food on the requested food panel.
Conditions associated with Raised Food IgG Food Antibodies
Studies have found that chronic symptoms and conditions can be associated with food sensitivities including IBS and migraine, which are associated with the following symptoms:
Bloating, Constipation Diarrhoea, Flatulence, Headaches, Irritable bowel syndrome, Lethargy, Nausea, Stomach cramps / abdominal pain
What to know
- Do not use this test if taking immunosuppressants (e.g., steroids, methotrexate), cancer therapies, antibody therapies, or suffer from a blood clotting disease.
- Only suitable for patients aged 2 years old and above.
- We recommend that you follow your normal diet, so that the test will reflect what you usually eat. However, if you have specifically avoided a food for more than three months, e.g., cow’s milk, and you would like it tested, unless you have symptoms when you reintroduce, we would recommend you reintroduce one normal portion daily for five days prior to testing.
- Repeat testing can be performed after 4 – 6 months to allow time for the immune system to respond to the dietary changes.
- This test also does not provide information celiac disease, enzyme deficiencies such as lactose, histamine, tyramine, alcohol intolerance or other chemical sensitivities such as reactions to certain food additives.