Eosinophilic Esophagitis & Food Allergies
Do you have heartburn, difficulty swallowing where it feels like a lump in your throat, dryness in your esophagus where food gets stuck sometimes, and occasional pressure in your upper abdomen or under your breast bone? If you find yourself saying “yes” to those constellations of symptoms, you might want to ask your doctor for an endoscopy to see if you have Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
What exactly is Eosinophilic Esophagitis?
Currently on a rapid rise in the United States, Eosinophilic Esophagitis was once considered rare, but is actually more common than many clinicians realize. The prevalence appears to be increasing in both children and adults. It’s a chronic immune system disease where the eosinophil builds up in the lining of the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach (the esophagus). This buildup, which is typically a reaction to foods, allergens or acid reflux, can inflame or injure the esophageal tissue. That damaged esophageal tissue can then lead to difficulty swallowing or cause food to get stuck when you swallow – like having asthma but directly in your esophagus.
Doerfler, a member of the Functional Bowel and Neurogastromotility Team at Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, is a prominent advocate for diet-based management of eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) and other allergic and inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions. “Diet therapy works in EoE. Multidisciplinary care will improve patient outcomes,” she told IHS attendees during the yearly conference. “Eosinophils should be in the bloodstream. But they can migrate into the soft tissue of the esophagus and sometimes the stomach as well. They ramp up inflammatory pathways and wreak havoc,” explained Doerfler, at the IHS. “Eosinophils fight off foreign invaders, but that process often goes awry. In addition to eosinophilic forms of asthma, there are also eosinophilic GI disorders and EoE is one of them.”
If you’re wondering what type of foods you may be sensitive to, consider the KBMO Food Sensitivity Test to determine if you or your child has developed food sensitivities or a condition called leaky gut, which promulgates sensitivities or full allergies to food that you were once able to enjoy.
What is FIT?
The Food Inflammation Test (FIT) was created by Brent Dorval, Ph. D, who was involved in the creation of the first HIV/AIDS rapid diagnostic assay.
FIT uses unique methods that detect both IgG antibody, and Immune Complexes together, the most common food-related pathways, to determine the reactivity of each sample against a wide variety of food antigens. It also allows us to view inflammation and gut permeability all from one test!
These tests measure your sensitivity to foods, colorings, and additives, spanning all major food groups. You can click the image to the right for a comprehensive list of foods that are tested.
Why Choose FIT Test?
There are four basic types of food sensitivity tests:
- The FIT Test is the most sensitive test on the market because it is the only test that simultaneously measures the analytes IgG (1-4) plus Complement (C3d) bound to immune complexes (IC) which results in a test that generates two signals: one signal for the IgG 1-4) plus one signal for the IC-C3d.
- Other tests that measure only IgG (1-4) generate only one signal compared to the FIT Test which generates two signals. These IgG only tests are less sensitive than the FIT Test.
- Tests that measure only IgG4 generate only one signal compared to the FIT Test which generates two signals. These IgG only tests are less sensitive than the FIT Test. In addition, IgG4 is not an indication of sensitivity but rather an indication of tolerance to foods. Tolerance occurs because IgG4 blocks the reactivity of food antigens so that the body does not produce inflammation.
- There are two types of cellular tests that measure the reaction of white blood cells to food antigens. White blood cells are isolated from the patient’s serum and added to a small well with food antigens. In the first cellular test, the cells increase in size and the claim is that an increase in cell size indicates a positive reaction to a given food. In the second cellular test, the cells decrease in size and the claim is that a decrease in size and increase in extracellular volume indicates a positive reaction to a given food. It is not certain if either test is correct. Cellular tests are very hard to reproduce, and it is not clear that the results are actually measuring anything related to food sensitivity. Neither of these tests actually measures an analyte but rather a phenomenon
So what does all this mean? It means FIT is a more sensitive test, helping us provide you with a more accurate diagnosis with fewer false positives overall. The main advantage the fit test offers, is that it screens for IgG types 1-4 (most IgG testing’s only looks at 1-2 types), and more importantly, screens for something called “complement”. When it comes to generating inflammation, complement is even more important than the level of IgG response a food.
In other words, you might have 10 or more foods with a significant IgG reaction, but the ones with the complements are thrones that are significant in terms of boosting your inflammatory response. Knowing this information confirms which foods are most important to eliminate, instead of having a list of 40 foods to avoid!
Are you interested in more information on how a FIT test could be beneficial to you?
Contact us HERE at Waters Edge Wellness to find out more.
Do you have heartburn, difficulty swallowing where it feels like a lump in your throat, dryness in your esophagus where food gets stuck sometimes, and pressure in your occasional upper abdomen or under your breast bone? If you find yourself saying “yes” to those constellations of symptoms, you might want to ask your doctor for an endoscopy to see if you have Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
What exactly is Eosinophilic Esophagitis?
Currently on a rapid rise in the United States, Eosinophilic Esophagitis was once considered rare, but is actually more common than many clinicians realize. The prevalence appears to be increasing in both children and adults. It’s a chronic immune system disease where the eosinophil builds up in the lining of the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach (the esophagus). This buildup, which is typically a reaction to foods, allergens or acid reflux, can inflame or injure the esophageal tissue. That damaged esophageal tissue can then lead to difficulty swallowing or cause food to get stuck when you swallow – like having asthma but directly in your esophagus.
Doerfler, a member of the Functional Bowel and Neurogastromotility Team at Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, is a prominent advocate for diet-based management of eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) and other allergic and inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions. “Diet therapy works in EoE. Multidisciplinary care will improve patient outcomes,” she told IHS attendees during the yearly conference. “Eosinophils should be in the bloodstream. But they can migrate into the soft tissue of the esophagus and sometimes the stomach as well. They ramp up inflammatory pathways and wreak havoc,” explained Doerfler, at the IHS. “Eosinophils fight off foreign invaders, but that process often goes awry. In addition to eosinophilic forms of asthma, there are also eosinophilic GI disorders and EoE is one of them.”
If you’re wondering what type of foods you may be sensitive to, consider the KBMO Food Sensitivity Test to determine if you or your child has developed food sensitivities or a condition called leaky gut, which promulgates sensitivities or full allergies to food that you were once able to enjoy.
What is FIT?
The Food Inflammation Test (FIT) was created by Brent Dorval, Ph. D, who was involved in the creation of the first HIV/AIDS rapid diagnostic assay.
FIT uses unique methods that detect both IgG antibody, and Immune Complexes together, the most common food-related pathways, to determine the reactivity of each sample against a wide variety of food antigens. It also allows us to view inflammation and gut permeability all from one test!
These tests measure your sensitivity to foods, colorings, and additives, spanning all major food groups. You can click the image below for a comprehensive list of foods that are tested.
Why Choose FIT Test?
There are four basic types of food sensitivity tests:
- The FIT Test is the most sensitive test on the market because it is the only test that simultaneously measures the analytes IgG (1-4) plus Complement (C3d) bound to immune complexes (IC) which results in a test that generates two signals: one signal for the IgG 1-4) plus one signal for the IC-C3d.
- Other tests that measure only IgG (1-4) generate only one signal compared to the FIT Test which generates two signals. These IgG only tests are less sensitive than the FIT Test.
- Tests that measure only IgG4 generate only one signal compared to the FIT Test which generates two signals. These IgG only tests are less sensitive than the FIT Test. In addition, IgG4 is not an indication of sensitivity but rather an indication of tolerance to foods. Tolerance occurs because IgG4 blocks the reactivity of food antigens so that the body does not produce inflammation.
- There are two types of cellular tests that measure the reaction of white blood cells to food antigens. White blood cells are isolated from the patient’s serum and added to a small well with food antigens. In the first cellular test, the cells increase in size and the claim is that an increase in cell size indicates a positive reaction to a given food. In the second cellular test, the cells decrease in size and the claim is that a decrease in size and increase in extracellular volume indicates a positive reaction to a given food. It is not certain if either test is correct. Cellular tests are very hard to reproduce, and it is not clear that the results are actually measuring anything related to food sensitivity. Neither of these tests actually measures an analyte but rather a phenomenon
So what does all this mean? It means FIT is a more sensitive test, helping us provide you with a more accurate diagnosis with fewer false positives overall. The main advantage the fit test offers, is that it screens for IgG types 1-4 (most IgG testing’s only looks at 1-2 types), and more importantly, screens for something called “complement”. When it comes to generating inflammation, complement is even more important than the level of IgG response a food.
In other words, you might have 10 or more foods with a significant IgG reaction, but the ones with the complements are thrones that are significant in terms of boosting your inflammatory response. Knowing this information confirms which foods are most important to eliminate, instead of having a list of 40 foods to avoid!
Are you interested in more information on how
a FIT test could be beneficial to you?
Contact us HERE at Waters Edge Wellness to find out more.
Do you have heartburn, difficulty swallowing where it feels like a lump in your throat, dryness in your esophagus where food gets stuck sometimes, and pressure in your occasional upper abdomen or under your breast bone? If you find yourself saying “yes” to those constellations of symptoms, you might want to ask your doctor for an endoscopy to see if you have Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
What exactly is Eosinophilic Esophagitis?
Currently on a rapid rise in the United States, Eosinophilic Esophagitis was once considered rare, but is actually more common than many clinicians realize. The prevalence appears to be increasing in both children and adults. It’s a chronic immune system disease where the eosinophil builds up in the lining of the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach (the esophagus). This buildup, which is typically a reaction to foods, allergens or acid reflux, can inflame or injure the esophageal tissue. That damaged esophageal tissue can then lead to difficulty swallowing or cause food to get stuck when you swallow – like having asthma but directly in your esophagus.
Doerfler, a member of the Functional Bowel and Neurogastromotility Team at Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, is a prominent advocate for diet-based management of eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) and other allergic and inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions. “Diet therapy works in EoE. Multidisciplinary care will improve patient outcomes,” she told IHS attendees during the yearly conference. “Eosinophils should be in the bloodstream. But they can migrate into the soft tissue of the esophagus and sometimes the stomach as well. They ramp up inflammatory pathways and wreak havoc,” explained Doerfler, at the IHS. “Eosinophils fight off foreign invaders, but that process often goes awry. In addition to eosinophilic forms of asthma, there are also eosinophilic GI disorders and EoE is one of them.”
If you’re wondering what type of foods you may be sensitive to, consider the KBMO Food Sensitivity Test to determine if you or your child has developed food sensitivities or a condition called leaky gut, which promulgates sensitivities or full allergies to food that you were once able to enjoy.
What is FIT?
The Food Inflammation Test (FIT) was created by Brent Dorval, Ph. D, who was involved in the creation of the first HIV/AIDS rapid diagnostic assay.
FIT uses unique methods that detect both IgG antibody, and Immune Complexes together, the most common food-related pathways, to determine the reactivity of each sample against a wide variety of food antigens. It also allows us to view inflammation and gut permeability all from one test!
These tests measure your sensitivity to foods, colorings, and additives, spanning all major food groups.
You can click the image below for a comprehensive list of foods that are tested.
Why Choose FIT Test?
There are four basic types of food sensitivity tests:
- The FIT Test is the most sensitive test on the market because it is the only test that simultaneously measures the analytes IgG (1-4) plus Complement (C3d) bound to immune complexes (IC) which results in a test that generates two signals: one signal for the IgG 1-4) plus one signal for the IC-C3d.
- Other tests that measure only IgG (1-4) generate only one signal compared to the FIT Test which generates two signals. These IgG only tests are less sensitive than the FIT Test.
- Tests that measure only IgG4 generate only one signal compared to the FIT Test which generates two signals. These IgG only tests are less sensitive than the FIT Test. In addition, IgG4 is not an indication of sensitivity but rather an indication of tolerance to foods. Tolerance occurs because IgG4 blocks the reactivity of food antigens so that the body does not produce inflammation.
- There are two types of cellular tests that measure the reaction of white blood cells to food antigens. White blood cells are isolated from the patient’s serum and added to a small well with food antigens. In the first cellular test, the cells increase in size and the claim is that an increase in cell size indicates a positive reaction to a given food. In the second cellular test, the cells decrease in size and the claim is that a decrease in size and increase in extracellular volume indicates a positive reaction to a given food. It is not certain if either test is correct. Cellular tests are very hard to reproduce, and it is not clear that the results are actually measuring anything related to food sensitivity. Neither of these tests actually measures an analyte but rather a phenomenon
So what does all this mean? It means FIT is a more sensitive test, helping us provide you with a more accurate diagnosis with fewer false positives overall. The main advantage the fit test offers, is that it screens for IgG types 1-4 (most IgG testing’s only looks at 1-2 types), and more importantly, screens for something called “complement”. When it comes to generating inflammation, complement is even more important than the level of IgG response a food.
In other words, you might have 10 or more foods with a significant IgG reaction, but the ones with the complements are thrones that are significant in terms of boosting your inflammatory response. Knowing this information confirms which foods are most important to eliminate, instead of having a list of 40 foods to avoid!