Four Myths About Food Sensitivity Testing
I was at a party the other night and a couple of my long-time friends started asking me about the MRT Food Sensitivity test. This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about it. And they’d both been thinking about doing this test for a long time.
But during this conversation, they opened up about why they had been putting off getting their MRT Food Sensitivity Test. As humans, we often expect the worst. We’d like to think we’re optimistic. But sometimes that’s just not the case. When we think about the future — especially when we’re thinking about something with fears attached — most of us expect things to be unpleasant.
Turns out my friends were nervous about doing the MRT test because they thought they’d have to give up ALL their favorite foods. Spoiler alert: They won’t. Let’s dispel some myths…but first, let me tell you what the MRT Food Sensitivity test is.
What is the MRT Food Sensitivity Test
The Mediator Release Test (MRT) is the best food sensitivity test on the planet! How can I say that? Because the MRT measures the release of mediators (cytokines, histamine, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, etc.) in your bloodstream, and it is the mediators that eventually cause some type of an inflammatory response (like digestive issues, muscle or joint pain, hives, etc.). Most food sensitivity tests only measure IgG, which are immune complexes that do not reliably correlate with inflammation or symptoms. (1)
Are MRT Food Sensitivity Tests Accurate?
The MRT is very accurate. Have you ever heard of people submitting samples of blood from the same person drawn on the same day and sending it to a lab to be tested and getting quite different results? If so, that is not very good split sample reliability. How would you know which test to believe? Be assured that the split sample reliability of the MRT is an incredibly high 93.6 percent! (2)
So now that we have established what MRT tests are and that they are accurate, let’s talk about the myths.
Food Sensitivity Test Myth #1: You’ll have to eliminate LOTS of foods
Before there was an accurate food sensitivity test, an elimination diet was the best way to try and figure out which foods your body is sensitive to. But it’s a big pain. And the results aren’t always accurate.
On a standard elimination diet, you give up a ton of foods — all the likely suspects. You completely avoid nuts, corn, soy, dairy, citrus fruits, nightshade vegetables, wheat, foods containing gluten, pork, eggs, seafood, alcohol, etc. (Yes, there is an etcetera. That’s an incomplete list.)
You completely avoid these foods for several weeks. Then you methodically reintroduce one food every 2-3 days (or one category of food every 2-3 weeks, depending on what protocol you are following) and monitor your symptoms.
Elimination diets are hard and time-consuming. They also aren’t necessary.
The MRT is NOT a common elimination diet. It’s a lab test. And the results of this test tell you EXACTLY which foods are causing your issues.
Here’s just a small part of the test results:
I have never tested anyone who had to give up anywhere near as many foods as an elimination diet requires. Most people only need to cut out a small handful of things.
Food Sensitivity Test Myth #2: You’ll have to eliminate all the “bad” foods.
One of my friends assumed she’d have to give up all the “bad” foods once she got her MRT results back. So she began preemptively cutting things out of her diet — starting with her beloved morning coffee. She thought if she gradually eliminated “bad” foods, then when she got her MRT results back the change wouldn’t be as shocking.
Addressing your food sensitivities has nothing to do with eating “clean”. Would you feel better if you focused on natural, healthy foods? Sure. Most people do. But your MRT results are not going to tell you to “clean up” your diet. The MRT tells you the specific foods unique to you that cause inflammation, digestive issues, and other symptoms.
Food sensitivities are uniquely individual. Some people do react to caffeine. Lots of people don’t. Maybe you’re sensitive to wheat. But maybe you’re not. With the MRT, you’ll know for sure.
Food Sensitivity Test Myth #3: You’ll have to give up all your vices
I’m not the food police. I’m also not your mother or your minister. I don’t judge my clients at all. So I won’t tell you how to live your life. My goal is to give my clients the information they need to make informed choices about what they eat.
Many people think they will have to give up coffee, tea, or chocolate. But not necessarily! These are tested on the MRT and they may or may not show up as reactive. If they are reactive , I’ll let you know what the protocol for that item is, but the final decision to give it up is always up to you!
The same goes for sweets. If you have a sweet tooth, it may magically disappear when you are doing your MRT food protocol (I’ve seen it happen!), but it may not. If you have a sweet tooth, I will make sure you have a sweet that you can make with MRT tested items that are non-reactive for you. That way, if the craving comes, you will have a go-to (hopefully) ready for you to eat in the freezer.
Sometimes people think they will have to give up smoking. But the MRT doesn’t even test nicotine. So smoking will not show up on your results at all. Of course, we all know tobacco in any form isn’t doing anybody any favors in the health and wellness department. But it may or may not have anything to do with your food sensitivities.
The same goes for cannabis. Cannabis is not tested. So it won’t be on your MRT report. What I do, if people really don’t want to give up a certain food or product, is to let them keep that item in and then if I don’t see the results I expect within a certain amount of time, I’ll let them know and they can decide if they want to take the item out or not. (Most do.)
Food Sensitivity Test Myth #4—All Food Sensitivity Tests are the Same
There are a confusing number of food sensitivity tests on the market. They all claim to be the best, but they measure different things. Some measure just IgG. Others measure both IgG and IgA. And yet others (like the MRT) measure the release of mediators in the blood that occurs just before an inflammatory reaction takes place.
The IgG and IgA tests are quite common and they measure how much IgG (Immunoglobulin G) or IgA (Immunoglobulin A) you are producing to a specific food, with the assumption that high levels of these antibodies are always a bad thing.
But there are limitations to this type of testing:
- High levels of IgG can be bad, but they can also be good, or they can be neutral (3). When IgG is “bad”, it does end up causing an inflammatory cascade that eventually causes symptoms. When IgG is “good”, it’s being protective against a more serious IgE allergy. And when IgG is “neutral”, it’s just doing its normal job of “taking out the trash”, which is what it is supposed to be doing and in no way signals an inflammatory response. In conclusion, just because you have high IgG levels to a food doesn’t necessarily mean that the food is causing an inflammatory reaction.
- IgA is involved in many reactions in the body, the most commonly tested being Tissue Transglutaminase IgA to gluten to screen for Celiac Disease (4). However, the production of IgA in this case does not signal an inflammatory response. Instead, it is a marker of where tissue damage has occurred.
Common food sensitivity tests like Everylywell only look at IgG immune reactions (5). And while this is one possible type of food sensitivity reaction, it’s not the only one. And sometimes if you test positive for a food in an IgG screening, it doesn’t mean you’re actually sensitive to it. Foods will be flagged on these tests because you’ve eaten a lot of them or your immune system has simply “marked” them for future notice.
This means that the IgG testing that many companies offer is predictably unreliable. You may get false positives causing you to give up foods unnecessarily. Or the test can actually miss foods you are really sensitive to and then your symptoms continue…
That’s why I like the MRT food sensitivity test. It is the real deal. MRT goes way beyond IgG testing. It’s an end-point test (6), measuring the release of mediators that occurs just before an inflammatory reaction takes place, which is what we really want to know.
Dealing with food sensitivities can be a challenge. No one wants to give up foods they love. But with a common IgG test, you may end up giving up foods unnecessarily. Or even worse, the test may miss foods you’re sensitive to and then you’ll have to keep living with your body’s food sensitivity reactions.
Embracing Your Personalized Path to Optimal Health with MRT Food Sensitivity Test
As a dietitian, my mission is to guide you toward feeling your best. I’m here to offer support and encourage the steps necessary to enhance your well-being. This includes making lifestyle changes tailored to your unique needs, such as improving your diet, incorporating sleep hygiene, increasing water intake, and effectively managing stress.
However, I want to emphasize that the choices you make along this journey are entirely yours. I never impose restrictions or force you to give up any particular food or habit. My role is to empower you with insights into what you consume that might be affecting your well-being. With this understanding, I’m here to provide unwavering support as you navigate your personalized path to optimal health, guided by the valuable information gained from the MRT Food Sensitivity Test.
Get Your MRT Questions Answered
If you’ve been considering the MRT but are feeling nervous about what your post-MRT life might look like, hopefully, this puts your mind at ease a bit. But if you still have questions or concerns, let me know! Let’s get on a call and talk it through. I offer a free, no-pressure consultation.
References
1. Carr, S. et al. CSACI Position statement on the testing of food-specific IgG, Allergy Asthma Clinical Immunology. 2012 Jul 26. doi: 10.1186/1710-1492-8-12
2. Maciej, K et al. Pediatryczny. MRT test – new generation of tests for food hypersensitivity in children and adults. 1997, Supplement 1, 61-65
3. Gocki, Jacek and Bartuzi, Zbigniew. Role of immunoglobulin G antibodies in diagnosis of food allergy. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology. 2016, August vol 33(4).
4. Celiac Disease Screening/Celiac Disease Foundation
5. At Home Food Sensitivity Test/Everlywell
6. Adamczak, Daria M. The Clinical Use of Mediator Release Test in Food Sensitivities, Journal of Food Science and Engineering 1 (2018) 61-63