This test provides the 240 IgG measurements along with 240 IgA measurements not previously offered in any of our food sensitivity tests! IgA is another type of antibody associated with inflammatory response and sensitization to food antigens. Testing IgA may help reveal food sensitivities missed when testing IgG alone.

Has it ever occurred to you that fatigue, weight gain, abdominal discomfort, headaches, and even aging skin could be due to food sensitivities? Consideration of food sensitivities can be a critical component of any comprehensive approach to good health.

The Food Sensitivity Panel measures your sensitivity to certain foods from an antibody-mediated immune response. The antibodies measured in this test are IgG and IgA. This test does not measure the rapid-acting IgE food allergies. Since the immune system can react in multiple ways to different foods, there are multiple types of tests to evaluate this response. The two types of antibody tests frequently used are IgE (often by allergists) and IgG (often by complementary and alternative health practitioners). Unlike rapid acting IgE responses, which generally occur within minutes of allergen exposure, symptoms an IgG response may take up to 24-48 hours after food exposure to manifest.

Another type of often-overlooked antibody, IgA, may also be responsible for food sensitivities. Like IgG response, symptoms of IgA response can be significantly delayed after exposure to foods. Measuring IgA along with IgG can help reveal food sensitivities otherwise overlooked when IgG is measured alone. This makes our Food Sensitivity Panel (Elite) the best and most comprehensive food sensitivity test we’ve ever offered.

If you react to a food via a known IgE allergy it does not mean you will also react to the same food via IgG and/or IgA and vice versa. If you believe you are reacting to a food but it does not show up in this IgG/IgA test, it means your immune system is reacting to it in another way such as IgE allergy, complement pathway activation, mold or bacterial contamination of the food, preservatives in the food, food intolerances (i.e. lactose intolerance), microflora metabolites, histamine sensitivities, phenolic sensitivities, and so on.

For most people, a good starting point is to take the test to assess what they are currently eating. However, if a food is avoided due to a known issue/reaction or has not been eaten in several months, it may not appear reactive (elevated antibodies). This negative result occurs because the immune system has had time to slow antibody production and minimize sensitivity to that food. If a person wants to confirm if a known reaction to a food they stopped eating is IgG/IgA-related, then they can consume the food regularly until the reaction returns, then perform the test (We do not suggest you consume any foods for which you have a confirmed IgE allergy).

Testing Process

This test is packaged as an at-home finger stick test. The Elite IgG/IgA panel requires all 20 circles on the blood spot card to be fully saturated for testing to be performed. Please contact us if you have questions or difficulty with the blood spot card collection.

Antibody levels are quantified via ELISA methodology through a diligent testing process. Specimens are tested in duplicate and all antigen reagents are validated with positive and negative controls. The IgG and/or IgA antibodies, once bound to antigen, are detected through spectrophotometric analysis wherein the values are directly proportional to the concentration of the analytes in the sample.

Sample Report

Instructions

Notes

Processing Lab: US BioTek

Turnaround Time: 1-2 weeks from date received

Restrictions: No kits available in PA, AK, or HI. This test is not available in NY.

This test does NOT measure IgE (associated with rapid acting allergic responses). Life Extension offers other allergy testing options.