Food Intolerance Tests

YorkTest Laboratories is Europe’s leading provider of food intolerance and drink intolerance programmes with over 30 years’ experience which has resulted in our food intolerance programmes being recommended by the leading medical charity Allergy UK. The YorkTest Food Intolerance Programme is designed to support you in making dietary modifications to optimise your health. YorkTest is delighted to partner with McCabes Pharmacy in providing you with the tools to stay well and live your life to the full.

3 out of 4 people who take the YorkTest Food Intolerance Programme report feeling better after acting on their results, the majority within three weeks.

What is the difference between food intolerance and food allergy?

There is a lot of confusion about the terms food intolerance and food allergy, and the differences between them. Many people speak about food allergy when their symptoms can sometimes indicate food intolerance instead. According to the leading medical charity Allergy UK, as many as 45% of the population suffer from food intolerance which, whilst not life threatening can make all aspects of life very uncomfortable for sufferers.
Food allergy is different from food intolerance in that it is a rapid response by the body’s immune system to a particular food. In this type of reaction, the body’s immune system mistakes a food for an ‘invader’ often resulting in a rapid allergic reaction within minutes. This type of allergic reaction is commonly associated with nut and seafood allergies.

Symptoms of food intolerance

Food intolerance is a condition with a mixture of symptoms and can be difficult to recognise and diagnose. On average people who suffer with food intolerance usually have between 4 and 8 trigger foods. Symptoms of food intolerance can take up to 72 hours to present after eating the trigger food or group of foods. Those affected often suffer for years without knowing the proper steps to take, unable to enjoy normal life and activities and in some cases, unable to work. The lists below are some common symptoms of a food intolerance:

Abdominal pains
Aches and pains
Asthma
Arthritis
Bloating
Constipation
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Diarrhoea
Eczema
Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Fluid retention
Headaches
Lethargy
M.E.
Restless Leg Syndrome Rhinitis
Sinusitis
Skin problems
Stomach cramps
Tension
Urticaria
Weight loss
Wheezing

YorkTest FoodScan Food Intolerance Programme

Those that have chronic symptoms and are concerned that food may be a contributory factor can sometimes get involved in taking lengthy blind elimination diets which can be limited by the fact that they require a high level of compliance. Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to test all the different combinations of food types that may be contributing to the problems.

Getting Started – How to get a food intolerance test.

Simply call into any McCabes Pharmacy nationwide and a trained representative will take a finger prick blood sample from you, which are then posted to the YorkTest Laboratory for analysis. Your finger prick blood sample is then analysed for raised IgG reactions to 76 food ingredients.
Your results pack is then posted back to the pharmacy with 7/10 working days.

Your personalised results pack includes:

The results are presented in a colour coded, easy to interpret format for each of the 76 foods tested, indicating the strength of the reaction on a scale of 0-4
Comprehensive guidebook and 12 week food diary which includes information on the principles of treating food intolerance by eliminating certain foods from your diet
One in-depth telephone consultations with a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist to help manage your food intolerances and form your new diet plan.

Benefits of Food Intolerance Tests

In terms of the evidence for food intolerance testing, and the benefits, there are a wide range of tests available which claim to identify the foods that may be causing the problems. The most scientific approach to food intolerance testing that is available is a blood test that measures food-specific IgG antibodies.

Antibodies are substances produced naturally by the body to identify and neutralise foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. Antibodies to foods are found in the body when the immune system has identified a particular food type as being foreign. Measurement of IgG antibodies to foods in blood shows that that the body is ‘fighting’ that particular food; antibodies that are raised to the foods that we eat can also act directly against organs in the body causing the symptoms of inflammation seen with IBS. It has been shown that removal of foods from the diet that the body is reacting to in this way can reduce ill health symptoms

There is only one food-specific IgG test available, the YorkTest Food Intolerance Programme that has significant clinical data to support its use. YorkTest has 30 years of experience in the food intolerance testing market and has widely published test data to show that, in those with chronic symptoms such as IBS, Digestive Problems, Migraines, Skin Problems etc over 3 out of 4 report significant benefit if they remove those foods that have shown a reaction in the FoodScan test.

The Food Intolerance Tests are available at the following McCabe’s Pharmacies: Pavillions Shopping Centre Swords, Dundrum Town Centre, Ridgewood Swords, McCauleys Pharmacy Gorey, The Crescent Shopping Centre Limerick, City West, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Malahide Shopping Centre, Tesco Shopping Cente Malahide Road and Carroll Village Dundalk.