Testing For Food Allergies

List of Food Allergy Tests to Avoid

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) says in its food allergy guidelines for physicians that the following tests are not recognized or recommended. According to the expert panel who developed the guidelines, these tests are “non-standardized and unproven procedures” for evaluating true (IgE-mediated) food allergy:

• Basophil histamine release/activation
• Lymphocyte stimulation
• Facial thermography
• Gastric juice analysis
• Endoscopic allergen provocation
• Hair analysis
• Applied kinesiology
• Provocation neutralization
• Allergen-specific IgG4
• Cytotoxicity assays
• Electrodermal test (Vega)
• Mediator release assay (LEAP diet)