York food testing

[HarrietTheFly]

Hi has anyone used this company or similar to look for food intolerances? I want to know if they're any good. They are quite expensive and I can't afford to throw money at something that will not be reliable.

Any advice appreciated. Thank you

[BuffaloCauliflower]

There’s no properly scientifically supported testing for intolerances. You can test for coeliac, lactose intolerance and one or two others, but anything else won’t be factual

[HarrietTheFly]

Thanks buffalo. Is the best thing to try an elimination diet in that case and is there a guide for dummies on how to do that? I have quite a lot of allergies (tested by gp) as well as oral allergy syndrome, and I already know I can't eat things containing garlic as it makes me very ill immediately. I am certain there is another common ingredient in things that is affecting me but I cannot pinpoint it. My main suspect atm is wheat but it seems a tricky one to avoid so I am hoping it isn't that.

Symptoms are: stomach cramps, feeling of fullness, nausea and extreme fatigue after/during eating.

[HarrietTheFly]

Bump anyone.

[ClashCityRocker]

I know they were shamed on watchdog a few years back as the results were total bullshit - different results from samples taken from the same person.

[Keepmewarm]

Have you looked at fodmap?

[HarrietTheFly]

Fodmap - no but I am googling it now.

Good to know clash, I won't be wasting any money on them then. Thank you

[HarrietTheFly]

Interesting, garlic is a high fodmap food and that is one of the things I cannot eat. There is a lot to get my head around with this but I'm going to give it a try. I have lost so much weight - partly due to ill health but also because I am getting so sick after I eat that I've been avoiding eating altogether.

[HarrietTheFly]

It seems so complicated! Or maybe I'm being really stupid.

[Stupiddriver1]

I paid for a test for dd recently with a similar organisation. So finger prick blood test.

They tested for allergies and intolerances and afaik the testing for allergies is meant to be quite accurate and the test for intolerance not so much. But dd is going to see the GP now to ask what to do next as the allergy results were quite extensive.

[HarrietTheFly]

Ok I have found a list of "foods to get you started". There's a few things on it that I can eat - almonds, most of the fruit, tea (makes me vomit), prawns... Everything else seems ok. I will give this a go. Thank you.

[HarrietTheFly]

That I can't* eat

[sar302]

If you think you have issues with wheat, you should be tested for coeliac disease before you eliminate it from your diet. You should also be tested for inflammatory bowel diseases. Once these have been ruled out, your GP should then be able to refer you to a registered dietician, who can help you with an elimination diet if needed.

[EvaHarknessRose]

Try the forums or helplines at allergy UK. Intolerances can be complicated to figure out and it's often trial and error and becoming your own expert. As an example I felt awful and wasn't tolerating the recommended antihistamines but allergist and gp unable to help, I figured out it was similar to histamine intolerance and came across taking Zantac and Zyrtec together which has pretty much sorted it out and okayed by pharmacist but he thinks I am odd as one of those is an indigestion remedy! It's an H3 blocker or something which is why it works. I see you are quite far along with investigating your allergies.

[HarrietTheFly]

Thank you. I have ehlers danlos syndrome and a few different issues from that. So far my GP has been unsupportive so I'm quite anxious about seeing her about this and would rather work things out myself if possible

[DogInATent]

The York test is a con - no basis at all for the results they give (and no one ever gets a negative result). Also cons are the tests offered in health food shops and applied kinesiology. Anything that uses a magic box that you're plugged into, uses a drop of blood, a hair sample, measures you aura or bioresonance, or that measures muscle resistance is a con.

The only reliable test for intolerance is an exclusion diet. Even for things like lactose intolerance there are several tests, but none of them are diagnostic they're only indicative.

Be aware that FODMAP is a process, not a diet. It should be done under supervision - not something you should do by yourself.

See if your GP can refer you to an NHS dietician.
Avoid "nutritionsts" (£50 and a SAE can get you a "diploma").

[Weathergirl1]

I did the test 2 years ago. Came up saying I was intolerant of several grape varieties. I had been on a strictly low histamine diet for the duration of time they said would mean foods wouldn't show up if I hadn't eaten them so knew I hadn't had these grapes as we made everything from scratch at home. They tried to tell me I must have had them when I ate out or are something pre prepared - which was impossible as everything I ate was from scratch at home! Almonds were also in the list but I refused to give up almonds as frangipane was a treat I didn't appear to react when I had them, indeed my symptoms got better despite not following the advice from York Test.

Can't remember where I saw the paper, but there was a study I read that showed that iGg response (which is what York Test claim shows intolerance) is nothing to do with reactions & you would expect to see iGg wrt normal things you'd eaten that were fine.

[MeowyChristmas]

Did York Test years ago. Gluten, dairy, eggs, cherries and almonds. Have also done low fodmap and funnily enough reacted to most of those on re-introduction phase (as well as many other things).

Egg aren’t a fodmap thing, but high sulphur foods are a trigger for Hydrogen Sulphide SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth- present in 60% of IBS cases). So years down the line, turns out eggs are a trigger too.

I’ve done so many elimination diets and diets designed/purported to help IBS- SCD, GAPs, Low Fodmap, Low Sulfur, SIBO-Specific, Bi-phasic SIBO, Paleo, Keto, Primal, Fast Tract. All have provided part of the picture for me but not all of it. And they all take months.

The York Test for me was a useful snapshot that helped me cut out the worst offenders (gluten and dairy) quickly.

I’m quite excited by the concept behind DNAnudge. It’s a genetic test devised by an Imperial College researcher (prompted by his young son’s experience of illness- he had a genetic condition that isn’t curable, but if he’d followed a suitable diet from birth he could have avoided kidney failure and transplant surgery). It tells you which foods are and aren’t suitable for you based on your DNA- it comes with an app and a bracelet that scans barcodes. I plan to take this test in the New Year. If I was starting out re diets I’d start there.

[RubySlippers77]

@MeowyChristmas (love the name, by the way!) that DNAnudge looks fascinating! I wonder if they ever offer it more cheaply?! £120 is waaaay out of my budget at the moment many years ago I worked for a company that was looking into a similar product but never went forward with it as the technology wasn't affordable/ accessible enough at the time. Such a good idea though.

I've found a local dietitian who I'm hoping to use in the New Year - if I get some Christmas money from family! - to help with my suspected wheat intolerance. I'm struggling at the moment with my symptoms but think that might be it.

[jellyjellyinmybelly]

If you're intolerant of garlic have you also cut out onions? (and chives). They're all related and common to be intolerant /allergic to all if you are to one.

[McHorace]

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition, not intolerance or allergy. Many Coeliacs can actually eat wheat. it is gluten that cannot be eaten and they are not the same. Many Coeliacs eat wheat where the gluten has been 'washed' out of it.

It is possible to have a 'sensitivity/intolerance' to wheat and gluten, but that does not make someone a Coeliac. It's really important to get this correct. Misinformation leads to confusion. If you think you have Coeliac go see a GP, not some discredited lab,

[DogInATent]

DNAnudge does not identify intolerances or allergies. If you search their website carefully you can find where they say this. However there are a lot of BS articles on other websites that claim that it can do this. I'm also suspicious about the barcode scanning feature. I have coeliac disease and I'm very aware of the limitations of scanning apps - they're very vulnerable to going out of date, they only include the items that a company has paid to have included or that someone has chosen to add (this category is very susceptible to error). There's no substitute for developing your own knowledge and reading labels.

It's another "test" designed to extract money from the vulnerable and desperate.

The FODMAP protocol can be useful of done under qualified guidance, but it's not a diet and shouldn't be done alone.

[JPMaunick]

This is a fascinating thread - not sure about DNAnudge to be honest. Interesting idea but don't see how that approach will appeal or can be made economic.

If your symptoms are IBS (and your GP can advice on a diagnosis after some blood tests usually) then the low fodmap diet is the way to go. It's not really a diet, more a way to test what your trigger foods are. I completed it 18 months ago and now avoid wheat, garlic and onion - and my symptoms are nearly completely gone. I definitely think fodmap seems more complicated before you get going with it. There are some great Apps to help with fodmap, Monash App to learn the foods and then Tummi Fodmap App to act as a food and symptom tracker as you complete the diet.

[Goingtobeoldearly]

I did Yorktest a year ago and I have to say, i found it really good. I knew i was intolerant to milk and it picked that up. I had a feeling i was intolerant to wheat/ gluten and it said i was. Also, the interesting part was it said something about certain grapes / wines and I do have to be careful with what wine I drink as I get an almost instant headache.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I paid for coeliac dd to have the test as I was concerned she had food allergies alongside the coeliac. It came up with quite a few things.

I asked her gastro consultant his opinion on what we should do now, etc the other week and he said nothing. He said the York test and others is a total waste of money. He said best thing to do is keep a food diary and try and work out what’s making you feel poorly. Cut out one thing at a time and see if you improve. So self identify stuff and then stop eating anything you self identify.