Is Your Kid Truly Allergic? Tests Add to Food Confusion

For parents of children with food allergies, this may be both welcome and unsettling news: Many kids whose allergies were diagnosed on the basis of blood or skin tests alone may not be truly allergic to those foods, experts say.

A New Blood Test Can Estimate How Serious Your Food Allergy Is

The test is called basophil activation test (BAT). It’s a blood test that measures the levels of an immune cell called basophil which is activated by food exposure.

A novel technique can discover new allergens

For many, eating out is a pleasure. For the 5% or so of people who suffer from food allergies, though, it is anything but.

Are There Nuts in That Brownie?

New wearable devices aim to detect allergens in food and in the air. But should you trust them?

Blood testing for sensitivity, allergy or intolerance to food

Food allergy is an adverse health effect arising from a specific immune response that occurs reproducibly on exposure to a given food.1 Non-immunologic adverse reactions to food are termed food intolerance and include conditions such as lactase deficiency, dietary protein–induced enterocolitis syndromes and eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease.

Food Allergy Testing and Diagnosis

Some people know exactly what food causes their allergy. For example, they eat peanuts or a product with peanut in it and immediately break out in a rash. Others need a doctor’s help in finding the cause. Sometimes, the symptoms show up many hours after they have eaten the troublesome food, making it difficult to pinpoint the problem.

How Accurate Are At-Home Lab Tests for Food Allergies and Sensitivities?

Many at-home tests are available for both allergies and sensitivities, though most don’t have enough evidence to support their use.

Identifying peanut allergies cheaper and easier with new test

Scientists says blood test could avoid costly, stressful, food tests for confirming allergy.

Overview of food allergy diagnosis

Clinical reactivity can be effectively predicted in patients with a relevant history and in whom a certain level of in vivo and/or in vitro sensitization is documented. However, in some cases, oral provocation tests may still be required to establish or exclude the diagnosis of food allergy.

The Overuse of Allergy Tests: They Could Do More Harm Than Good

Because false positives and false negatives are common, it's recommended that children only undergo allergy tests when absolutely needed.

The Truth About Fake Allergy Tests

Diagnosing allergies can be difficult. A doctor will often go through several steps before making a diagnosis, including specialized tests, a comprehensive interview about your ailments, and a physical exam. But it can sometimes take several months to get a correct diagnosis. Much like a detective working on a case, your provider will need to work by collecting information from you and from the different tests they organize. Together, you may need to test a few different strategies, such as avoiding possible triggers and then reintroducing them. This process can be slow, frustrating, and anxiety provoking. It’s no surprise, then, that many people are drawn to alternative allergy testing. Such tests can be a tempting way to get a quick answer about your allergies. But most alternative allergy tests do not have any science behind them. In other words: If a test sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And in general, these tests are more likely to do harm than good. With this in mind, here’s a guide to help you educate yourself about deceptive allergy tests.

To Find Out About Food Allergies, First Use The Right Test

A lot of people think they have food allergies, but they're likely wrong. That's partly because it's easy to confuse common food-related problems like lactose intolerance or celiac disease with an allergy. But it's also because there are a lot of tests promoted for food allergies that don't measure up.

When you need them and when you don’t

Unreliable test results can lead to unnecessary changes in your lifestyle.