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Asian Extensive Food Intolerance Check		Asian Limited Food Intolerance Check
It measures quantitative IgG responses to 221 foods which include dairy, vegetables, fruits, grains, non-veg, spices and nuts etc.		It measures qualitative IgG responses to 59 of the most regularly consumed foods.

To know more click here www.foodintolerance.co.in

What is food intolerance?
Food intolerance is a non-allergic food hyper-sensitivity and is not usually life-threatening but can make a person feel extremely unwell.
The terms food allergy, food intolerance, food sensitivity, hypersensitivity are often used interchangeably, and are often confused, but essentially they all mean an abnormal reaction to certain foods which can manifest themselves in a number of ways.
Scientifically, the reactions can be differentiated by the fact that some cause an immune response, whereas others do not.

“Food intolerance is the real 'hidden epidemic' we should all be worried about. Up to 45% of the population is believed to be affected by food intolerance, but because the symptoms are so varied, doctors have a tough time in establishing a diagnosis”

Some people are sensitive to particular foods like nuts, shellfish and cereals. When consumed their body reacts to the food and they may develop symptoms including breathing problems, stomach upsets and skin rashes.
The adverse reactions to food are caused either by an immune system response or a chemical reaction in the body leading to physiological responses.
Food Intolerance can result from the absence of specific chemicals or enzymes needed to digest a food substance, as in hereditary fructose intolerance. It may be a result of an abnormality in the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Precise diagnosis is important, because other medical conditions may share the same symptoms.

What are the symptoms?
The onset of symptoms of food intolerance might be delayed for many hours or even days and therefore it is often difficult to identify the problem foods.
Food intolerance may produce a variety of symptoms including:

Anxiety (acute or chronic) Arthritis Asthma Attention Deficit Disorder Bed wetting Bloating Bronchitis Coeliac Disease Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Constipation Sleep disturbances Water retention Weight control problems Cystic fibrosis Depression Diarrhea Fibromyalgia Gastritis

Headaches Hyperactivity Disorder Inflammatory Bowel Disease Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome Itchy skin problems Mal absorption Migraine

 

People who suffer from food intolerance frequently complain of lethargy & a general feeling of unwellness.
These symptoms often persist for many years. Affected person regularly report that visits to their doctor have not resolved their problems and in many cases their symptoms are dismissed as ‘all in the mind’.

 

Difference between food allergy and food intolerance
A food allergy is an adverse immune reaction to a specific food resulting in the production of antibodies (IgE). Any time the food culprit is ingested or comes into contact with the skin, the body releases histamine and causes allergy symptoms like rashes, swelling, diarrhea and vomiting. In the most severe cases symptoms such as swelling of the lips, tongue or face, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness can occur.

Food intolerance or food sensitivity is associated with chronic, long term symptoms rather than drastic attacks or anaphylactic shock. People with food intolerance might not even notice that they are having a reaction and this delayed onset of symptoms can take as long as three days to appear after eating a 'trigger food'. Some people who feel continuously unwell may actually be experiencing food sensitivity to foods like dairy, gluten, nuts or eggs.

 

Food Sensitivities in Babies and Children
In an infant, food sensitivity may manifest itself through colicky symptoms….anything from unnatural, persistent fussiness to inconsolable, ear-piercing screams that may go on for hours at a time. The baby might develop unexplained skin rashes….a possible giveaway that the breastfed infant’s gastric system is reacting to foods that his or her mother eats, to ingredients in the formula in the case of a bottle-fed baby or to foods from a complementary diet, if the baby has begun eating solid foods.
In an older child, the list of possible indicators that the child has food sensitivities is a bit longer; it includes symptoms such as headaches, stomach ache, runny nose, sneezing, loose stool, chronic cold, chronic ear infection, constipation, skin rash, asthma, irritability or lethargy.

 

What if the test is positive?
If the test is positive for any of the food groups in the test, the simple act of removing that particular food from the patient’s diet for a period of up to 3 months or more can result in a complete change in the patient’s health. Once the symptoms have subsided, the foods can be re-introduced into the diet one at a time.

For more information visit

www.foodintolerance.co.in | www.allergydiagnosis.in | www.facebook.com/asiandiagnostics

 

Frequently Asked Questions

• If I come up positive to wheat, does that mean I have Coeliac Disease?

No. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease that results in a severe reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Our wheat extract does not contain gluten and so a positive test result for wheat only indicates intolerance to wheat proteins, not to gluten.

• Do I have to be referred by my GP before I have a food intolerance test?

No, you can order from us directly or through your healthcare practitioner.

• Isn't it dangerous cut out whole food groups?

You do have to be careful when changing your diet which is why we offer follow-up dietary advice from our qualified nutritionists to anyone who has taken our tests.

• Are these tests suitable for children?

We recommend a lower age limit of 2 years or older.

• Do I need to have a re-test after a few months?

Most people do not need to have a re-test, but if you would like another test we usually advise a period of 12 months in between tests. If your symptoms have improved and you have been able to successfully re- introduce the foods, then a re-test is unnecessary.

• Why do I react against a food that I have never eaten?

It is occasionally observed that reactions with some foodstuffs occur, although the patient is convinced of never having eaten this foodstuff. This is absolutely not unusual, and also not attributable to a false measurement. In this case, one talks of a so-called “cross reaction” i.e. the antibody recognizes not only the antigen for which it was originally formed, but also other antigens which belong to other foodstuffs. This is possible because some foodstuffs have identical molecules or identical parts of molecules, although they evidently do not have to be directly related with each other. These identical molecules or parts of molecules can then be recognized by an antibody.