Some foods may cause a classic allergic reaction involving the production of IgE antibodies (type I allergy) to food antigens or proteins in food. These will not be detected by the Food Detective® test as it detects IgG antibodies. There are many foods that can cause a reaction in the body without involving the immune system, these are known as food intolerances and can produce symptoms similar to IgG reactions: amines found in chocolate, cheese and red wine may cause migraines; some food additives, such as tartrazine, can trigger hives, rashes, and asthma; monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in restaurant/take-away food can provoke sweating and dizziness; ‘Nightshade’ alkaloids in potatoes, tomatoes and peppers may affect the joints. Food intolerance may be due to a deficiency of a particular enzyme, such as lactase in lactose intolerance. Avoid foods if you suspect they are causing adverse effects

The Food Detective® IgG antibody test is based on the immune system’s ability to produce antibodies in response to certain foods. If a food has been avoided for more than 3 months, it is possible that IgG antibody levels will be insufficient to be detected by the test and may give a negative result. To test sensitivity to a certain food, it should be included in the daily diet for five days before testing, or at least every other day, for 4-6 weeks before testing. However, if the food concerned is known to cause extreme symptoms/discomfort or you have a diagnosed allergy to it, do not reintroduce it

No. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, the major sugar found in milk, and is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme lactase. The Food Detective® test detects an IgGmediated food sensitivity caused by the specific proteins found in milk, but does not detect the lactase enzyme and, therefore, cannot diagnose lactose intolerance.

The Food Detective® test detects level of food proteins in the blood. Sugars contain no proteins to which the IgG antibodies can combine.

Yes, but we recommend a minimum age limit of 2 years to allow for the child’s immune system to mature.

No, coeliac disease is an immune disease that causes a severe reaction to the protein gluten, which is just one of the proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. We remove gluten from our wheat extract so if wheat is positive this means you are reacting to the other wheat proteins found in this grain, and not gluten. Coeliac disease cannot be determined in a Food Detective® test, it requires a different test, should be done under medical supervision and will involve a confirmation biopsy and a positive transglutaminase response.

No. A product can be wheat-free but not gluten-free, and vice versa. Products are available that are both gluten-free and wheat-free. It is important to read the ingredients label to be certain. The Food Detective® test uses wheat and rye food extracts that do not contain gluten. Gluten is extracted from the grains and tested separately. If your test results show a positive reaction to gluten, it is important to eliminate any foods that contain the gluten-based grains wheat, rye and barley and substitute with naturally gluten-free foods, such as quinoa, buckwheat, corn, oats, and wild rice. If your test results show a positive result for wheat, or rye, but NOT for gluten, the reaction may be due to one of the other proteins found in the grains

Yes, you should be careful when introducing a new dietary regime and removing foods. We recommend seeking professional advice from registered qualified nutritionists or a dietician to help support you make these changes to ensure that nutrients are adequately replaced.

Most people do not need to re-test if symptoms have resolved, but if you would like to take another test we advise a period of 9-12 months between tests

If, after changing your diet according to the test results, improvements have not been achieved after 3 months, food sensitivity may not be the only cause of your symptoms and other investigations should be undertaken by your healthcare practitioner.

IgA is the principal isotype in secretions (especially mucus epithelium of the intestinal and respiratory tracts). It is a neutralising “first line of defence” antibody against bacteria and toxins, binding foreign antigens into complexes which are then removed by macrophages, but with little or no resultant inflammation. IgA antibodies are characterised by less specific antigen binding sites than IgG antibodies, resulting in higher cross reactivity and false positive potentials

IgG4 is an anti-inflammatory antibody triggered by IL-10. IgG4 antibodies are involved in the desensitisation of type I allergies (IgE). The guideline of the EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Immunology) states that testing for IgG4 is not recommended for the detection of delayed food allergies (www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pubmed/18489614) as it is biochemically difficult to measure. IgG4 indicates tolerance, not hypersensitivity, as it is not able to induce inflammation.

The complement cascade is an important part of the immune system that enhances the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism. This is, in part, driven by an inflammatory response and is beneficial to the body when fighting pathogens. Although the complement system is a component of the innate immune system, which is non-specific, it can also be recruited and brought into action by IgG antibodies generated by the adaptive immune system, which make it specific. Some companies claim that incorporating an anti-C3d antibody improves the reliability of the food sensitivity test by establishing which foods are triggering complement and, therefore, inflammation. However, the main issue with this hypothesis is this reaction cannot take place in-vitro. Apart from technical validity of the concept issues, when writing, there were no independent published studies using this methodology.