At this moment in time, there is a rise in food sensitivity across the world. This is something medical experts are noting and reporting on.
Most people acknowledge how some foods make them experience digestive issues, skin issues such as eczema or feel sluggish.
When you feel the effects of food sensitivity, the best thing to do is find out if it negatively affects you. Food sensitivity tests are now common, particularly for those doing it from their own living room.
Unfortunately, at home, these sensitivity tests are done the same way. But it is a good thing to learn about the causes of food sensitivities. So, why food sensitivity tests?
Let’s get started:
Food Intolerance, Food Allergy, and Food Sensitivities
When you eat troublesome food, your body has a higher chance of reacting to it in various ways. However, the way your body reacts to the food will depend on what you have: food allergy, food intolerance, or food sensitivity.
There is some confusion existing that sensitivities, intolerance, and allergies aren’t interchangeable. In the article, we shall explore these adverse reactions to food.
Let’s dive in:
What is Food Sensitivity?
Food sensitivity is a condition resulting from an immune system response. It significantly differs from a food allergy. However, food sensitivity isn’t fully understood. That’s because various studies have reported that the symptoms can be identified using IgG testing results and elimination of diet.
Your IgG antibody will react against the food you eat. It may be normal for most people, while the food leads to different immune reactions, thus different symptoms. These symptoms you’re likely to experience include indigestion, stomach pain, bloating, migraines, and headaches.
The interesting thing about food sensitivity is that these symptoms may not appear immediately after eating certain foods. You might have these symptoms for hours to days after you eat the food. It becomes a hassle to connect the specific foods causing sensitivity after eating. However, taking a food sensitivity test and diet elimination may help you discover what foods you’re sensitive to.
Food Allergy
The moment you eat some foods, that you might be allergic to, may immediately affect your body. The immune system will respond to the food by activating the IgG antibodies. After releasing these antibodies, there will be a chemical reaction due to the production of histamine chemicals.
Your immune system will make histamine chemicals. Therefore, after it is released into your body, you may experience allergic symptoms. So, when you buy over-the-counter allergy medications, they are normally referred to as antihistamines. In other words, these medications aim at counteracting the allergic effects resulting from histamine.
The good thing with food allergies is, symptoms usually appear immediately after you have consumed the trigger food. So, it will be easier to identify the kind of food causing these problems.
Suppose a certain food gives you an allergic reaction every time you eat it. In that case, you may experience a life-threatening allergic reaction. That’s because anaphylaxis occurs within minutes after consuming these food allergens.
Remember that anaphylaxis may result in death; that’s because your blood pressure drops dramatically. Another reason for death is that the swelling around your airways may cut off your body’s air supply.
Food Intolerance
Food intolerance occurs when your body lacks enough of the right enzymes to break down a specific food. An example is a lactose, a type of sugar in cow’s milk. Perhaps you are lactose intolerant, which means your body isn’t producing enough lactase – an enzyme that aids in breaking down lactose.
It might be difficult for your body to digest lactose effectively. Therefore, you might have unpleasant symptoms after you eat dairy products or drink a glass of milk.
Common food intolerance may include diarrhea, bloating, and nausea. Food intolerance isn’t like food allergies because it won’t involve an immune system response – that’s because it mostly takes place inside your gut.
Who Can Take Food Sensitivity Test?
Sometimes, you may feel symptoms related to the foods you eat. They include stomach pain, diarrhea, or headaches. With these symptoms, the thing that comes to mind is eliminating possible triggers, but the problem is usually not being sure where you should begin. Taking a food sensitivity test will measure your IgG immune response to different common foods.
Temporary elimination of diet can help pinpoint food leading to these symptoms. The test you take will not be the same as that of the food allergy test. That’s because food allergies will be mediated by IgE antibodies. Again, food allergy symptoms may occur after minutes or hours of exposure.
In addition, food allergy symptoms can be severe and potentially life-threatening. The good thing is, food sensitivity symptoms are low and slow onset involving different antibodies referred to as IgG.
It’s important to remember that food sensitivity tests will not test IBS, celiac disease, or lactose intolerance. When you have an immune system response after you eat some food, they might manifest as physical symptoms. Most people will take a food sensitivity test after experiencing these symptoms:
- Indigestion
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Feeling bloated after eating
- Stomach or abdominal pain
- Gastrointestinal (GI) distress
If you want to add “problematic” food into your diet and confirm its reactivity on test results, consume these foods for about 4 to 6 weeks before taking a test.
Is a Food Sensitivity Test Accurate?
When the laboratories work on food sensitivity tests, they will perform regular internal quality controls and tests. However, for independent validation of testing accuracy, they also consider regular third-party testing. Consistently, this validation shows a higher chance (>95-99%) correlation.
People who eliminate problematic food in their diet experience lower reactivity than expected. That’s because IgG antibody reactivity depends on the exposure of allergens.
What Do Results From Food Sensitivity Mean?
The food sensitivity results can tell the reactivity of your IgG antibodies in common foods. When the foods are tested, each will be rated on a scale of 0-3 – where class 0 represents normal reactivity, and Class 3 represents a higher reactivity.
The food sensitivity test is an excellent place to start when studying your body’s relationship with different types of foods. Amazingly, your allergist or health professional can help you to:
- Personalize your information and education
- Prioritize on temporarily eliminating a diet
- Suggestions of precautions to take to avoid symptoms in the future