Food intolerance test

Food intolerance tests will help you find the cause of your abdominal symptoms. What is their cause? Which food is responsible? How can they be treated?

What is the difference between food allergy and food intolerance?

Food intolerance

Food intolerance is a condition that causes difficulty in digesting certain foods, resulting in an unpleasant reaction to them.

It causes symptoms, such as bloating and abdominal pain, which usually occur a few hours after eating.

The number of people who think they have food intolerance has increased dramatically in recent years, but it is difficult to know how many people are actually affected. Many people assume they have food intolerance when the real cause of their symptoms is something else.

What are the symptoms of food intolerance and how are they caused?

In general, people who have food intolerance tend to have:

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Diarrhea
• Skin rashes
• Itching

These symptoms usually appear a few hours after eating the food.

It can be hard to know if you have food intolerance, as these are general symptoms that are typical of many other conditions.

The delayed immune reaction to food antigens (food) is caused by IgG. Unlike the immediate effects of IgE-induced allergy, food allergy and intolerance reactions caused by IgG can take several days to occur. Therefore, blood levels of IgG antibodies against different food antigens have been used to demonstrate delayed food allergy and intolerance reactions.

Is there a food intolerance test?

The best way to diagnose a food intolerance is to monitor your symptoms and the foods you eat. Monitor what happens when you cease eating a suspected food for a short time (2 to 6 weeks or so) and then reintroduce it into your diet.

Among the most reliable food intolerance tests are those based on the in-vitro ELISA that introduce a new era in food intolerance testing.

FOX (Food Xplorer) is an ELISA-based multiple food antigen test that allows the simultaneous measurement of specific IgG (sIgG) against a variety of food extracts and molecular food antigens (286 foods).

What are the Benefits?

1. Covers all relevant food groups in one test
2. The interpretation of the results is supported by a systematic report received by the patient
3. Personalised dietary recommendations are included
4. Tests 286 food antigens from 13 different food groups
5. Includes basic and new foods

 

What is the Technology behind the Food Intolerance Test(FOX)?

The technology used by FOX is based on Nanosphere Technology, where extracts and food proteins are immobilised to detect IgG antibodies (IgG subtypes 1-4) in the patient’s blood. It is a semi-quantitative method, based on the basic ELISA immunoenzymatic method. This test is CE marked for diagnostic purposes.

 

Which symptoms can be explained with the Food Intolerance Test (FOX) ?

1. IgG-mediated food intolerance
2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
3. Chronic inflammatory bowel disease
4. Depression and migraine

What action can I take regarding my food intolerance after aFOX test?

Try to keep a food diary, noting:

• what foods you eat
• any symptoms you have after eating these foods
• when these symptoms occur
• Elimination test diet

Once you have an idea of which foods may be causing your symptoms, you can try excluding them from your diet 1 at a time and observe the effect this has.

Try removing the suspected foods from your diet for 2 to 6 weeks and see if your symptoms improve.

Reintroduce the food to see if the symptoms reappear. You may find that you can tolerate a certain level and only have symptoms if you have more than that amount.

Consider visiting a dietician to make sure you are getting all the recommended daily nutrients while you are taking this test.

Never restrict your child’s diet unless advised to do so by a dietician or doctor.

Could my symptoms not be due to food intolerance but something else instead?

If you regularly have diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain or skin rashes, but are not sure of the cause, see a doctor.

A doctor may be able to diagnose the cause from your symptoms and medical history. If necessary, tests, such as molecular blood tests, will be performed.

You can also do some research yourself. It may help to be informed about other conditions that cause similar symptoms. For example, get informed about:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Stress and anxiety disorder
• Lactose intolerance
• Celiac disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Food allergy

The gut is a sensitive organ and it is common to have bowel symptoms when you are sick or feeling exhausted or stressed.

Is it food intolerance or food allergy? What’s the difference?

Food intolerance is not the same as a food allergy.

Food allergy is a reaction of your immune system when it mistakenly treats proteins found in food as a threat and can cause allergy symptoms, such as rash, wheezing and itching, after eating small amounts of food (these symptoms usually happen quickly), it is common in certain foods. Common food allergies include allergies to fish,shellfish and nuts. Common food allergies in children include milk, eggs, fish, peanuts and other nuts, and reactions to these can be life-threatening. This is an ‘immediate hypersensitivity reaction’, because occuring within 24 hours of exposure to the antigen or allergen, caused by specific IgE antibodies against specific foods.

Food intolerance:

In recent years, allergen-associated IgG has been considered as a marker of natural exposure and has been attributed to be protective rather than part of a pathological phenomenon. Because of their appearance during and after immunotherapy, IgG antibodies are thought to “block” the abnormal function of IgE. IgG antibodies, which represent a specific B-cell response. Several studies have shown that IgG responses to allergens are more common in IgE sensitised individuals than in non-sensitised individuals.

Usually specific IgG antibodies do not cause a life-threatening allergic reaction. They cause symptoms that occur gradually, often a few hours after eating the specific food. Also, they usually only lead to symptoms if a significant amount of food is consumed (unlike an allergy, where only traces can cause a reaction).

Learn more about food allergy diagnosis.

What causes a food intolerance?

It is often unclear why a person is sensitive to certain foods. If your symptoms occur after eating dairy products, you are likely to be lactose intolerant. This means that your body cannot digest lactose, a natural sugar found in milk, yogurt and soft cheeses. A doctor can usually diagnose lactose intolerance by looking at your symptoms and medical history.

Some people have trouble digesting wheat and experience bloating, gas, diarrhoea, indigestion and stomach pain after eating bread. Read more about wheat intolerance (also known as wheat sensitivity).

Otherwise, the culprit may be a food additive, chemical or other contaminant such as:

• monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• caffeine
• alcohol
• artificial sweeteners
• histamine (found in Quorn, mushrooms, pickles, sausages and alcoholic drinks)
• toxins, viruses, bacteria or parasites that have contaminated food
• artificial food colours, preservatives or flavour enhancers