{"id":13483,"date":"2019-05-08T05:50:26","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T05:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=13483"},"modified":"2021-12-16T19:59:41","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T19:59:41","slug":"best-food-sensitivity-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/best-food-sensitivity-test\/","title":{"rendered":"I Took The Best Food Sensitivity Test According to RDs"},"content":{"rendered":"A while back, I tried a few food sensitivity tests<\/a> out of curiosity. The results were mixed, with a traditional prick test showing I had no true food allergies<\/a>, an applied kinesiologist saying I was sensitive to everything<\/em>, and an at-home blood test flagging me as moderately sensitive to brewer’s yeast, lima beans, and malt.\n\nWhen I shared my results at work, our team of dietitians<\/a> was intrigued, but not totally on board with any of the methods I tried. Instead, they feel the MRT\u00ae is the best food sensitivity test.\n

What Is the MRT\u00ae?<\/h2>\nMRT\u00ae stands for Mediator Release Test. This blood test measures your sensitivities to 170 different foods.\n\nYes, it’s a more expensive test\u2014about $400 with my insurance. But after developing some inflammatory symptoms of my own<\/a>, I was ready to invest in figuring out my food sensitivities<\/a> once and for all.\n

Why is it the best food sensitivity test?<\/h2>\nTraditional allergy tests look at something called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE are the antibodies your immune system<\/a> produces when you have an allergic reaction. Meanwhile, popular food sensitivity tests you can take at home look for Immunoglobulin G (IgG) response, another type of antibody.\n\nHowever, it turns out that these routes may not provide the most accurate insights.\n\n“IgG tests quantify how much IgG you’re producing to a specific food, with the assumption that high levels of IgG are a bad thing,” Alex Caspero, MA, RD<\/a>, tells me. “In fact, we don’t know a ton about how these reactions work. But from the research, IgG only plays a minor role in symptoms like GI distress and migraines. Also, IgG testing can’t identify reactions to chemicals like food additives, which is really important in figuring out what’s going on.”\n\nThat’s where the MRT\u00ae test comes in. “MRT\u00ae is an endpoint test,” Alex shares. Instead of just testing for individual antibodies, it measures the change in volume of white cells<\/a>, providing a better read of your immune system’s response to ingredients.\n\n\"MRT\n

How Do You Take The MRT\u00ae?<\/h2>\nYou probably won’t find this test popping up in your Instagram ads anytime soon. Instead, you’ll want to seek out the assistance of a registered dietitian who can guide you through the process. I worked with Sarah Greenfield, RD<\/a>, who helped me order the test from the lab.\n

Schedule an Appointment<\/h3>\nThe first step is to schedule a phlebotomist to come to the office and draw my blood. (You can, of course, schedule them to draw your blood elsewhere if your office is less understanding when it comes to nutritional testing.)\n

Get Potentially Triggering Foods into Your System<\/h3>\n“For this or any type of allergy or food sensitivity testing, you want to expose your body to a potential sensitivity so that the test can register the reaction,” Sarah advises. So the night before, I go to Whole Foods<\/a> to get some foods in my system that I’ve been avoiding.\n\nMy small smorgasbord of potential food sensitivity culprits include the likes of:\n