Food Sensitivity Testing Specialist Q&A

If you notice a pattern of unpleasant symptoms after eating a particular type of food, you may benefit from taking a food sensitivity test. As such, some common symptoms of food sensitivities that indicate you may benefit from a food sensitivity test include the following:

• Abdominal pain, bloating, and gas
• Brain fog
• Chills and fever
• Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Fatigue and feelings of weakness
• Itchy, red, or swollen skin rashes
• Pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints and muscles
• Problems with concentration, memory, and mood
• Puffiness, such as bags under the eyes or swelling on the face
• Symptoms of asthma or bronchitis

For individuals who frequently experience food sensitivities, it is generally recommended that such individuals schedule an appointment for a food sensitivity test every one to two years. However, if you notice changes in symptoms earlier than that, it is a good idea to have a food sensitivity test done at that time rather than waiting until your next regular food sensitivity test appointment.

As there are several different kinds of food sensitivity tests, some food sensitivity tests are more reliable than others. Moreover, the results of food sensitivity tests should also be compared with your own experience eating the particular foods being tested.

With that being said, some common and reliable food sensitivity tests include the following:

• Antibody-based tests
• Cell-based tests, including the mediator release test (MRT) and antigen leukocyte cellular antibody test (ALCAT)
• Challenge tests
• Elimination diets

In general, challenge tests and elimination diets are considered the gold standard for accurately diagnosing food sensitivities, while the reliability of antibody and cell-based tests is still being researched.

Challenge tests involve giving a patient a controlled amount of a particular food in a safe environment to evaluate any immune or allergic reaction to the food, while elimination diets involve removing certain foods one by one from a patient’s diet to see if their symptoms improve.

Antibody and cell-based tests involve a blood draw from the patient’s arm and laboratory analysis of the blood sample to determine if the patient has any food sensitivities.

If you come to Piniella Asthma + Allergy for a food sensitivity test, one of our allergist/immunologists can go over your food sensitivity test results with you to help you get a firm grasp of how to interpret them and move forward with your diet given the results of the test.

The difference between food sensitivities and food intolerance involves how the body responds to ingesting particular foods. With food sensitivities, an immune reaction produces immunoglobin G (IgG) antibodies to attack the food substance, causing several delayed symptoms throughout the body. In contrast, food intolerance involves the inability to process or digest a particular food. With that in mind, an example of food intolerance would be lactose intolerance, while an example of food sensitivity would be gluten sensitivity.

If you would like to learn more about food sensitivity testing or want to schedule a food sensitivity test with us at Piniella Asthma + Allergy, we would be pleased to hear from you! You can schedule an appointment with us through our website, or please feel welcome to call us. Piniella Asthma + Allergy is located in Coral Gables and Palmetto Bay, Florida. We serve patients from Coral Gables FL, Palmetto Bay FL, Westchester FL, Brownsville FL, Kendall FL, Pinecrest FL, Richmond West FL, and Goulds FL.