Comments on: Myth: You Can Diagnose Food Intolerance or Allergy with an IgG Blood Test

By: Patrick Holford, YorkTest and a Migraine Study | Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:11:35 +0000

[...] migraine-like headaches description; respected experts in allergy and immunology caution against the notion that Yorktest’s IgG Food Intolerance test is diagnostic of food intolerance or clin…; the number of study drop-outs compromises the power of the study effect). The study lacks [...]

By: Andrew Burgess

Andrew Burgess — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:49:47 +0000

I had been suffering from chronic bloating and gas. I took the IgG test and found out I am highly intolerant to Gluten. Since I have cut out Gluten my bloating and gas has improved tremedously.

By: jonhw

jonhw — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:42:06 +0000

Glad you’re feeling better now. You mention that one could save £300 by eliminating foods and seeing if that helped symptoms. You’re right – a major issue with Yorktest is that there’s not good evidence that it’s better at diagnosing intolerances than a well-designed elimination diet (best to speak to your GP or dietitian about designing such a diet). Absolutely, some people will be lucky enough to hit on foods they’re intolerant to through Yorktest – many won’t, though, and there are better and cheaper ways to deal with intolerances.

By the way, lactose intolerance has a pretty straightforward test – a hydrogen breath test – so there are far better options than Yorktest.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:20:21 +0000

I know 2 people diagnosed with Wheat intolerance via the York test. They removed Wheat from their diet and all the problems went.

I had the same experience with milk and egg intolerance. I removed them both from my diet and the problems I had been having for 10 years – problems about 3 different NS doctors failed to diagnose – dissapeared.

This is obviously anecdotal evidence, and just 3 people rather than a trial of 1000s. You could probably just visit the York website and remove the foods until you found the problem yourself, and save £300.

However it does point people in the right direction, and milk or lactose intolerance is not particularly Holford-like, it’s well established – look at China if you want a large sample of people.

By: jonhw

jonhw — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:49:30 +0000

An IgG test can tell you your IgG levels. There’s not good evidence that it’s clinically useful – which is why BSACI and others don’t recommend it.

By: David Walker

David Walker — Sat, 15 May 2010 11:12:43 +0000

Why does the BSACI tell us to avoid all unproven allergy tests, including IgG (particularly to foods), kinesiology, vega testing and hair and nail analyses.

Why do they say that IgG has no scientific basis for their use. Why do NONE of the NHS Allergy Clinics use IgG. Is their some sort of dark conspiracy between Immunogy Professors in the UK, to hide this amazing test..or is it just that a positive IgG doesn’t mean anything?

By: jonhw

jonhw — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:36:08 +0000

Positive advice to people who feel food is a problem for them – see a dietitian and/or doctor.

By the way, I find that insulting someone simultaneously with accusing them of being rude tends to be a somewhat self-defeating strategy…

By: jonhw

jonhw — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:30:09 +0000

Susan – glad you feel better. However, the reason that good research on Yorktest is needed is to test how well it works and to what extent what we are seeing is simply people getting better, the placebo effect, etc…

By: Benjie

Benjie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:34:38 +0000

What a torn faced, obsessed, bitter and rude person you are. The way you reply to people’s calm, composed and well meaning anecdotes about Igg testing diminishes the value of any message you are trying to convey. You just come over as having a hate complex for Patrick Holford. Why can’t you champion something positive. What do you recommend to people who feel food is part of their problem but don’t have true allergies? Let’s here something that isn’t negative in your responses. What’s eating you? Maybe this terse, angry nature you have is being caused by a food intolerance. Why don’t you get it tested?

By: susan millin

susan millin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:29:48 +0000

I had the york test done 4 years ago, after many visits to my doctor for very painful joints, so bad a specialist told me i had developed arthritus.
after the test showed up an intolerance to eggs, I eliminated them from my diet.
Within a few days my joints started to feel much better, and now they are completely free from pain, unless I eat something that contains eggs and then the pain comes back, for a few days.