April is IBS Awareness Month, so don’t suffer in silence >> Identifying your food fingerprint with YorkTest Laboratories easy to use postal test kit and action those changes ! >> www.yorktest.com
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Painful, distressing and emotionally challenging, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) has a serious impact on a person’s quality of life causing uncomfortable, embarrassing symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, excessive wind and stomach cramps. It can also have a deep psychological impact, leading to anxiety and depression.
Even though it affects one in six people in the UK and between 9 and 23 per cent of the population worldwide, many people feel reluctant to talk about the condition. IBS Awareness Month, which runs throughout April, is a worldwide campaign that aims to help reduce the stigma and focus attention on the importance of diagnosis, treatment and support for those affected.
Identifying your food fingerprint
Symptoms of IBS can be managed with lifestyle and dietary changes. Certain foods are known to stimulate gut reactions, but a diet suitable for one person may not help another as every individual has his or her own triggers. Many people try a food diary or cutting out certain foods, but it can be hard to ascertain what is causing a reaction.
One way is to test for IgG antibodies in the blood – your body produces the antibody as a defence against certain foods that may not agree with you. A food-specific IgG test, such as the YorkTest IBS Diet Programme, is designed for IBS sufferers and can pinpoint what your body is reacting to. It involves a simple finger prick blood test carried out at home that analyses reactions to 158 foods and drinks.
In the largest study of its kind, Allergy UK commissioned a retrospective postal survey of 5236 customers, who had elevated food specific IgG levels and had purchased a YorkTest food-specific IgG-guided diet programme. 3,626 stated that they had followed the diet rigorously and 76% of those reported improvement in their condition. Patients with gastroenterological or psychological illness showed the greatest improvements and the results were noticeably better again in those with several different symptoms. 92% of those who had followed the dietary changes rigorously and responded positively, reported a deterioration in symptoms after reintroduction of the implicated foods showing that this is a specific and targeted approach. A subset of data from the study were further analysed which identified 777 out of 3026 subjects self-reporting to have IBS. 84% of these reported improvement in their condition following the food-specific IgG-guided elimination diet.
IBS case studies available.
+ Food intolerance defined as a food-specific IgG reaction
YorkTest – Helping identify your personal food fingerprint
About YorkTest
YorkTest Laboratories have over 35 years of excellence in laboratory diagnostic testing, and are Europe’s leading provider of food and drink specific IgG antibody testing programmes.
The expert team at YorkTest are passionate about offering health screening services that can support wellbeing, underpinned by the principle that each person’s digestive sensitivities are unique to them. Endorsed by medical professionals, such as GP Dr Hilary Jones and elite sports players, YorkTest tests measure food-specific IgG antibodies to help pinpoint food triggers that may be affecting an individual’s health and lifestyle.
Beginning with the FirstStep Test and using a simple finger-prick blood sample taken at home, YorkTest’s qualified scientists measure food-specific IgG antibody reactions from its accredited UK laboratory. If IgG reactions are found, then clients can choose from a range of full programme tests which include colour coded results, alongside a 12 week food diary and guidebook, including help and advice about nutrition and optimising your diet.
For those selecting one of the full testing programmes, expert aftercare is provided by BANT[1] -registered Nutritional Therapists who provide guidance on an individual’s ‘food fingerprint’ – advising on nutritional optimisation and how to safely remove ingredients, whilst ensuring a healthy balanced diet.
Three out of four people who undertook one of the full testing programmes, and tested positive for IgG reactions, reported an improvement in wellbeing after embarking upon their elimination diet, and for 68% this was within three weeks*.
Keep updated on YorkTest via the website: www.yorktest.com, which includes blog posts about food intolerance issues, key trigger foods and diet management advice. Follow YorkTest via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@yorktest_uk).
[1] British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy
*Hardman and Hart, Nutrition and Food Science (2007)
Testing Options
FirstStep Test – initial positive/negative result for food intolerance
Full Programme Tests (4 options available) – test for reactions to 158 food and drink ingredients, including full colour-coded results, 12-week food diary and guidebook, and expert nutritional support from BANT Registered Nutritional Therapist.
Find out more at :- www.yorktest.com
