Food sensitivities can develop as a result of an adverse delayed immune response to certain foods. Often the foods we include regularly in our diet or the foods we crave may be the ones causing us a problem.

Scientific research has shown that food sensitivity can be linked to IgG antibodies produced when these ‘problem’ foods are eaten. Normally these antibodies do not have any ill-effects, but if the immune or digestive system are not working optimally, their presence may provoke a wide range of symptoms.

Optimal gut health and digestive function are essential for maintaining good health and well-being.

The cause of food sensitivities is complex and not fully understood, but damage to the intestinal barrier wall is thought to play a role which allows undigested food proteins to pass across the gut wall barrier which provokes an elevated immune response.

The reasons for the development of food sensitivities can vary from person to person but the following factors are thought to be involved:

• inadequate digestion
• altered gut microbiota
• parasites, yeast or bacterial intestinal infections
• poor diet
• effects of drugs and medications such as antibiotics

Some symptoms of food sensitivity, for example bloating or diarrhoea, could be due to other health issues, like coeliac disease and it is important to see your doctor to rule these out, before doing a food sensitivity test.

Many of the following chronic unpleasant symptoms can be a result of food sensitivity:

• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Flatulence
• Headaches
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Lethargy
• Migraine
• Nausea
• Stomach cramps / abdominal pain

Many people experience an improvement in symptoms and health after changing their diet based on their test results.

Like any diagnostic test, our food sensitivity tests will only produce meaningful results if you are experiencing symptoms and can help identify the problem foods by detecting food-specific IgG antibodies in your blood. Using these results as a guide, you and your healthcare professional can then adjust and plan your new diet.

After you have taken a food sensitivity test, your healthcare professional will work with you to create a diet which eliminates your problems foods, offer healthy alternatives, and guidance on how to reintroduce foods.

Typically, a customised diet will be followed for around 3 months to allow the symptoms to subside.

It is acknowledged that a “one size fits all” approach to diet and health no longer works, as our genes, biochemistry and gut microbiome are all unique to every one of us. A more personalised approach to nutrition and health, based on lifestyle, genetics and microbiome profile is required to meet the challenges of managing chronic illness in the future.