Food Sensitivity Testing- Is it Worth it?

In the recent years, food sensitivity and/or long-term(delayed food allergy response testing) has become all the rage. Draw a tube ofblood or get a finger prick done and get pages and pages of foods back younever knew you were sensitive to, varying depending on what company you use.While for individuals suffering from GI/stomach discomfort or unexplainedsymptoms of fatigue/skin irritation/etc, these tests may provide a start towardnarrowing down some answers, but are they actually accurate and do they end upcausing more stress than relief? While I have personally as well as somefriends of mine have experimented with these food sensitivity tests (frommultiple companies using different indicators to determine the sensitivities) Iwould like to discuss the pros and cons as well as general cautions to considerbefore jumping into trying one of these tests you’ve just seen advertisedonline or on tv.

The Pros

If you have beenexperiencing GI discomforts or unexplainable symptoms of fatigue/skin irritation/etc.and have exhausted all the other possible diagnosis options without anyconclusive results:

1. These tests can provide a starting point to help guide an elimination of possibly bothersome foods. A guided plan of reintroduction testing should be used either provided by the company or with the help of a practitioner such as a Registered Dietitian.
2. These tests can provide a potential opportunity for eliminating symptoms without the use of medication through eliminating bothersome foods.

The Cons:

1. Thesetests tend to overproduce results. Whendoing these tests, advertised to test for hundreds of possible sensitivities,many people end up with results of 20-30+ foods they must eliminate. Many timesthe majority of these foods your body is able to tolerate, but the testsprovided a false positive.
2. Thesetests sometimes miss the worst triggers (sensitivitiesor allergic responses) based on the frequency of exposure of that specificfood, e.g. if you never actually consume it or if you consume it frequentlydepending on the test.
3. Thesetests can turn your day to day eatinglife upside down. By determining you have so many sensitivities/allergies,all of a sudden you feel like you can’t eat out and everything you buy at thestore is free of one sensitivity food but has another.
4. Cancreate increased stress around foodwhich can increase overall inflammatory and GI symptoms and create falsereactions (eg feeling like you are still having symptoms from food but reallyjust reacting to stress)
5. Can beused as an excuse for or can trigger thestart of eating disorder or disordered eating behaviors. By having a varietyof sensitivities show up, it can create obsessive behaviors around ingredientsand overall food choices, developing fears of eating many foods, or if anindividual already struggles with eating disorder behaviors it can supporttheir mindset of restricting food or staying away from fear foods.
6. Canpromote placebo effect. Individualsmay start to feel better because they have convinced themselves they have foundthe solution rather than because of an actual effect from food elimination.When reintroducing foods, individuals may convince themselves that the specificfood is an issue causing a reaction that may not have otherwise occurred.
7. They are expensive!! These tests can cost a lot of money toprovide you with not the best supported results and, depending on the companymay be a scam. I highly recommend avoiding these tests unless it is absolutelynecessary, and even then, making sure to work with a trusted provider to helpyou choose the best test option.

The Cautions:

1. If you decide to use these tests try to finda company that has at least some quality research backing up the testing methodthey use.
2. Many individuals, for fear of reactions donot reintroduce foods that were initially eliminated. A crucial part of thesetests is a well-organized reintroduction plan is a key part of getting the bestresults out of these tests and only eliminating foods that truly do cause aproblem.
3. Work with a practitioner such as aregistered dietitian to help guide your reintroduction of foods. If too manyfoods are reintroduced together or too close together it may result inelimination of foods that aren’t an issue or a lack of knowing which foodactually caused the problem.
4. Thereis a difference between food allergies and sensitivities. Sensitivities manifest with GI symptoms or discomfort egbloating, cramping, constipation, diarrhea, gas, etc. and tend to have less ofan effect on the body as a whole. Many times, depending on the severity of theGI symptoms, these foods can be consumed in small amounts without a detrimentaleffect on the body. Food allergies,on the other hand, are an immune system reaction that occurs after eating acertain food and can be as minimal as skin itching to as severe as aswelling/closing of airways, significant gut inflammation, hives, etc. Notefood allergies can result in gut symptoms as well so working with an allergistand/or a GI doctor is a good way to determine the difference. Food allergiescan have a damaging effect on the body and these foods should be avoidedcompletely. There are also long term/delayed allergic response food allergiesthat have a delayed effect on the body, while still causing detrimental effectson the body such as fatigue, aching, delayed itching, GI inflammation, etc.These should also be reviewed with an allergist/GI doctor/Registered Dietitian.Be aware when choosing one of thesetests whether it is testing for food sensitivities or allergies and work with atrusted practitioner to analyze results.

GI discomforts and unexplainable symptoms of fatigue, skinirritation, and other overall body symptoms can be frustrating and uncomfortableand something you will do almost anything to resolve. This being said, whenmaking the decision to utilize a food sensitivity or long term allergicresponse tests please take these pros, cons, and cautions into considerationbefore jumping in blind to whatever test sounds appealing by their advertising.

What experiences have you experienced with these tests?  Successes? Frustrations? I’d love to hear yourexperience or any feedback/questions you have on the points discussed above!

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Wishing you health and wellbeing,

-Ricci-Lee Hotz, MS, RDN

Denver’s Dancing Dietitian

A Taste of Health, LLC

“Improving Quality of life one bite at a time”

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