Science-led food sensitivity tests

Food sensitivity, often referred to as food intolerance, occurs when your body reacts to certain foods that can cause uncomfortable symptoms. Food sensitivity issues are characterised by a delayed immune response to foods specific to your gut. Food sensitivity has been associated with various symptoms, such as bloating, brain fog, constipation, diarrhoea, fatigue, gas or flatulence, headaches, IBS, joint pain, lethargy, migraines, nausea, and stomach cramps. It’s important to consult a doctor to rule out other health issues, like coeliac disease, before conducting a food sensitivity test.

An IgG food sensitivity test measures your body’s immune response to specific foods by detecting Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in your blood. Elevated IgG levels may indicate a delayed sensitivity to certain foods that could contribute to symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, or headaches. A finger prick blood sample is all that is required by our lab to run your test. A FoodPrint test can be instrumental in pinpointing any problematic foods that you may have and perhaps don’t even realise. After your blood sample is analysed, which will highlight any problem foods, an elimination diet will be suggested. Adjusting your diet, based on your results, can lead to an improvement in symptoms and overall health and wellbeing.

There’s a great deal of misunderstanding and it’s easy for the terms to get mixed up. In everyday use the terms are often used interchangeably without real understanding of the differences. A classic food allergy, such as a peanut or shellfish allergy, is usually characterised by an immediate and often severe reaction upon exposure to the offending food. Symptoms include sneezing, rashes, skin irritation, swelling of mucosal tissue and fatigue, and could potentially be life threatening. Such allergic reactions usually involve IgE antibodies. Food sensitivity tends to be characterised by a delayed onset of symptoms and often involves the production of IgG antibodies which can lead to the formation of immune complexes and release of inflammatory markers. Symptoms (such as migraines, joint pain, fatigue, IBS, and bloating) may occur several days after eating the offending food, making it difficult to identify the cause. Symptoms are usually less severe and more manageable than a classic food allergy. If you have food sensitivities that are ongoing, the symptoms can lead to longer-term issues, including damage to the lining of your gut. Small molecules can then slip through the lining of the gut and increase the risk of more reactions and new sensitivities. Food intolerances don’t involve the immune system. Common symptoms include gastrointestinal symptoms, hives, and itchy eyes and are caused due to difficulty in the body digesting certain foods or ingredients (ie lactose). If the response to a food or drink is immediate, please refer to your doctor or allergy specialist to rule out a suspected allergy. Find out more about the differences between allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities here.

We make this bit really easy to understand. Your personalised results are sent to you, and are based on a ‘traffic light system’. Your individual response to each food is measured and is given an ‘IgG response score’ out of 160. The scores are then categorised in to ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ sections. We also include a 30 minute professional nutritionist appointment in our service (there is no extra charge for this), who will explain in further detail what the results mean and suggestions as to how an elimination diet may work.      

We’re often asked about why blood testing is better than hair testing when talking about food intolerances and sensitivities. So, here’s the science bit. There is currently no scientific evidence to validate hair testing as an accurate diagnostic tool for food intolerances or sensitivities. So why is blood testing better than hair testing when looking at food sensitivities? It’s simple really. Food sensitivities are only identified by testing for IgG antibodies, which are only present in the blood, and cannot be identified from a hair sample. And yes, blood testing is more expensive than hair testing and that’s because of the accuracy, dependency, the better more advanced equipment, the stringent regulatory requirements and the skilled scientific personnel who analyse the tests.

Our CE marked laboratory tests, which are manufactured in the UK to ISO standards, are validated and performed using advanced immunoassay technology . This advanced technology even allows us to test each sample twice, which ensures greater accuracy and stability over other tests – we believe we’re the only lab that does this. Other tests that are available from other companies may not be a CE marked lab test and not manufactured to ISO standards.