Some popular tests for food allergies are a waste of time and money and could even end up damaging the health of those who undergo them, according to Which?.
Four researchers took “alternative” tests ranging in price from £48 to £275. The tests routinely failed to detect a severe peanut allergy in one researcher and an intolerance to lactose in another but suggested a total of 183 intolerances. Medical tests confirmed the correct diagnoses.
The alternative methods included blood tests for an antibody called IgG and a test measuring fluctuations in “electromagnetic fields”. Which? said that IgG blood analyses by YorkTest Laboratories and Cambridge Nutritional Sciences produced differing results.
The two companies disputed the findings.
Neil Fowler, the magazine’s editor, said: “A severe allergy can be life-threatening, so it’s no surprise that people want to find out if they should avoid certain foods. Some companies are playing on these fears to sell expensive intolerance tests that are not medically proven.”
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