What are intolerance tests?
Intolerance tests promise to identify foods that our body cannot metabolize and which, if removed from our daily diet, will lead to weight loss. People who want to lose weight and have difficulty resorting to these tests very often. After all, we all know someone who took the test and lost weight. These people may have indeed lost weight following the results of an intolerance test. However, this is not due to the test itself but to the exclusion of large food groups. Among these foods may be foods with increased energy content, saturated fat and sugars. Therefore, by excluding so many foods from our diet, it is logical to lose weight.
Let’s separate what is food intolerance and what is food allergy to understand a little better
What is food intolerance?
Food intolerance is defined as the body’s repeated adverse reaction to a food or a food ingredient, which results in digestive disorders such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting or dermatological problems such as acne, hives, mouth ulcers, etc.
The scientifically most common causes of intolerance are:
- Lactose intolerance, in which there is a lack of the enzyme lactase, resulting in the inability to digest lactose.
- Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune hereditary condition in which there is intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other cereals.
What is a food allergy?
In addition to the term food intolerance, there is also food allergy. Food allergies are defined as serious reactions that occur after consuming only a small amount of a specific food and are the result of an intense immune response. The most common food allergies include allergies to fish, shellfish and tree nuts. Common food allergies in children include milk, eggs, fish and tree nuts, with peanuts being the most common.
How do intolerance tests work?
Intolerance tests can show whether your body is hypersensitive or intolerant to specific foods or food ingredients. There are several tests available and many methods for this diagnosis, some examples are:
IgG antibody blood test: This blood test detects IgG antibodies present in the blood. It is believed that an increase in IgG after consuming a food indicates a hypersensitivity to that food, but in no case can we speak of an intolerance.
Leukocyte or cytotoxic test: This is also done with a blood test. The white blood cells are mixed with the suspected food and if they swell, this indicates a possible hypersensitivity to the food.
Electrodermal (Vega) test: measures the electromagnetic conductivity in the body. The food to which we are hypersensitive will show a drop in electromagnetic conductivity.
There are other tests on the market that can draw conclusions about food intolerance by checking our pulse or analyzing a sample of our hair.
However, none of the above has been approved and has no scientific documentation.
Do intolerance tests actually do what they promise?
The logic behind these tests is that the body cannot effectively metabolize certain foods that are responsible for weight gain.
The food intolerance test can in no way tell us which foods make us fat and which ones don’t. Weight gain and loss are only related to energy balance. If we consume more calories, our weight will increase, if we consume less, our weight will decrease.
Besides, this theory of the tests was abolished in 2016 by a ministerial decree, which states that no alternative food intolerance test is scientifically documented and should not be applied, as they are not related to weight loss.
If you are still wondering how some people who have taken these tests lost weight, the answer is simple, they consumed fewer calories! Usually the tests remove gluten, sugar, pasta and other caloric foods, resulting in us excluding large food groups and ultimately weight loss. So it is not the tomato or cucumber that we removed from the diet that is to blame, but the energy deficit as we mentioned above.
Conclusion
Any use of intolerance tests in weight loss programs has no scientific basis. If we have finally done the test, we can only use it to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms with a gradual reintroduction of these foods.
A balanced diet with a variety of foods along with systematic physical activity is the key to weight management. Each organism is unique and we should find the diet that suits us and does not affect our body.
