Food Intolerance Testing

Food Intolerance Testing

The Cotswold Trichology Centre offers an in-house food intolerance testing service. The test takes just 45 minutes and results are immediately available. We use Cambridge Nutritional Sciences ‘Food Detective’ test which covers 57 of the most commonly eaten foods a person may be intolerant to.

Unlike food allergies, food intolerances are unlikely to be life threatening. However, they may have a significant effect on a person’s health and wellbeing. Food Detective identifies IgG antibodies produced in food intolerance rather than classic IgE food allergies.

Initially we introduced food intolerance testing primarily for our patients suffering severe eczema as food intolerances can often be a significant factor. Food intolerance may also be a significant factor in many other conditions such as:

•  Respiratory complaints – rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma.
• Musculoskeletal problems – arthritic joint pains, aching muscles and weakness.
• Gastrointestinal issues – Bloating, cramping, flatulence, diarrhoea, stomach pain.
• Dermatological conditions – urticaria, itchy skin, rashes, dermatitis, eczema.

Symptoms can occur anything from a few hours to up to three days after eating an offending food and may last for days. This can make it hard or near impossible to pin-point which particular food may be causing a symptom. Another factor which makes self diagnosis of food intolerances even harder is that you may be intolerant to one food or many.

The Testing Process

A small finger prick blood sample is taken and diluted in a solution. The solution is poured over a reaction tray and allowed to stand for 20 minutes then rinsed off. Detector and developer solutions are then used to detect the presence of food antibodies which are identified by colour change in the reaction tray samples. The whole process is quite simple and very visual. To ensure the process has been carried out correctly, there are positive and negative controls on the reaction tray. Even if there are no reactions to any foods, the reaction tray positive control will still change colour.

Foods Tested

Cows Milk, Egg, Yeast,

Corn, Durum Wheat, Gluten, Oats, Rice, Rye, Wheat.

Almond, Brazil Nut, Cashew, Cocoa Bean, Peanut,
Legume Mix (pea, lentil, haricot), Soya Bean, Walnut.

Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Pork.
Freshwater Fish Mix (salmon, trout), Shellfish Mix (shrimp, prawn, crab, lobster, mussel), Tuna, White Fish Mix (haddock, cod, plaice)

Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Cucumber, Leek, Peppers (red, green, yellow), Potato. Apple, Blackcurrant, Grapefruit, Melon Mix (cantaloupe, water melon), Olive, Orange & Lemon, Strawberry, Tomato, Mushroom

Garlic, Ginger, Tea,

Test Results and Diet Changes

Colour changes in the numbered spots of the reaction tray vary according to the severity of the food intolerance. We will classify the changes as mild, moderate or strong. You should eliminate foods with a strong or moderate reaction from your diet for a minimum of 3 months then reintroduce slowly and observe any reaction. Reduce mild reaction foods.

We will advise you on diet changes and foods you could use as substitutes depending on the results of your test.

If you would like to take intolerance testing further, we have access to laboratory food intolerance testing for 120 and 200 foods. This more extensive testing is suitable for people with many intolerance symptoms.

Call us on 01386 421703 to book an appointment now.