Evidence for IgG Testing: Challenging the Status Quo Regarding Food Intolerance Tests

Food intolerance tests are controversial due to the lacking of evidence in support of their reliability. On the same note the theory underlying the test is not substantiated yet this lead many organizations to recommend against using it as a basis for testing food sensitivities. On the other hand, multiple reports demonstrate the utility of the test when used to tailor a patient’s food choices which demonstrated reduction in a myriad of symptoms following the guidance of the test. This study is a 3 months analysis of patient symptoms after application of the test and following the patients regularly. The results show major changes in reported symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome and many other symptoms over this time period. This study concludes that food intolerance tests are reliable and useful tools to guide dietary choices and can potentially improve patient symptoms. However, interventional studies are needed to demonstrate a cause an effect relationship between test use and symptom reduction in a more controlled manner. Introduction: Food intolerance tests are a subject of controversy due to the lack of clear evidence in support of their sensitivity, specificity and generalizability to entire food groups. On one hand, there is no single test to date that can detect multiple allergic responses at once given the varying pathophysiology and complexity of antigen/allergen relationships and mechanisms. This alone puts the specificity of food allergic testing under question, since it is not possible to rely on a single test to detect multiple allergens, let alone use it as a basis for screening and potential clinical and nutritional decision making.1 On the other hand, the reports of patients who used the test to make more conscious dietary decisions are growing with a trend towards a positive outcome based on patient reports. This personal reporting although lacking in rigour and could be confounded, warrants further investigation to establish the potent