ALCAT food intolerance testing - accurate? weight loss? (vegetables, food allergy, supplements)

[Deja Vu Again]

I really have not food intolerances that I am aware of but I decided to do an ALCAT test which tests blood for food intolerances. I was SHOCKED at what I saw. There is a difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. They give you a chart with red, orange, yellow, green.

Red being foods that you should eliminate for 6 months to allow your body to heal from the rejection factor. I had Acorn squash, chicken, lamb, oat, pork, shrimp, yellow squash, strawberry, tuna, turmeric, turnip and wheat.

I have a moderate reaction to
Beef, cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, chicken liver, flounder, pecan, rice, sardine, sesame, sweet potato and veal.

Mild tolerance (yellow), anchovy, artichoke, banana, corn, coffee, cucumber, turkey and the list is so long it practically ran off the page!!!!

I also have a moderate intolerance to Barley, Mail, Rye, Spelt, Cows Milk, Goat's milk and sheep milk!!!!!

The whole thing is so overwhelming that when you see what I CAN eat, it's not much. Oh, Eggs aren't a problem. gee. They even tested me for molds, meds etc but I won't get into that one as it's not as serious as the food issue. LOL.

So there are A LOT of critics to this test and I have read some very damning articles from credible sources. Allergy association etc. I try to read and make sure who has an agenda with what and whom. You know how it goes.

To cure all this you go on a rotation diet. So, you stop eating the red and orange category foods for awhile and rotate the yellow in with the green every four days. Then you slowly bring back the offending foods to allow your body to "heal"....

I'm going to give it a try... I mean, it can't hurt to see how I feel anyway.

My question is... has ANYONE done this? Is this quackery? ALCAT does claim that you will lose weight due to removing offending foods and thereby reducing inflammation in the body...

Opinions?

I also posted this in the general wellness forums as it sort of falls into that plus the weight loss as they claim on their site.

[AnonChick]

According to wikipedia and the resources linked at the bottom of the wiki article...
the only people who DO consider the ALCAT testing to be valid, are the people who sell ALCAT testing.

Everyone else who has studied it, says it's unproven, unsound, the tests done to prove its efficiency were all UNcontrolled UNblinded, and furthermore, that people who do consider it to be valid and use it as evidence of problems, can harm themselves when they try to modify their diet according to the test results.

In short - it's a fraud.

[Deja Vu Again]

I tend to agree with you Anon... I'm leaning on the more skeptical side. What I want to know is HOW they come up with the results in the first place. I literally cannot eat 90 percent of the normal human diet. I'm talking about healthy foods. There is no way I can be severely intolerant to that many foods... moderately intolerant and mild... it's like 70 things!!!! WTF?

I do tend to agree with the wheat thing mainly because of how I feel when I don't eat it. Also, wheat intolerance is a proved condition. I think some people may have issues processing it. Not everyone.. just some... I do need to cut out wheat.. but my goat milk? My cheese... I DON'T THINK SO!!!

[AnonChick]

If you have an actual wheat intolerance, more appropriate testing will confirm it. I had a blood test from a naturopath - the blood had to be mailed to some company...it came back with the conclusion that I'm *severely* allergic to wheat, eggs, and dairy. I'm also supposedly severely allergic to asparagus, moderately allergic to beef liver, peas, and a few dozen other things - and mildly allergic to about a hundred things, most of which I've never even heard of, let alone wanted to eat.

Then, I checked out the test itself. Turns out, it confirms that EVERYONE who takes it, is deathly allergic to wheat, eggs, and dairy. And for the lovely sum of $600, you can get a three-month supply of supplements that will cleanse your system while you wean off those three things.

Scam, scam, scam.

I -am- allergic to dairy. Not severely - and it's not lactose intolerance. It's an allergy to a certain enzyme in cow's milk. I'm not at all allergic to goat's milk or sheep's milk, or cheeses made from either. I'm not even remotely allergic to wheat and in fact it's my favorite carb. Eggs - the smell of boiled eggs grosses me out, I'm overly sensitive to the stench of sulphur. And the smell of raw eggs, sometimes makes me cringe. But I love omelets and have zero side effects when I consume them.

[Deja Vu Again]

yeah I would think anything that gives you a negative effect then tells you to buy something to fix it seems to be scammy. I should do the gluten test but I have heard that it is extremely inaccurate (the regular one you get at your docs) I just eliminate it and seems to have less bloating and clearer thinking.... but maybe it's just placebo.

[AnonChick]

A good way to check that gluten problem before getting actual doctor tests, is to eliminate all sources of gluten -completely- for a week. Then, try adding just a little, during one meal, a week later (like, one slice of italian bread). Note how you're feeling for 24 hours after that meal. If you're not feeling much of a change, or any change at all, try another little bit of it 2 days after that. No change? Try double that amount, 2 days later. (two slices of italian bread, or one slice of whole wheat bread, or half a bowl of wheaties).

Pay attention to your stomach's sensations. Pay also attention to your toilet activity... and whether or nor you're belching more, and how you're feeling altogether (unusually lethargic, unusually energetic, or just however you normally feel). Also, pay attention to your level of patience. This might be an odd one for you. But note whether or not you're feeling more irritable, mentally. If normal, mundane things are frustrating you more that day.

Any/all of these things could be symptoms that whatever you're eating, isn't the most appropriate option. And if the only thingthat's changing in what you're eating is the inclusion of bread, you probably have your culprit in gluten, and THAT would certainly indicate a trip to the doctor for testing.

[sonia tolgyesi]

I am a dr with arthritis and food allergies. The alcat test gave me false results. The elisa test was better. According to elisa I am allergic to cheese. I stopped it for a week then ate a big chunk and had my usual arthritis attack lasting for a week. A pure vegetarian diet especially raw eliminates the arthritis. My name is Sonia Tolgyesi and You can quote me.

[tribecavsbrowns]

Pro athletes are getting into this. David Ortiz got it done, that's why he's so much leaner this year (he's hitting the crap out of the ball, too).

My hunch is if you have the money and a certain obsessive drive for optimal performance, this thing could definitely help.

[Kung pao]

This is interesting I had a scratch test at the allergist many years before the ALCAT, The scratch test indicated I was deathly allergic to wheat. My arm , where they did the scratch test was swollen up like a big bee sting I could hardly bend my arm.I'm deathly allergic to wheat, So I stopped eating it. Well 15 years later, I was serioulsy ill and the doctors were stumped ...so they did a whole range of tests one was the ALCAT. Well I was shocked when almonds showed up on the SEVERE INTOLERNANCE list because I was eating almonds maybe 4-5 times weekly. I'm a vegatarian I was a vegan but my ND dr suggested I must eat some eggs in the least 3-4 times a week. Anyhow, Severe intolerance to almonds, asparagas, cabbage, cashews, clam and plum, The next list is the moderate intolerance I won't list the entire list but the scratch test and the ALCAT both test indicates i was moderately allergic to onions bell pepper, potatoes, and tomatoes ( nightshade vegetables) so there is some similarities. I've always thought the scratch test is the most accurate just because I saw what happen to me. I think the AlCAT is 87% accurate ...
I've read that the very thing you crave is the very thing your allergic too! I notice the scratch test at the allergist had a different number of things I was allergic too than the ALCAT. In fact ALCAT did not list wheat on any on the lists . My MD said that is because I haven't eaten it for so long that the body is not reacting to it..hmmm,. The best test allergy test ever is just to take your resting heart rate, and when you eat something and your heart rate has increased then you are allergic to whatever you ate say you ate pizza well it could be the cheese , or the wheat flour crust, the yeast or the toppings. I did this test to check almonds ... in fact my heart rate did go up after ingesting almonds. So it is important to get allergy tested . Eating foods your allergic to drains your body of it's precious energy, creates inflammation which is linked to all kinds of serious diseases, and it also compromises your immunity, making your more susceptible to whole host of other illnesses, and it can also causes you to age faster Eating foods your allergic to is like owning a car that can never turn off....so think about what that could do your body if it can never turn off to heal itself.

[Kung pao]

ALCAT also failed to mention that I was allergic to dairy which I have a reaction to after 10 minutes of eating it I start cough up mucous so I really think the scratch test is the way to go, never do a scratch test at home just in case you have an allergic reaction the doctors office have all the equipment oxygen steriod shot etc... to save your life ! I'm going to ask my dr to carry and EPIPEN just in case I have an allergy reaction to something and cannot make it to the hospital in time. Allergies can also be caused by out of wack biochemistry, say you;ve been on meds to long or sick for too long if or you've had super bad health habits. Then meet with an nutrionist ND