Diet has a huge impact on health: those mood swings, lack of concentration or lethargy could be the result of your child overindulging in their favourite sweet treat, but if he or she regularly suffers from these symptoms or headaches, stomach pains or bloating after eating, a food intolerance could be responsible.
YorkTest, Europe’s largest provider of food intolerance† programmes, has launched FoodScan Junior. Developed for children between the ages of 2 and 18, it involves a simple finger-prick blood test that can be carried out in the comfort of the home. The sample of blood is then posted back to the YorkTest Laboratory in a pre-paid envelope to be analysed for IgG antibodies in the blood, which are produced as a defence against foods causing a reaction. A total of 113 ingredients are tested and the kit also includes a daily food and drinks diary, plus two consultations with a Nutritional Therapist who will offer support and knowledge to help you replace your child’s trigger foods with balanced alternatives.
Benefits of FoodScan Junior
A food intolerance is the body’s delayed reaction to problem foods and often manifests in a range of problems, yet symptoms may occur between two hours and up to three days later, so it is hard to know what is responsible. Doctors often recommend an elimination diet, which involves cutting out one food at a time over a few weeks to see if symptoms improve, but this can be laborious and you could risk depriving your child of essential nutrients. FoodScan Junior can pinpoint precisely which foods are causing high levels of IgG antibodies in the blood, thus identifying which ones to remove.
Available from 3rd April, FoodScan Junior costs £250 and includes:
- Expert laboratory testing and analysis
- Convenient home to laboratory testing service
- Free return post to our laboratory
- Money-back promise – if no reactions are identified YorkTest will refund you £225 (available when you purchase the complete programme at the RRP)
- Convenient mail order service – no need to visit our laboratory
- Expert testing and analysis of IgG antibody reactions to 113 foods
- 2 x 30-minute telephone consultations with one of our BANT* registered Nutritional Therapists
Please note: if you are concerned about any symptoms your child is experiencing, you should always visit your GP first to rule out any serious underlying medical condition.
† Food intolerance defined as a food-specific IgG reaction
*British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy
What to expect from the FoodScan Junior programme
The YorkTest FoodScan Junior kit contains all you need to take a small blood sample (2-3 drops) in the comfort of your own home. Simply return your child’s sample in the pre-paid envelope provided to our York laboratories for expert analysis. Your child’s confidential results and additional support material will be posted to you within 10 days.
When you have received your child’s results and are ready, you can contact us to book your appointments with one of our BANT-registered Nutritional Therapists. These half hour sessions will provide you with support and knowledge to assist you in your child’s new diet, ensuring you are confident about the changes you can make to improve their health and wellbeing.
Raised levels of food-specific IgG antibodies within your child’s blood indicate that an IgG antibody reaction to a particular food or foods has occurred. If you have already taken the decision to eliminate a particular food or foods from your child’s diet they may not show up a reaction on their results. If you know of foods that cause your child to feel unwell, do not allow them to start eating them; we do not encourage your child to eat a food or foods which you already know are a problem to them.
FoodScan Junior does not provide information about coeliac disease, enzyme deficiencies such as lactose intolerance, IgE-mediated allergies, histamine sensitivity or other chemical sensitivities such as reactions to sulphites, tannins or tyramine. FoodScan Junior is only recommended for children aged 2-18 who have food intolerance symptoms and who have already been checked out by a doctor.
YorkTest – Helping identify your personal food fingerprint
About YorkTest
YorkTest Laboratories have more than 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*.
Dr Gill Hart, Scientific Director at YorkTest, is a leading UK Biochemist and a media-friendly expert on food intolerance. She is a credible and respected authority on a range of related issues including use of diagnostic testing, biochemistry of satiety, appetite and weight loss, IBS and digestive health, nutrition and mental health, fertility, diabetes testing, inflammatory markers and vitamin D.
Dr Hart is available for interview/commentary upon request. Case studies of YorkTest customers are also available.
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
* Survey commissioned by Allergy UK and further analysed by the University of York: Originally published as Hardman, G. and Hart, G. Dietary advice based on food-specific IgG results. Nutrition and Food Science (2007) 37, 16-23
Testing Options
FirstStep Test – initial positive/negative result for food intolerance
Full Programme Tests – 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.
