Is There a Best At-Home Food Sensitivity Test? A Dietitian Explains

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Most medical experts agree that at-home food sensitivity tests are not worth your money. Instead, consider taking an at-home food allergy test or meeting with a doctor or registered dietitian to identify the cause of your unwanted symptoms.

Many people experience food sensitivities, which are immune responses to specific foods that can worsen or trigger a wide range of symptoms ( 1 ).

Long wait times are often cited as a downfall of universal healthcare systems, but wait times in America have reached a new high, too. The average time to make a physician appointment as a new patient in 15 major U.S. cities is now 24 days, up 30% in just 3 years (2014 to 2018) according to physician recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins.

Though many types of at-home tests claim to help identify food sensitivities, most experts agree that these tests aren’t reliable and should not be recommended.

In this article, we discuss what food sensitivities are, why at-home testing kits are not worth your money, and what to do instead if you suspect you have a food sensitivity.

We’ll also discuss signs that may indicate a food allergy rather than a sensitivity and provide options for at-home food allergy testing.

For people who suspect that they may have mild food allergies, an at-home food allergy test can be a convenient first step in identifying potentially problematic foods.

Here is a quick look at our picks of the best at-home food allergy tests:

• Everlywell Food Allergy Test
• Labcorp Food Allergy Test
• Quest Diagnostics Food Allergy Test Panel

A food sensitivity occurs when your immune system reacts to a specific food. This can cause a variety of adverse symptoms.

Food sensitivities are believed to result from an immune reaction driven by antibodies such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin A (IgA), along with other cell-mediated reactions in the body ( 1 ).

Food sensitivities are not life threatening but can cause unpleasant symptoms.

For example, research has linked non-celiac gluten sensitivity — a food sensitivity triggered by a type of protein found in wheat, barley, and rye — to symptoms such as bloating, stomach pain, brain fog, depression, and skin inflammation ( 2 ).

Though more studies on food sensitivities are necessary, research suggests that some people may be sensitive to certain foods or substances, including nightshade vegetables and lectins. Lectins are a type of proteins found in many plant foods, such as legumes ( 3 , 4 ).

Food sensitivity vs. allergy vs. intolerance

Despite sometimes being used interchangeably, the terms “food sensitivity,” “food allergy,” and “food intolerance” are not the same.

Here is the basic definition of each:

• Food sensitivity: This is an immune response to a specific food. While more research is needed, it’s thought that food sensitivities are driven by the production of antibodies and other cell-mediated reactions in the body. The symptoms are not life threatening ( 1 ).
• Food allergy: This is a type of immune response triggered by the proteins found in a specific food. Many, though not all, food allergies are mediated by increased production of an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). Symptoms can be life threatening ( 5 , 6 ).
• Food intolerance: This occurs when your body cannot digest a specific food. This reaction does not involve the immune system. Instead, it can happen if your body lacks certain enzymes that are necessary to break down that food ( 7 ).

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Food sensitivity tests typically check how your immune system responds to different types of food.

A food sensitivity is driven by cell-mediated reactions and antibodies such as IgG, IgM, and IgA, while an allergic reaction is often caused by IgE ( 8 ).

Many at-home food sensitivity tests claim their tests can help you find out which foods are triggering symptoms like gas and bloating.

Some companies also market their food sensitivity tests as a way to help determine how your body may respond to certain ingredients or nutrients.

However, as we’ll discuss next, at-home tests are currently not reliable indicators of food sensitivities and cannot diagnose specific food sensitivities.

Many at-home food sensitivity tests measure your body’s immune response to a variety of foods by testing the levels of certain antibodies in your blood, such as IgG and IgG4, after you’re exposed to various food antigens ( 1 ).

However, there’s limited evidence supporting using these tests. What’s more, many of the studies that companies cite to support using these tests are outdated or have been published in nonreputable journals.

“Most at-home tests and even tests done in laboratories for food sensitivity have not been studied in a scientifically rigorous way,” explained Dr. David D. Clarke, board certified gastroenterologist and president of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association.

Additionally, some studies suggest that the presence of these antibodies may not be an accurate or reliable marker of food sensitivity, especially because many other antibodies and cell-mediated reactions may also be involved in food sensitivities ( 8 , 9 ).

Multiple organizations, including the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), have advised against using these tests to diagnose food sensitivities ( 10 , 11, 12).

Some tests claim to help you understand how your body may respond to certain foods based on factors like your genetic background. However, the research surrounding genetic testing and food allergies and sensitivities is also quite limited ( 13 ).

Overall, more reliable testing methods are necessary before at-home testing kits can be recommended to diagnose food sensitivities.

Other concerns surrounding at-home food sensitivity tests

Because at-home food sensitivity tests may or may not be accurate, they are associated with several risks, including (14, 15):

• unnecessary elimination of foods from your diet
• inadequate intake of important nutrients
• development or worsening of disordered eating behaviors

Notably, food sensitivity tests are not a replacement for a personalized care plan from a registered dietitian or gastroenterologist.

The field of food sensitivity testing is constantly evolving, and new research is emerging regularly. It is possible that more accurate at-home food sensitivity testing methods may become available in the future.

Elimination diets can be overly restrictive and lead to disordered eating behaviors

Food sensitivity tests cannot address other possible health concerns that a health professional would. And trying certain treatment methods — such as elimination diets — on your own may be harmful.

This is because elimination diets can be very restrictive, often requiring you to exclude multiple food groups, many of which are highly nutritious.

“One of the biggest risks of eliminating foods without the appropriate support (and oftentimes even under the supervision of a professional) is the anxiety and fear that develops around reintroducing foods, which can snowball into disordered eating, obsession, and orthorexia,” said Aleta Storch, registered dietitian and founder of Wise Heart Nutrition.

Storch recommends consulting a healthcare professional before attempting an elimination diet. A healthcare professional can provide recommendations to prevent nutrient deficiencies and guide you as you reintroduce foods to your diet.