Am considering getting a DIY food intolerance test. I seem to have developed so many bad reactions to foods since being on levo.
Can't decide which one to go for though. Don't feel I need a nutritionist to oversee it or anything. Just would like to have some confirmation of foods to avoid.
But how personal are these tests, or do they just state the obvious things that I could figure out for myself with a bit of googling and trial and error?
Would appreciate hearing from anyone whose had this done.
Presumably you have autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s?
Assuming you’re not already on gluten free or dairy free diet…..Request GP test for coeliac disease and lactose intolerance
A trial of strictly gluten free diet is always worth doing
Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential
Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too. Approx 50-60% find dairy free beneficial
While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first
How much levothyroxine are you currently taking
What are your most recent thyroid and vitamin results
Thank you for your comment. Yes, autoimmune, on 75mcg/100mcg levo and apart from food intolreances I'm happy with this dose.
GP tested for coeliac, which was negative. I know that's not conclusive though. I don't want to trial gluten free until I'm sure it's likely to be helpful. I'm aware that cutting such foods out of diet for any significant time can also trigger an intolerance of itself. That's why I'm looking at getting food intolerance testing and am asking if anyone else has useful expereince of this.
I only posted the gut microbiome test last Month and there's a 25-30 Day Turnaround.Turnaround.
The GI mapping test was collected on Monday by DHL. I await results.
Maybe have a look at the GI mapping test on Smart Nutrition website and you'll find out Everything it covers.
Maybe check out the gut microbiome test from Blue Horizon Medicals to find out what it covers/entails to see if you're interested in it/either.
I was conversing with a Scientist Dr Eduardo Patrick from Brazil and it was him that pointed me in the right direction e.g what tests I need to carry out for x y z Good Luck 🤞😊
Hi there, I would avoid personally unless it's a lactose or gluten test from a GP or gastroenterologist. The usual home tests won't tell you anything you can't figure out just from an elimination diet and how you feel (e.g. keeping a food diary), which is really the only fool-proof way to tell if a particular food isn't agreeing with you (obviously talking about intolerance here and not allergies - as SlowDragon says, celiac panel is worth doing if not already).
There's no evidence at all that the IgG blood tests, for example, actually detect intolerances or give any meaningful information (they just detect things that have been in your system recently, which can even just be from cross-contamination). This has been proven, but unfortunately, it's a good money maker, and there's enough of a chance effect that some people will find relief from removing something from their diet.
If you feel you're reacting to a lot of foods, as SlowDragon suggests, gluten and dairy are the obvious starting points to try removing one at a time. Failing that, it's worth investigating SIBO (sometimes GP will know what this is and do a test, sometimes not). SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) seems to be very common among people with hypothyroidism because of years of slow transit/constipation etc. Treatment for that is a combination of low FODMAP and either antibiotics or herbal antimicrobials, and specific probiotics. Removing offending foods alone (again not talking about gluten or dairy as relating to Hashimoto's) won't necessarily solve the root problem and can lead to more deficiencies, so it's worth trying to see what's actually going on and improving gut health overall with probiotics etc. Gut microbiome testing can give you a good idea as well.
Worth noting as well that histamine intolerance can cause digestive problems and strange reactions (e.g. tachycardia, flushing/hives, diarrhoea). Also seems to be a link with Hashimoto's, but really everything is connected, especially when it comes to the gut.
What you've said about the intolerance tests it shwta I always used to think. But as elimintaing one thing at a time, whilst not introducing anything new either, is so tedious, I thought it might be worth it and that they may be better these days.
Yeah I know - I was the same and thought it would be a magic bullet, which unfortunately is rarely the case for anything, booo. I've had some improvement addressing suspected SIBO and also have histamine intolerance. It's an absolute pain as you say, working out what's OK and what isn't. It can help to have meals with few ingredients for a week or two (so, one or two types of vegetables, fairly plain protein, white rice), and then it's easier to spot things that give a reaction. I'm now just trying to focus on getting properly medicated for Hashi's and building up gut health. S. Boulardii is a probiotic strain that seems to be well tolerated and useful for lots of people with IBS or SIBO because it both kills off overgrowth and supports bacterial diversity.
I did this one Complete Intolerance Test (159 foods and drinks covered) a few years ago to help pinpoint the villains and it was really useful and annoyingly accurate!
My personal experience is that a food intolerance test is not a magic bullet but is nevertheless worth doing. When , like me, yeast is one intolerance, no elimination diet will , or ever did pinpoint the problems. This is in about all processed foods. One of my food intolerances is brazil nuts, the highest food source of selenium. I eventually tested selenium twice, and it has been key to working out why I am hypothyroid, and the genetic mutations causing it. The hypothyroidism is a consequence of enzyme deficiencies. I have up-regulated selenium, as one of many consequences to this. Had I not made the connection it is doubtful I would have spent the money twice to test selenium. Knowing selenium is up-regulated is the only way I would have been alerted to these mutations which can present as a hypermobility syndrome, as well as leaky gut, and multi system and organ problems. It causes the thyroid to go hypo, you lose vit b12 too quickly etc, etc.
I did the York Food Intolerance test, but the others suggested may be better or not as good. The York one will pick up intolerance to any foods on their test- list eaten within the last 6 weeks. If you do an intolerance test, try to eat a bit of everything on their test -list in the 6 week period before you test.
My food intolerance test showed I was borderline for milk. This is for the protein in milk which is casein. I also have results for a neurometabolic genetic gene panel. I was looking the other night at them and looked up the XDH mutations. I have 3 double mutations from both parents for XDH, and 1 mutation from 1 parent. Although marked as benign , I believe that it might be the case that double mutations may mean they are 30% efficient, and single mutations might be 70% efficient, rather than 100%. If I remember correctly , the XDH mutation is to do with an enzyme needed to deal with cacoa, tea, aribica coffee, and theobromine which is often in cola , energy drinks, and possibly carbonated drinks. Milk and white chocolate is much worse than dark. Think it might be for milk too. For the life of me I can't find it again! I did find that it affects the kidneys and is to do with uric acid, and susceptability to formation of kidney and uric stones.
Anyway, my point is, before I wandered off at a tangent, that the food intolerance tests use the proteins in food for the test. Due to the above, I think the test might be picking up genetic enzyme deficiences.
I did a sensitivity check about 6 months ago by sending some follicles of hair to ‘simplysensitivitychecks.com’.It shows which foods you are reactive to by a traffic light system. Since then i have been trying to eliminate those i am highly reactive to. Mostly mine was all dairy… i have also been taking a combined pre/probiotic supplement daily which has really helped. Worth taking a look at their website.
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