Performance And Allergy Testing
Last Updated: 3rd February 2023 · Written by Donna Mastriani
An athlete, whether a total novice, weekend warrior or seasoned pro, is looking for the very best in performance from their body. Any factor that affects their ability to sustain training, recover effectively or reduces peak physical fitness can mean a significant impact on performance. Allergies can be one such factor. In order to understand whether they have a role to play in limiting your performance IgE blood testing is a highly accurate testing method and considered the ‘gold standard’ in identifying allergies.
Allergy symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening and are highly individual. Common symptoms experienced due to allergies are coughing, sneezing, runny nose, swelling of the lips/mouth, itchy lips/mouth, vomiting and diarrhoea. For some allergies, the effects can be as severe as anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. Allergies can also contribute towards joint pain and can have an impact on the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Symptoms can affect performance in a couple of different ways. Firstly by reducing your efficacy in training, meaning that you don’t get the most out of yourself in a certain session, but also they can lead to less than optimum absorption of key nutrients, which can result in slower recovery, less than optimal energy production, and ultimately can affect your performance.
There are certain hypersensitivity conditions, which can be exercised-induced, that are frequently associated with IgE allergies such as asthma, hayfever, urticaria and anaphylaxis. The presence of asthma, in particular, makes a food allergy more dangerous, therefore IgE blood testing would be highly recommended.
IgE blood testing works by seeing which allergens your body produces antibodies to in the lab. Taking this first step is vital to effectively manage allergies and allows you to identify trigger foods, drinks or inhalants, which could be pollens, pet hair or mould. Once you are aware of any allergies, you can implement measures to reduce your exposure to allergens and ensure they aren’t a factor limiting your performance. This may be through; making dietary changes, knowing to ask in a restaurant if a certain food is present in a dish, understanding your environment and knowing the pollen you’re exposed to locally, if you are travelling for an event checking the pollen in the area or being prepared with anti-histamines, washing your hands after stroking a cat/ dog or maybe changing your mattress if house dust mites affect you.
They say knowledge is power and it absolutely is when it comes to allergies, click here to see our Lifelab Testing IgE blood testing kits – Basic Allergy and Complete Body.
