Allergy and Intolerance Prevalence within the UK

• In the UK, approximately 1-2% of adults suffer from a food allergy and that number increases to 5-8% in children. (Pawankar R etal., 2013)
• Food allergies are on the rise. The prevalence of food allergy in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. (Food Allergy Research & Education, 2018)
• In the UK, around 20 fatalities are reported due to anaphylaxis in the UK (Pumphrey, 2000)
• There are many people who suffer from food allergy who also report suffering from asthma. This make can an allergic reaction more severe if it is not controlled by medication. (Food Standards Agency, 2015)

Allergies and Food Labelling

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for monitoring and assessing food allergens across Europe.

There are 14 foods which MUST be labelled and identified as ingredients on all pre-packed food:

• Cereals which contain gluten: Wheat, Spelt, Barley, Oats, Rye, and Khorasan Wheat
• Fish
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Crustaceans: lobster, crayfish, crabs, and prawns
• Soybeans
• Milk
• Mustard
• Sesame
• Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, pecan nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia nuts
• Celery (including celeriac)
• Sulphur dioxide/sulphits
• Lupin
• Molluscs

So, if any of these items are a common staple of your diet, you should consider ordering an Elite Blood Intolerance test.

Below are some useful links to follow if you want to know more about food allergies and intolerances:

https://www.allergyuk.org/information-and-advice/statistics

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-allergy/

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-guidance-for-industry

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease-and-dermatitis-herpetiformis/gluten-sensitivity/

Intolerance (IgG) Research

Food elimination in relation to IBS based on IgG antibodies: https://gut.bmj.com/content/53/10/1459

Milk intolerance detection using IgG antibodies: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2222.1986.tb01980.x

Allergy and Intolerance. Research papers.

150 outpatients with IBS were randomised to receive, for three months, either a diet excluding all foods to which they had raised IgG antibodies (enzyme linked immunosorbant assay test) or a sham diet excluding the same number of foods but not those to which they had antibodies.

A clinically significant improvement in IBS symptoms was observed in patients eliminating foods to which they were found to exhibit sensitivity.

This prospective audit was set up to investigate whether migraine sufferers have evidence of IgG-based food intolerances and whether their condition can be improved by the withdrawal from the diet of specific foods identified by intolerance testing. Migraine patients were recruited from primary care practices and a blood sample was taken. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were conducted on the blood samples to detect food-specific IgG in the serum. Patients identified with food intolerances were encouraged to alter their diets to eliminate appropriate foods and were followed up for a 2-month period

This investigation demonstrated that food intolerances mediated via IgG may be associated with migraine and that altering the diet to eradicate specific foods could treat a migraine. Elimination of foods that responded with a high IgG response lead to 30% of subjects reporting benefit to migraine symptoms after 1 month and 40% after 2 months. 60% subjects who reintroduced their reactive foods suffered onset of migraine symptoms.

Rees et al. (2005)

A pilot study looked at two studies of individuals with Asthma. The two subjects were put on an elimination diet after taking an IgG food intolerance test using the ELISA system.

The studies showed the patients saw substantial relief in symptoms of Asthma after following a IgG antibody guided elimination diet.

Virdee, K., Musset, J., Baral, M., Cronin, C. and Langland, J., 2015.
Food-specific IgG Antibody—guided Elimination Diets Followed by Resolution of Asthma Symptoms and Reduction in Pharmacological Interventions in Two Patients: A Case Report. Global advances in health and medicine, 4(1), pp.62-66.

This study focused on patients that had a history of suffering from varied symptoms, including Fatigue, Diarrhoea, Migraines and Itchy Skin.

114 patients in total were tested for food sensitivities using a food-specific IgG antibody test. Of the 114 initial subjects, 80 completed the study by following an elimination diet based on their IgG reactive foods. Upon elimination of reactive foods, subjects showed significant improvements in their previously reported symptoms. In subjects who reported having symptoms, 71% of subjects realised a 75% or greater improvement in their condition/s, half of the study group realised 90% or more relief from their symptoms in the 15 patients that did not eliminate their reactive foods, experienced no relief in their symptoms.

HAMILTON S. DIXON, MD, Rome, Georgia
Dixon HS. (2000)