Food Intolerance Tests in London

Intolerance to a specific product can be confirmed by exclusion of products one by one, followed by further reintroduction in a blinded manner, this process highlights the absence and return of the symptoms in several repetitions.  We are a specialist in food intolerance in London and know that food intolerance is a difficult diagnosis, particularly for the patient, and our consultants are here to help to improve the quality of life.  We take all symptoms seriously and will help to monitor the process of the exclusion diet in order to identify what components are responsible for these symptoms.

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Non-allergic hypersensitivity (intolerance) does not directly involve the immune system, it can not be diagnosed using allergy tests!!!

The first step in the diagnostic process is to exclude allergy and prove that the symptoms are not driven by allergic inflammation.
This is the reason for performing skin prick or specific IgE allergy tests.#

As specialists in food intolerance in London we are ideally placed to navigate you through the minefield of the diagnosis process.  

Warning!!!

Don’t be fooled by the widely available IgG tests “for food intolerance”.
There is no need to change your diet if IgG antibodies to food were detected!
The presence of IgG antibodies does NOT indicate an allergy or intolerance to a specific food.

IgG antibodies to food are formed in all healthy asymptomatic people as a part of the digestion process.
There is no screening test for intolerance at present. British Dietetic Association Food Fact Sheet Allergy. 2008 Jul;63(7):793-6. Epub 2008 May 16.

Testing for IgG4 against foods is not recommended as a diagnostic tool

EAACI Task Force Report.

Stapel SOAsero RBallmer-Weber BKKnol EFStrobel SVieths SKleine-Tebbe J;EAACI Task Force.

Sanquin Diagnostic Services, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Comment in:

Abstract

Serological tests for immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) against foods are persistently promoted for the diagnosis of food-induced hypersensitivity. Since many patients believe that their symptoms are related to food ingestion without diagnostic confirmation of a causal relationship, tests for food-specific IgG4 represent a growing market. Testing for blood IgG4 against different foods is performed with large-scale screening for hundreds of food items by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-type and radioallergosorbent-type assays in young children, adolescents and adults. However, many serum samples show positive IgG4 results without corresponding clinical symptoms. These findings, combined with the lack of convincing evidence for histamine-releasing properties of IgG4 in humans, and lack of any controlled studies on the diagnostic value of IgG4 testing in food allergy, do not provide any basis for the hypothesis that food-specific IgG4 should be attributed with an effector role in food hypersensitivity. In contrast to the disputed beliefs, IgG4 against foods indicates that the organism has been repeatedly exposed to food components, recognized as foreign proteins by the immune system. Its presence should not be considered as a factor which induces hypersensitivity, but rather as an indicator for immunological tolerance, linked to the activity of regulatory T cells. In conclusion, food-specific IgG4 does not indicate (imminent) food allergy or intolerance, but rather a physiological response of the immune system after exposition to food components. Therefore, testing of IgG4 to foods is considered as irrelevant for the laboratory work-up of food allergy or intolerance and should not be performed in case of food-related complaints. Clin Exp Allergy. 1998 Dec;28(12):1526-9.

IMMEDIATE TYPE REACTION (Anaphylaxis to food) is driven by IgE antibodies.

If your past symptoms include rash, flushing, wheezing, swellings or difficulty breathing after consuming specific food, this might be serious and require an emergency plan as well as necessitate carrying a medical supply with you.
If this is the case the diagnosis requires IgE teats and/or skin prick tests.
Please follow the link for Information about allergy testing, Nomenclatures for Allergy

European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
* Johansson et al. 2001. A revised nomenclature for allergy. An EAACI position statement from the EAACI nomenclature task force (Allergy, 56:813-24)

* Johansson SGO et al. (2004). Revised nomenclature for allergy for global use: Report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization, October 2003. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 113 (5), 832-836).

For an expert consultation for food intolerance in London, look no further than the London Allergy and Immunology Centre. To book an appointment Phone on 02 031 433 449 or email on info@ukallergy.com.

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