reactions.
This test has been the subject of a study involving 200 participants with clearly defined symptoms. On the basis of the results, each participant was given a fourday rotational diet plan which excluded those foods that had appeared positive in the FACT. They followed this diet for three months. Their symptoms had included rheumatism/joint or muscle pain, fatigue, lethargy, mood fluctuation, eczema, itchy skin, acne; migraine, headache, IBS, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, stomach cramps; weight problems, sinus congestion, rhinitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
At the end of the three months, the participants reported on the status of their symptoms in terms of frequency and severity. The improvements across the board were noteworthy, and are shown below:
| Symptom Completed | Number Percentage | Number and Percentage of Participants Who Showed Improvement |
| Rheumatism/joint or muscle pain | 8 | 7 (88%) |
| Fatigue, lethargy, mood fluctuation | 38 | 35 (97%) |
| Eczema, itching skin, acne | 16 | 13 (81%) |
| Migraine, headache | 11 | 9 (82%) |
| IBS, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, stomach cramps | 80 | 71 (93%) |
| Weight problems | 26 | 24 (92%) |
| Sinus congestion, rhinitis | 4 | 3 (75%) |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | 2 | 1 (50%) |
These improvements are impressive, and highlight the significant association of food intolerance and IBS, something noted in the 1982 Lancet study cited earlier. In a clinical setting, the outcome of patients who have excluded the positive foods identified by this test are similar to the impressive figures shown above. An experienced and extremely knowledgeable nutritionist, Xandria Williams, has used this test for years:
I have used a range of different food intolerance tests including IgG Elisa and Cytotoxic, but in my clinical experience the best results have been achieved when using the FACTest.
Xandria Williams, nutritional practitioner and best-selling author of Living with Allergies
In a more recent analysis of food intolerance testing and IBS, described in the Introduction, similarly encouraging results were found.
It would seem that if you have IBS you would do well to avoid the foods to which you are intolerant, and if you cannot find out which foods these are, then a test measuring either IgG or cellular mediators (e.g. the FACTest) would be advisable. The test in this instance would almost certainly save you time and effort in determining which foods to avoid.
The time factor is one of the most important advantages of having a blood test for food intolerances, certainly compared with elimination diets, which are discussed below.
The Usual Suspects
Before you find out more about lab testing, there are a number of things you can do at home to determine if you have a problem with a food intolerance. First, you can make keen observations about how you feel when you eat a certain food, and at the same time compare your intake against the Usual Suspects list in Chapter 1. Figure out how many of these foods you consume every day, even more than once a day. Wheat, dairy, sugar and yeast are the most common culprits.
Lab Tests
If your answers to the Food Intolerance Questionnaire indicate that a lab test should be your next step, then see Appendix II for more information.
Summary
There are a number of different methods for evaluating food intolerances. Most have some relevance and accuracy, but some do not. ELISA IgG analysis and the evaluation of chemical mediators, which also uses ELISA technology, are two of the most accurate and relevant tests.
Two different types of tests offering IgG analysis and analysis of the chemicals released in response to food antigen exposure are recommended. The details of laboratories that offer these tests are detailed in Appendix II.
Food intolerance testing is expensive, but can prove hugely useful in your mission to improve your health.
Why Are Food Intolerances So Common?
This chapter will tell you about the reasons why food intolerances exist and why you may have one or more of them. You will find out how you can address your food intolerance and its underlying causes.
You have learned that at least 45 per cent of the whole population has at least one food intolerance. Other researchers believe that this figure is as high as 80 per cent. So why does this happen? Were we not designed to eat certain foods? Are more people intolerant to foods today than they were in the past?
First, let’s review the most common causes of food intolerance. These causes may well be cumulative, may well co-exist and therefore may be synergistic in the cause of your food intolerance(s). Over the next few chapters we will look in detail at each of these causes.
eating too much of the same food too often (this chapter)
food additives, preservatives, colouring agents and flavour enhancers (this chapter)
eating too quickly (Chapter 4)
maldigestion (low stomach acid levels, low levels of pancreatic enzymes) (Chapter 4)
imbalanced intestinal ecology: an overgrowth of yeast, bacteria or parasites (Chapters 5, 6 and 7)
prescription and over-the-counter drugs (Chapter 8)
