Igg Testing Questions

[Michelle1]

Hi there...I've been gluten free since my biopsy so about 10 months...still having random neckrash and hives on my eyelids and recently was tested for food allergies.  The IgE results were all negative but the IgG came back positive for casein, wheat, corn, beef, apples, banana's, potatoes and tomatoes.  It only tested 10 different things (ok for chicken and soy)...I've been trying to find information on this while waiting to see a nutritionist but my dr just said for now stay away from the highest offenders...the levels were supposed to be under 2.0 and corn was 11, bananas 9, beef 7.4, casein 5.5 etc..while tomatoes were 2.5 and potatoes were 2.0 which they marked as high...

I was told at my endoscopy 10 months ago that I had a lot of visual inflammation of the esophagus, stomach and intestines and the results were celiac disease gerd and inflammation of stomach....

Many places I read that if you had low positives to ignore those and I'm thinking no I should notice all positives....?? and I can't find any reference to what is considered "low positive"...is the 11 a low positive that I had for the corn or is it like a WHOA off the charts....I can't even find a reference for it...Any insight anyone???

[stri8ed]

Hi. Having high IGG for a particular food is not a definitive marker of intolerance/allergy. One can have have super high levels toward a food, and still tolerate it just fine. I think its best to look at the test results as a "hint" as to what might be triggering your symptoms. Personally, I would start by avoiding all the positive foods (if possible), and slowly reintroduce the foods one at a time, while carefully observing for negative reactions. I would also consider starting a Open Original Shared Link with your new foods, to prevent developing intolerance to them. Doing so has been very helpful in my experience.

 

The reason you are having a hard time finding concrete answers for whats considered high etc.., is because the science behind the method (IGG food allergies) is still lacking, hence the idea to look at it as a "hint".

[jgr1998]

Hi. Having high IGG for a particular food is not a definitive marker of intolerance/allergy. One can have have super high levels toward a food, and still tolerate it just fine. I think its best to look at the test results as a "hint" as to what might be triggering your symptoms. Personally, I would start by avoiding all the positive foods (if possible), and slowly reintroduce the foods one at a time, while carefully observing for negative reactions. I would also consider starting a Open Original Shared Link with your new foods, to prevent developing intolerance to them. Doing so has been very helpful in my experience.

 

The reason you are having a hard time finding concrete answers for whats considered high etc.., is because the science behind the method (IGG food allergies) is still lacking, hence the idea to look at it as a "hint".

Is this IgG test a blood test? If so, can any general family doctor run the test? Thanks in advance!

[StephanieL]

IgG isn't useful for food allergy testing. IgE is what is use for allergies and even that is only accurate 50% of the time for a positive result.  There aren't any reliable tests for an intolerance other than an elimination trial and reintroduction. 

[stri8ed]

Is this IgG test a blood test? If so, can any general family doctor run the test? Thanks in advance!

 

Yes, it is a blood test. However, the basis for using IGG levels as a means for diagnosing food-intolerance's has not been scientifically proven. So you average doctor may be uninterested in, or not familiar with the test.

 

I agree with StephanieL, in that the only reliable way to determine a food-intolerance is by eliminated the food for a few weeks, and then reintroducing it, and observing how you respond.

 

Here is a quote taken from Genova-Diagnostics, a leading provider of the IGG tests:

 

If you were on steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or if you were not consuming a tested food, the test probably will not show a positive reaction. If you are already on an elimination diet due to known food reactions, a negative result on an IgG4 food antibody profile does not necessarily mean you can freely eat the food without experiencing symptoms. Reintroduce any previously reactive foods with caution.

 

 

It seems more likely IGG levels simply reflect the contents of your diet, not which foods you are intolerant to. Though, if one has a leaky gut, its quite likely they will have developed intolerance's to many of the foods they are currently eating. This is probably why some people find the test to be "effective".

[boron]

If a certain food does not cause any symptoms, a positive IgG test alone should not be a reason to avoid that food. Presence of IgG antibodies means previous exposure to that food and not an allergy to it.

[jgr1998]

Thank you for the info!