Food tests urged over illnesses

[loki]

Last Modified: 19 Sep 2008
Source: PA News

People suffering from a range of chronic illnesses could alleviate their symptoms by taking a simple test to identify intolerance to certain foods, a new report has revealed.

Researchers from York University discovered that 76% of people who eliminated foods identified by an antibody test found relief from their symptoms.

And 92% experienced a return of their symptoms when the foods were reintroduced to their diets.

The findings suggest that people suffering from conditions such as migraine, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fatigue and eczema would benefit from taking the test, which identifies an antibody released when the body perceives something harmful has entered the blood stream.

The test identifies which foods are causing the increased levels of the IgG antibody and these can then be eliminated from the patient's diet.

The report, 'Role for food-specific IgG based elimination diets', is published in the Nutrition and Food Science journal.

Co-author Dr Gill Hart said: "This review is unique in showing that the strategy for elimination diet based on food-specific IgG can give those with chronic symptoms a route map to enable them to manage their diet and reduce their symptoms.

"The fact individuals saw a return of symptoms on reintroduction of culprit foods identified by the tests further supports the evidence that this is an active and specific approach."

The authors of the report found that the antibody test could be a viable alternative to "time-consuming and expensive" elimination diets, where people cut out specific foods in order to discover which are responsible for their illnesses.

Peter Whorwell, professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the University Hospital of South Manchester, said: "Elimination diets are a cumbersome way of identifying possible food intolerance and a test that could pinpoint offending foods would be welcome."

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