The Science

Understanding Allergy & Intolerance Testing

Scientific innovation & research

At Lifelab Testing, we work in partnership with our allergen suppliers who are some of the leading innovators in the scientific community that specialise in allergy and intolerance testing.

The expertise shared by DST with our inhouse team allows us to be a market leader of IgE and IgG4 antibody testing helping people understand more about their body and how it reacts to specific foods and items.

Interesting facts:

  • Approximately 1-2% of adults in the UK have a food allergy and 5-8% of children (Pawankar R et al., 2013)
  • About 1% of people in the UK have coeliac disease (Food Standards Agency, 2016)
  • More than 150 million Europeans suffer from chronic allergic diseases and the current prediction is that by 2025 half of the entire EU population will be affected (EAACI, 2016)

We test for allergy and intolerance reactions using an scientifically approved in-vitro testing system (ELISA). Your blood sample is exposed to a panel of items to which the reactions are recorded and interpreted into levels and a comprehensive report is generated.

IgE Allergy Testing

When testing for food allergies, we use an approved testing system which measures an IgE reaction. IgE is an antibody that reacts when exposed to an allergen. Your sample is exposed to a number of food and non-food items to determine the substances that would trigger an inflammatory response in your body were you to ingest or come into contact with it. A response would usually trigger symptoms in your body.

The NHS use IgE blood testing as well as skin prick tests, patch tests and food challenge testing to diagnose allergies.

Discover more about IgE testing here.

IgG4 Intolerance Testing

We use a globally recognised technique, the ELISA method to test for raised levels of IgG4 to determine if an intolerance to an item is present. IgG4 is an antibody which your body produces to deal with a perceived threat.

In cases of intolerance, your body is perceiving the substance to which it is intolerant as a potential threat causing an inflammatory response or the symptoms you’re experiencing.

We only test IgG4 as we and our partners have found that is provides less fault positive results therefore ensuring we only report on items that you are intolerance to.

Discover more about IgG4 testing here.

Food Labelling Facts

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for monitoring and assessing food allergens across Europe. There are 14 foods which must be labelled and identified as ingredients on all pre-packed food:

  • Cereals containing gluten: wheat, spelt, Khorasan wheat, rye, barley, oats
  • Crustaceans: prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Peanuts
  • Soybeans
  • Milk
  • Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia nuts

By understanding your allergies and intolerance you can avoid reactions to potential allergens.

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We're proud of our team and are established members of the scientific community

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