A home test kit may point out what foods you need to avoid. But is it accurate?
Food is one of life’s pleasures, but it can also be a source of pain – especially if you’re experiencing digestive issues like heartburn, abdominal pain, bloating or diarrhoea regularly. When those symptoms strike, you may wonder: Are certain foods to blame?
168slotxo.info Once the player has won the jackpot, there will be games that will be re-set immediately by subscribing to our website.
Food sensitivity tests promise to supply answers. For decades, these tests were offered mainly in providers’ offices in alternative medicine settings. Now, they are increasingly available as at-home tests you can purchase online or on drugstore shelves. Manufacturers claim that with several drops of blood or a few plucked hairs, they can identify the foods that are causing your discomfort. Once eliminated from your diet, you’ll be on the road to relief.
That a simple test could guide dietary changes and improve common, disruptive symptoms is certainly appealing. But do these tests work? We asked some experts and looked into the research to find out.
WHAT IS A FOOD SENSITIVITY, ANYWAY?
According to Dr David Stukus, director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, the term food sensitivity is used more in marketing than in medicine. “There really is no consensus definition of what a food sensitivity is,” he said.
The companies selling these tests typically describe it as what happens when a specific food triggers digestive issues or gut inflammation, causing symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating or headaches. Symptoms may appear hours or even days after eating, and often resolve when the offending food is avoided.
HOW DO FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTS WORK?
At-home food-sensitivity test kits can be ordered online or purchased over-the-counter at drugstores. Depending on the test type, you’ll pluck several hairs or prick your finger to drop blood onto a paper card, and then mail in your sample. Within days or weeks, you’ll receive digital results, including a list of foods that may be causing problems.
Some tests claim to determine your sensitivity to hundreds of foods and ingredients by measuring the “bioresonance” of your hair, an unproven technique used in holistic or complementary medicine that involves measuring the energy wavelengths coming from your body. Others measure the levels of certain antibodies, called IgG antibodies, in your blood.
