Food Intolerances can affect daily living for patients and can cause troublesome symptoms. Accurate testing is vital to highlight which foods the patient is intolerant to. Many blood tests may be administered to detect and analyze food intolerances.
Sometimes, certain foods can cause you to experience unpleasant symptoms, even if they may be deemed ‘healthy’ food options.
Symptoms of Food Intolerance
Specific foods could trigger several food intolerance symptoms. These food intolerance symptoms could include:
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
- Gas, cramps or bloating
- Vomiting
- Heartburn
- Diarrhoea
- Headaches
- Irritability or nervousness
What is the difference between an allergy, a sensitivity and an intolerance?
Three terms are frequently used for food reactions: food allergy, food sensitivity and food intolerance.
A ‘food allergy’ is usually explicitly reserved for foods that cause a life-threatening reaction involving your immune system’s immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. These reactions are considered true food allergies and can result in responses like anaphylaxis.
Conversely, food sensitivities and intolerances tend not to be life-threatening but can cause the unpleasant symptoms listed above.
Why have a food intolerance blood test?
It can be hard to identify which exact foods or ingredients are responsible for your reaction, especially as reactions can often happen hours after the triggering food was consumed.
To help identify which foods are causing the adverse reactions, some medical professionals may recommend a food intolerance blood test.
What happens on the day of the test?
Like a typical blood test, food intolerance blood tests are simple. Your doctor or nurse will take a small blood sample and collect it into a test tube or vial.
This usually takes around five minutes.
As each test is different, some dietary preparations may be recommended before each test.
To find out more about our various food intolerance blood tests, please contact us via our contact form, or give us a call.
* Blood tests are ordered by the doctor as needed, based on the patient’s symptoms and concerns. Occasionally alternate or additional tests may be required for accurate diagnosis.
