Hi there this is Monica Reinagel welcome back to the nutrition divas quick and dirty

tips for eating well and feeling fabulous today we're going to take a closer look

at some blood tests that claim to identify

hidden food sensitivities.

David writes,

the other day I was at my local pharmacy and I saw a flyer for a food intolerance testing service.

And because I listened to podcasts like yours, I've learned to be skeptical and to check out the science behind the claims.

Normally, he says, I would instantly dismiss a test that promises to address everything

from fatigue to migraines to weight loss, not to mention one where the results include a personalized list of recommended

nutritional supplements but the fact that a pharmacy was offering it made me less skeptical than usual.

Perhaps you could set the record straight for your listeners.

I'd be happy to, David.

The first thing we need to do is distinguish between food allergies, which are quite specific and readily

diagnosable, and food intolerance or sensitivity. A food allergy such as the type

people commonly have to peanuts or shellfish,

is what we call an IGE-mediated reaction.

For whatever reason, your immune system has decided that a particular protein in a food is a threat, a threat so dangerous, that it has developed a special reconnaissance agent, namely the IGE antibody to be constantly on guard for it and should that protein turn up in your bloodstream

those IGE antibodies are going to sound the alarm and your body is going to react

sometimes quite violently. Your doctor can test quite definitively for this type of allergy by looking for IGE antibodies

in your blood. They are always there regardless of whether you've just

eaten the food in question. But the type of blood test David saw advertised at the pharmacists

is quite different. These type of tests claim to reveal food

...