The body is a pretty magical thing when you think about it. There are all sorts of fluids and antibodies just floating around and doing their thing. Unless you’ve got a science background, though, it can be hard to understand how these fluids and antibodies work with or against you. Or how they can help with food intolerance testing. That’s why you’re about to get a crash course in IgG testing and everything it can do to give you the answers you need.
How does food intolerance testing work with antibodies?
The science of food intolerance testing resides mostly in the work of IgG levels. While you can get testing done through a hair sample (which uses different testing methods to give you a diagnosis), the most accurate testing method is still going to be through blood sample testing. This is largely in part of the prominence of IgG antibodies.
These antibodies are found in all body fluids (rather than just blood or lymph node fluids) and these antibodies are what keep us safe from viruses and bacteria that can enter our bodies on a daily basis.
Antibodies are smart and have a good memory. When something enters the body that doesn’t react well with the body itself, the antibodies will build up in number and, essentially, fight against this bad thing. In the case of a food intolerance, the “thing” could be lactose or gluten or some other food that the body is not able to deal with.
Each time the “bad” food enters the body, more antibodies are produced, and the smart antibodies label this food as unwelcome. This creates the symptoms that you can experience when you have a food intolerance.
Why is IgG used for food intolerance testing?
IgG tests are considered to be the most accurate way to get results for food intolerance.
When the blood is tested in a lab against the common intolerances, the level of antibodies (high vs normal) will offer accurate results specific to the test subjects. Those levels will help give you the personalized results that come from your blood being tested against the ingredients.
For reasons that aren’t quite understood, the body will “decide” that certain foods are unwelcome in your system. This is different from an allergy, where the foods are considered a threat to be destroyed.
An intolerance is simply an ingredient that is politely asked to leave your body, and the antibodies learn how to recognize it when it comes back so they can break it down (slowly).
The more accurate the test results are, the better the results can be for you. When you are looking at getting food intolerance testing done, consider a blood sample test as the most straight-forward option out there to give you the results that you want. If blood is something that you don’t feel comfortable using as a test medium, you can also explore the hair sample test or even an elimination diet with the support of a dietician or nutritionist. It’s nice to know that you have the option, should you need them!
