Food Allergy Antibodies

When an allergic reaction occurs, the immune system reacts by releasing antibodies. The foods and inhaled particles that provoke the release of antibodies are called "allergens". There are two commonly produced antibodies called IgG and IgE. IgE allergy responses occur immediately after ingestion or inhalation of an allergen while IgG allergic reactions occur over several hours or days and can be caused by multiple foods, thereby making them virtually impossible to identify without testing.

 

When an aggravating food is consumed, a reaction occurs between the allergen and antibody that trigger the release of chemicals that lead to inflammation in body tissues. This can contribute to a variety of health problems:

Zen-tai Wellness Centre offers IgG allergy testing of 96 common foods from a variety of food groups including meat, fish, dairy, grains, vegetables and fruit. IgG testing is done via blood spot, which requires only a tiny amount of blood and is just as accurate as testing with a more invasive blood draw. This also makes this test more comfortable to test for food allergies in children.

A food sensitivity (interchangeable with a food intolerance) is basically an all-encompassing term that describes any ingested substance that causes an undesirable response in the body. A food allergy is a type of food sensitivity that is mediated by the immune system (ie. provokes release of antibodies).  

Unfortunately, no. Food sensitivities can fall into so many domains, with many different mechanisms of action, and there is not one universal test that can possibly detect all negative reactions to foods. The only true, but challenging, gold-standard method is a process of elimination followed by re-introduction of foods one at a time; this is often termed an "elimination diet." Speak to a naturopath for guidance with an elimination diet or other testing methods. 

IgG food allergies are extremely useful to test for and detect by way of food allergy testing because they are difficult to identify based on observation alone. Unlike IgE food allergies (the classic immediate and acute "food allergy" response, leading to hives, swelling or anaphylaxis), IgG food allergies present as a chronic delayed response, which may not be noticeable until several meals or even days have passed. These IgG food allergies present more like what most would consider as an "intolerance" or "sensitivity" response. Commonly, these present as chronic digestive (eg. irritable bowel syndrome) or skin conditions (eg. eczema, acne, psoriasis).

With the IgG food allergy test, this is not necessary. Because the responses are slow-building in the body, it will only be affected by foods you eat on a regular basis. Eating a small sample of many foods a week before the test will not greatly affect the results of the test.

Because of the delayed response with IgG food allergies, it will take time for the results to normalize, even with avoidance of foods that show positive on the test. Suggested re-testing can occur 6 months after initial testing.

The great thing about IgG food allergies, is that in many cases, with avoidance of a positive food for a period of time, it can be re-introduced over certain intervals of time. This is because the allergen-antibody complexes have been gradually eliminated from the body with decreased exposure to the allergen. Your naturopath can assist you with re-introduction of foods.