I’ve done the FODMAP diet & came off several food groups , mainly gluten & lactose , but because my symptoms are very up & down I’ve never managed to reintroduce them . I’m under a nutritionist & on several different herbal supplements for gut dysbiosis , but not seeing any improvement for the IBS -C .
A friend has suggested doing a York food intolerance test to find out if I am actually allergic/ intolerant to some of the foods I have cut out , as I may be excluding them for no reason at all ?
Has anyone found this type of test to be helpful at all please ?
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Hi Have you been diagnosed with coeliac disease.? If not I suggest you get a blood test at the doctors. If it comes back high for coeliac disease then you will need to get an endoscopy.
I can’t work out what causes my D&C . Stick to gluten and lactose free and avoid other foods high in FODMAPS but have done this for months and don’t really see any improvement. Really wish I could get advice from a dietician.
Allergy testing for IBS is controversial. The most reliable tests are the routine blood and skin tests conducted in hospital laboratories. Tests of hair or skin conductance lack reliable evidence. The most popular commercial tests for allergy involve measurement of circulating (IgG) antibodies to foods. IgG testing for IBS is based on the rationale that if the gut is leaky (as a result of inflammation, infection or stress for example), intact proteins from a variety of foods will permeate the gut lining and generate an immune reaction. But the interpretation of the results is not clear cut. High levels of IgG may be found in response to a number of common foods and may just represent the body’s normal defense reaction and not necessarily an indication of allergy.
YORK TEST
The role of York test in the management of IBS is at best unclear. Whilst the test is useful for detecting the presence of IGG antibodies to specific food components it typically yields multiple positive results and may represent a normal immune response to food. Food-specific IgG4 does not predict true food hypersensitivity. Indeed the presence of this type of antibody has been associated with the development of tolerance to foods that are eaten often. The European Academy of allergy and clinical immunology guidance reads thus;
“Serological tests for immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) against foods are persistently promoted for the diagnosis of food-induced hypersensitivity. Since many patients believe that their symptoms are related to food ingestion without diagnostic confirmation of a causal relationship, tests for food-specific IgG4 represent a growing market. Testing for blood IgG4 against different foods is performed with large-scale screening for hundreds of food items by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-type and radioallergosorbent-type assays in young children, adolescents, and adults. However, many serum samples show positive IgG4 results without corresponding clinical symptoms.
These findings, combined with the lack of convincing evidence for histamine-releasing properties of IgG4 in humans, and lack of any controlled studies on the diagnostic value of IgG4 testing in food allergy, do not provide any basis for the hypothesis that food-specific IgG4 should be attributed with an effector role in food hypersensitivity. In contrast to the disputed beliefs, IgG4 against foods indicates that the organism has been repeatedly exposed to food components, recognized as foreign proteins by the immune system. Its presence should not be considered as a factor, which induces hypersensitivity, but rather as an indicator for immunological tolerance, linked to the activity of regulatory T cells. In conclusion, food-specific IgG4 does not indicate (imminent) food allergy or intolerance, but rather a physiological response of the immune system after exposition to food components. Therefore, testing of IgG4 to foods is considered as irrelevant for the laboratory work-up of food allergy or intolerance and should not be performed in case of food-related complaints.”
For more information about allergy and allergy testing, log in or join to become a member of The IBS Network.
We would also recommend that you are seeing a dietitian and not a nutritionist.
Nutritionists are qualified to provide information about food and healthy eating, but not about special diets for medical conditions. Nutritionists are not required to be registered in order to work in the UK. Many nutritionists belong to the voluntary self-regulated professional register, UKVRN, held at present by the AfN and use the title Registered Nutritionist. A nutritionist who is not registered with the UKVRN may not have met or be able to meet the AfN’s recognised standards and competencies in underpinning knowledge and professional skills
Thanks you for your reply , I’m somewhat confused by this reply , are you saying that the York test is basically not worth doing for IBS related problems
I had a very poor experience of nutritional therapists and wasted a lot of money on them. I did all the herbals etc. Their treatments made my condition worse.
The best way to treat gut imbalances is with a scientifically studied probiotic like Alflorex. The problem with antimicrobials (like antibiotics), in theory they can affect both good as well as the bad bacteria. A strong probiotic like Alflorex may readdress the balance naturally so symptoms die down. When symptoms die down, you become more tolerant to foods. The wider amount of foods you can eat, the more bacterial diversity, the more good bugs you have to keep the bad ones under control.
Are you also treating your IBS-C by increasing fibre in the diet? As mentioned Alflorex might make you more tolerant to the fibre increases needed to manage the condition.
An article on the strain of bacteria Alflorex uses.
Conclusion was - "They concluded that, while this strain did not improve symptoms in IBS when administered alone, based on their meta-analysis of studies by Charbonneau et al.Citation6, O’Mahony et al.Citation7, and Whorwell et al.Citation8, when they assessed what they believed to be the same strain, it did appear effective in combinations either with other probiotic bacteriaCitation9 or in a symbiotic mix that also included prebiotics."
So used alone it doesn't improve things, only when taken with other probiotics.
One study. That isn't my real world experience. I got huge benefit from Alflorex after one week of taking it alone. When it mentions prebiotics, those can come from food. Other people on this website have gained enormous benefit too. By the way I don't work for them :-). There are other studies that suggest taking too many strains means they can end up competing with one another. As with everything with IBS, it's a case of individual trial and error to see what works for the individual.
Thank you for your reply , I have heard good reports about Alflorex , at the moment I take Now clinical GI probiotic. I do make sure I have plenty of fibre in my diet .
I’ve been with this nutritionist since June last year , but despite spending a lot of money I’m no better .
I had blood allergy testing by my general practitioner and it canme out I had milk, hazelnut and scallop allergy with elevated IgE. My GI did these are not reliable and it's ok to restrict for a 6 weeks or so and see if it makes a difference if not don't bother they're only 50% accurate. I don't drink milk but do eat hard cheese and I've not had ever any problems. My gluten celiac panel came out normal even though I don't eat gluten. She said some people get good results with Fodmap diet but it's very restrictive. Just try to figure out what bothers you like gas, constipation, and or diarrhea and cut it out. I mentioned this is hard because I've tried removing the most common food allergens and my symptoms are the same. I do know that cheese has a tendency to make me constipated. I have high immunoglobulin A which could be mucosal inflammation and not IBS. I have diverticular disease which in my opinion is always a low inflammatory condition even if white counts and yes no fever. That's why my colorectal surgeon wants to remove my sigmoid and I'm slowly coming to the same conclusion.
it’s difficult to figure out what food causes symptoms as I’m so up & down , I could eat the same food for a week & get mixed symptoms, I struggle with anxiety which makes things worse , so I take Sertraline which does help with anxiety but it’s hard on the gut
I've heard about setraline in going to have to try it. I am old man now but 10 years ago I could eat everything never had any problems. Now I'm a hot mess diverticular disease diarrhea constipation bloating rectal irritation internal prolapse what a meds. I
It may be worth a try but if you suffer with diarrhoea it may not be the right anxiety medication for you there are lots of others but you’ll need advice on which one is best for you .
I know how you feel , five years ago i could eat & drink anything , now I’m the opposite it’s awful
Hello. I am a 50 year old woman and suffer from constipation. It has got very bad recently - I think due to 3 years of unrelenting financial stress and I am also perimenopausal, so hormones are also out of balance now. I have been taking a supplement called "Complete Gut Repair" for a week by a company called Happy Mammoth. It is marketed at women, but the relief it is giving me is really great, better than the many things I have tried. Do read the testimonials. There are many people suffering with many differing IBS complaints who are getting better from taking it. It can't hurt to try. I do really feel it is helping to heal my leaky gut. I am also taking it with Hormone Harmony, so perhaps it is the combination of the 2 that is working. It is expensive at around £50 for each supplement for a month's supply, not sure how I will afford next month!! I wonder if it would give you the same relief - everyone suffers with hormone imbalances. Or maybe just take the gut repair supplement. You could message them to ask. Good luck. It can all just be overwhelming and confusing where to turn next. I think the stresses and traumas of life contribute hugely to how our guts work - our second brains!! Combined with cost of living crisis and environmental break down.
Thank you , funnily enough I have just been googling this product , but couldn’t see where to buy it from in the Uk , where did you get yours please ?
I’m 58 yrs & just got through peri menopause, also suffering from stress & anxiety and I totally agree it has a huge influence on the gut , like you say the cost of all these products is ridiculous and I’m no further forward despite having 2 nutritionists over the past 18 months & so many different expensive supplements , plus extra bills it’s financially draining .
But I’ll try anything to get better!!
I take Now Magnesium Caps for my constipation, they are quite reasonably priced too , about £15 for 180 capsules, worth trying for your constipation
hi there - I think it was ads that kept being served to me via Facebook, but if you just Google Happy Mammoth it will take you to their website and I just bought it there. I tried magnesium citrate in powder form, which worked for a day. Laxido works but doesn’t feel ‘natural’, whereas this Gut Repair does. Hope it can help you too🤞
sorry - I should have said I bought it in the UK - but I think they sell globally. I think it is created by an Australian and sells well there and is the US
I am taking the Complete Gut Repair and Hormone Harmony. I think there is a quiz you can take and it advises the best product for your symptoms.
5 mins later…
Just went to the site. Ooh. That complete belly reset wasn’t in stock when I bought. I would be tempted by that. I just watched their video. I think either one will help but maybe the Complete Gut Repair x3 or x6 tubs if you can afford it. I really think they have worked out amazing ingredients. I am 8 days in. It took a few days to kick in but for the past 4 mornings I have great loo experiences. Good luck 👍
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