FAQ'S - Food Intolerance

Should I have a food intolerance test?

If you have any of the symptoms that are listed in the next question and you have visited your GP to ensure that there are no underlying causes for your symptoms, then it would be advisable to have  a food intolerance test.

What are the symptoms of food intolerance?

Food intolerance can produce a variety of symptoms and can affect almost any organ. Often patients report multiple symptoms such as gut pain with headaches and skin rash, but some of the common symptoms include:- Anxiety, attention deficit disorder, constipation, diarrhoea, headaches, insomnia, migraines, water retention, arthritis, fibromyalgia, asthma, abdominal bloating, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, itchy skin, weight control problems, hyperactivity disorder and irritable bowel syndrome.

Are the tests covered by BUPA or any other insurance company?

We are not sure aware of any comapnies that currently cover the cost of these tests.

What is the difference between food allergy and food intolerance?

A classical food allergy such as peanut or shellfish allergy is usually characterised by an immediate and often severe reaction to exposure to the offending food.

What do the borderline foods mean?

The borderline foods are slightly above the normal values and ideally should be reduced to a minimum in your diet. Therefore, we recommend that you rotate those foods showing a borderline result, once every 4 days if possible.

Is it possible to be affected by foods that are not detected by Food Detective?

Some foods may cause a classical allergic reaction involving the production of a type of antibody called IgE. These will not be detected by any IgG food test. There are also many foods that can cause a reaction in the body without involving the immune system but produce symptoms similar to IgG reactions. For example, amines in chocolate, cheese and red wine may cause migraines; some food additives such as tartrazine can cause hives, rashes and asthma; monosodium glutamate in Chinese dishes produces sweating and dizziness; and ‘Nightshade’ alkaloids in potatoes, tomatoes and peppers can affect the joints. These are very difficult to test, but you should avoid them if you suspect they are affecting you.

Milk Intolerance 

What about my calcium levels if I cut out cow’s milk and dairy completely?

Please consult the CNS Dietary Support Guide, available online. It is interesting to note that foods such as whitebait, almonds, soya flour, brazil nuts and spinach contain more calcium per 100mg than whole milk.

What alternatives are there to cow’s milk?Please consult the CNS Dietary Support Guide.

 What are the symptoms of lactose intolerance?

If the enzyme lactase is deficient, or low, then the ability to absorb lactose will be greatly reduced causing symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

What is lactose intolerance?

Lactose intolerance is the inability to absorb lactose - the predominant sugar in milk - into the digestive system. If lactose is not absorbed properly, it ferments and this results in abdominal pain, a bloated stomach, stomach rumbling, increased wind and diarrhoea. Lactose is a disaccharide, which means that it is composed of two other sugars bound together. In order for lactose to be absorbed, it must be split into those two smaller sugars by an enzyme called lactase, which is present in the lining of the small intestine. If the levels of the lactase enzyme are low or absent, then that splitting does not occur and fermentation of the lactose occurs by bacteria in the large intestine. Lactase activity is high in babies and declines as the amount of milk in the diet decreases. Some people may have very low lactase levels but not have any symptoms. The reason for this is unknown. A lactose tolerance test, a hydrogen breath test, or a stool acidity test is required for a clinical diagnosis.

What are the main proteins in milk?

The total protein component of milk is composed of numerous specific proteins. The primary group of milk proteins are the caseins. All other proteins found in milk are grouped together under the name of whey proteins. The major whey proteins in cow milk are beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin.

If cow’s milk comes up positive, does that mean that I am lactose intolerant?

No. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, the major sugar found in milk. It is caused by a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which is produced by the cells that line the small intestine.

Wheat Intolerance

If I come up positive to wheat, does that mean I have Coeliac Disease?Coeliac disease is an intolerance to gluten that is found in wheat, rye and barley. It affects approximately 1 person in 1000 in the UK and is a life-long inflammatory condition of the intestinal tract. In our test gluten has to be isolated from the grains that contain it using alcohol extraction. Our wheat extract does not contain gluten but includes other proteins found in wheat that can be extracted using an aqueous solution. Therefore, a positive wheat result does not diagnose coeliac disease.

I have completely eliminated wheat from my diet for many months now, and after a re-test, my IgG levels are still high, why?

Over time, the concentration of IgG antibodies to that particular food will gradually decrease. The half life of IgG in the blood stream is approximately 23 days. However, antigens that have been held in the liver may be slowly released over several months, resulting in some persistent antibody production. The levels, however, will decline gradually, barring any new exposure.

I know that I have a reaction to wheat and have been avoiding it, but it did not show up in the test, why?

If you have been avoiding a particular food for a few months, it is possible that antibody levels to the food concerned have reduced to a level undetectable by the test.

Why has gluten come up positive but not wheat?The wheat extract does not contain gluten but other proteins found in wheat such as seed storage proteins. The gluten extract does not contain these proteins but is a pure preparation of gluten. If you have antibodies to gluten but not to other proteins found in wheat, wheat will not show a positive result. Similarly, if you have antibodies to non-gluten proteins, wheat will show a positive result and in the absence of antibodies to gluten, gluten will remain negative.

What alternatives are there to wheat?Please consult the CNS Dietary Support Guide.

What is durum wheat and why has that not come up positive, although yet wheat has?

Durum wheat and common wheat are different species of wheat. Durum wheat is very hard and is usually used to make flour and semolina for pasta. The protein content is different and therefore one can show up positive and not the other. Many people find that they can tolerate durum wheat if they are positive for wheat but negative to durum wheat.

Yeast Intolerance 

If I come up positive to yeast, does this include brewers yeast?

Yes, the test includes both bakers and brewers yeast. If you come up positive to yeast, it is vital that you plan ahead as yeast is present in many different foods.

If the yeast comes up positive, does that mean I have Candidiasis?

No, not necessarily, the test just shows that you have an elevated level of antibodies to yeast in your body. If you would like to confirm whether you have Candidiasis, then we have a separate test for specific antibodies against the Candida albicans yeast.

What alcoholic drinks do not contain yeast?

All alcoholic drinks depend on yeasts to produce the alcohol, however distilling and filtering will tend to remove most of the yeast. Spirits, such as gin or vodka will have the lowest amount of yeast present compared with wines and beers.

What foods contain yeast?

Please consult the CNS Dietary Support Guide.