Are Food Sensitivity Tests Worth It?
Food sensitivity tests are everywhere these days, but are they really worth the money? And more importantly, is cutting out a list of different foods from your diet really the key to improving your health?
But first, we need to clarify what exactly is a food sensitivity. A sensitivity is an immune response in your body to the proteins in a specific food. When exposed to a certain food, your body tags it as “unsafe” and mounts an immune response against it. This response is different from an allergy in that it often results in a delayed reaction instead of an immediate reaction. As a result, sensitivities can be definitely trickier to identify.
Most food sensitivity tests on the market test the amount of an immunoglobulin called IgG in your bloodstream in response to certain foods. The thinking that these tests use is: if IgG is present in response to a certain food, this signals an immune system reaction, so this must be a sensitivity. However, this isn’t actually backed by any science and is more so theoretical. In fact, some studies show that the presence of IgG is actually a protective immunoglobulin, meaning that your body is tagging this food as “safe.”
Now before I go further, I want to clarify- food sensitivities are a very real thing! They can be a significant contributing factor to inflammation. However, simply testing for food sensitivity using unreliable and unverified tests is not the answer. Most food sensitivity tests will identify an extensive list of seemingly random foods that you’re sensitive to and encourage you to avoid eating these foods completely. This is not only inaccurate, but it can actually be harmful to your health.
The healthy bacteria in your gut microbiome that are responsible for controlling inflammation are fed by the foods you eat. These bacteria especially love variety in your diet. When you eliminate a large number of foods in your diet, you’re cutting down on this variety, and this can eventually starve some bacteria species that are important in your microbiome. Additionally, being told that you have to avoid a bunch of foods indefinitely creates a lot of unnecessary anxiety and stress around food.
So what should you do if you suspect you have food sensitivities? This is really where an elimination diet guided by an experienced practitioner shines. It can be tricky to know what types of reactions to look out for and how to identify what food is causing them without this step.
But the sign of a truly skilled nutrition practitioner is going a step further and investigating why you have food sensitivities and how we can heal your gut and immune system to hopefully tolerate more foods in the future. If you think you react to a lot of different foods, the foods themselves are not the issue; instead, the issue lies with the health of your gut and immune system.
The bottom line? A food sensitivity test can be a useful tool when used and interpreted correctly, but it’s not always necessary and should never be the only step on your health journey.
References:
Berin, M. C. (2012). Mucosal antibodies in the regulation of tolerance and allergy to foods. Semin Immunopathol, 34(5), 633-642. doi: 10.1007/s00281-012-0325-9
Kelso, J. KM. (2018). Unproven Diagnostic Tests for Adverse Reactions to Foods. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 6(2), 362-365. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2017.08.021