FOOD ALLERGEN PROFILE
Food intolerances, usually involving common foods, are often difficult to detect and can be an important factor in both acute and chronic ill health.
Such food intolerances are often the result of a disturbance in the delicate balance of the gut environment due to chronic stress and/or poor diet/lifestyle. This leads to partially digested foods entering the blood stream, initiating a complex immune reaction which can lead to a wide variety of symptoms. Unlike food allergy, where the reaction to a food can happen within minutes, food intolerance generally produces very slow responses to food.
The symptoms may appear several hours after eating or at any point up to 48 hours after consumption. Because the food (or foods) in question are usually eaten so frequently, there is no obvious link between them and the symptoms. Therefore, for many people with food intolerances, it is difficult to pinpoint a moment when the illness started. The symptoms may begin with mild problems that most of us take for granted, such as headaches, or excessive tiredness or frequent bouts of indigestion.
Over months or years there can be a slow decline in health; but this is so gradual, a person may not realise it. Most people who have intolerances notice a fluctuation in their symptoms changing from day to day.
Symptoms associated with food allergies:
| Weight gain | IBS | Insomnia | Bloating |
| Skin rashes | Frequent infections | Fatigue | Diarrhoea |
| Palpitations | Chronic bladder infections | Irritability | Constipation |
| Water retention | Anxiety | Joint and muscle aches | Excess wind |
| Headaches and migraines | Depression | Asthma | Nausea |
| Hypoglycaemia | Hyperactivity | Eczema | Vomiting |
| Rhinitis | Inability to concentrate | Itching | Colitis |
How does the test work?
The test uses a cellular assay that measures the release of chemical mediators from white blood cells once they have been stimulated and incubated with food allergens.
Because it is a direct cellular assay we can detect sensitivities which are caused by a number of different processes. These include specific IgE type reactions, and also reactions involving other cytotoxic reactions which do not necessarily involve antibodies.
The tests are therefore an invaluable screening tool for the detection of a wide range of food sensitivities. Sample Requirements This highly sensitive test involves a blood sample. Before the sample is taken supplements and anti-inflammatory medications should be avoided.
The following items are tested in the complete Food Allergen Profile:
| Apple, Apple products, Apricot, Apricot products, Asparagus, Aubergine, Avocado, Banana, Barley, Barley products, Bay leaf, Bean-Broad, Bean-Green, Bean-Haricot, Bean-Kidney, Beef, Beetroot, Brazil nut, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Buckwheat, Buckwheat produce, Cabbage, Carrot, Cashew nut, Cauliflower, Celery, Cayenne pepper, Chervil, Chicken, Chickpea, Chilli, Chinese Cabbage, Chive, Chocolate (Cocoa), Coconut, Coconut produce, Coffee, Coriander, Corn (maize), Corn products, Courgette, Cow's milk, Cow's milk product, Cow's cheese, Crab, Cranberry, Cucumber, Cumin, Currant (black, red, White), Date, Dill, E110 (sunset yellow), E102 (tartazine), E124 (ponceau red), E120-123 (sodium benzoate), E951 (aspartame), E621 (MSG), | Egg (white york), Fennel, Fig, Fish-cod, Fish-haddock, Fish-hake, Fish-herring, Fish- mackerel, Fish-Pilchard, Fish- pollock, Fish-salmon, Fish- sardine, Fish-trout, Fish-tuna, Fennel, Garlic, Goat's milk, Goat's cheese, Goat's milk products, Grape (Sultana, Raisin), Grape products, Grapefruit, Hazelnut, Hazelnut products, Kiwi, Lamb, Leek, Lemon, Lentil, Lettuce, Lime, Lobster, Linseed, Mango, Melon-honeydew, Melon- watermelon, Mushroom, Mussel, Nectarine, Oats, Oats products, Olive, Olive oil, Onion, Orange, Oregano, Oyster, Paprika, Parsley, Pea, Peach, Peanut, Peanut oil, Peanut products, Pear, Pecan, Pepper (bell/capsicum/pimento) Pepper (white/black), Pineapple, Pine nut, Pistachio, Plum, Polenta, Poppy seed, Pork, Potato (white), Prawn (shrimp), | Prune, Prune juice, Pumpkin, Pumpkin seed, Raspberry, Rice, Rice milk, Rice products, Rice (wild), Rye, Rye products, Scallop, Sesame seed, Sesame seed oil, Sesame seed products, Shallots, Sheep's milk, Sheep's milk products, Sheep's milk cheese, Soya (miso, tofu), Soya milk, Soya milk products, Spinach, Squash, Strawberry, Tomato products, Turkey, Veal, Walnut, Walnut oil, Wheat, Wheat products, Yeast-brewers, Yeast-bakers. Tangerine, Tarragon, Tea (black, green), Tomato, Tomato products, Turkey, Turmeric, Turnip, Veal, Walnut, Walnut oil, Watercress, Wheat, Wheat, produce, Yeast- brewers, Yeast-bakers, Zucchini |
Addittional 'Add on' tests to the above include:
- Additives
- Antibiotics and analgesics
- Dairy and Grains (this test can be taken separately)