Food Sensitivities Testing & Food Intolerances Testing are done through blood work. There are multiple food panels you can choose from depending on your diet (vegan vs. non vegan). This is an individualized assessment tool to determine which foods cause inflammation and immune reactions in your body.
There are food allergies, food sensitivities and food intolerances – How do you know which one is which and which one you have? IgG testing and IgE testing, these are antibodies known as immunoglobulins. They attach to different antigens known as allergens. The attachment is the same as the one between our immune system (antibodies) and different bacteria and viruses. After they attach, depending on the immunoglobulin type, they form a cascade of reactions which will translate into different symptoms.
IgE immune reaction causes symptoms of true allergies such as hives, red eyes, sneezing, congestion, tight throat etc. This is your immediate allergic reaction, kind of like the classic allergy symptoms or anaphylactic shock.
Most food sensitivities are actually delayed reactions of the immune system, caused by IgG antibodies. They attach themselves to different foods and form a complex that causes a set of symptoms typically a few hours after eating the food. This complex starts an immune response and increases inflammation, making you feel all kinds of symptoms such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, brain fog etc.
Food sensitivity has been researched to be associated with a wide array of symptoms and conditions, these are some of the common ones:
Inflammation, drugs, stress, alcohol, diet and lifestyle can be the causing factors to your food sensitivities, however, this is not direct. These factors can cause Leaky Gut Syndrome (intestinal permeability), which is a condition in which the tight junctions in the small intestine are no longer tight. Think of it as your filter is broken therefore allowing unwanted particles into your blood stream. This results in small particles passing straight into the blood stream. Once you get certain unwanted food particles and proteins to pass through the no longer tight junctions, your body reacts to it as a foreign substance. Essentially over time, you may develop food sensitivities to it by generating antibodies which react to these foods. The reaction is generated through an immune response causing more inflammation and other symptoms mentioned above.
Before taking your blood work, you don’t need to prepare to do a food sensitivity testing, just eat your regular diet as these sensitivities develop over time. After your blood work, it usually takes about 2 weeks for results to come back. Once they do, Dr. Tali goes over them and what they mean, as different food intolerance patterns can signify different underlying health issues. The foods will be presented with a graph showing the severity of the sensitivity.
It’s important to do a thorough assessment to determine if food sensitivity testing is right for you. You need a curious Naturopathic Doctor that will dig deep into the cause of your health concerns and refer you for the proper assessment / testing options.
Have any further questions about food sensitivity testing and Food Intolerances?
Feel free to contact Dr. Tali Troyansky ND, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor , to discuss whether you should be tested.