Bloating, fatigue, skin flare-ups or digestive discomfort after eating can leave anyone wanting a quick answer. Food sensitivity testing is often marketed as that answer, but the terms allergy, intolerance and sensitivity get used interchangeably, and this matters, because it affects which test is actually appropriate. At The Wright Practice, we explain what food sensitivity and gut health testing genuinely measures, and just as importantly, what it cannot diagnose.
A few quick answers before we go into more detail.
These three terms are often used as if they mean the same thing, but they describe genuinely different processes, and getting this right shapes which test actually makes sense for you.
Confusing these terms is one of the most common reasons patients end up with a test that was never going to give them a clear answer.
At The Wright Practice, food sensitivity and gut health testing is built around your symptoms and history first, with laboratory testing used where it genuinely adds useful information.
This sits within our wider allergy, food sensitivity and gut health testing service, which also covers environmental allergy and IBS assessment.
This is the part that matters most, and it’s where honesty pays off for patients. Several popular commercial “food intolerance” tests, particularly those measuring IgG or IgG4 antibodies against dozens or hundreds of foods, are not supported as diagnostic tools by major allergy organisations, including the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
IgG antibodies are a normal part of how the immune system responds to foods you eat regularly. Having a raised IgG level to a food doesn’t mean you’re intolerant to it, and in many cases reflects ordinary exposure rather than a problem. This is why these panels frequently return long lists of “reactive” foods, including common staples that cause no symptoms at all, which can lead to unnecessarily restrictive diets without addressing the underlying cause of symptoms.
Food sensitivity testing also cannot replace a proper assessment for conditions like IBS, coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease, which need their own specific pathways rather than being inferred from a general panel.
A positive result does not always explain your symptoms, and a negative result does not necessarily rule out every possible cause. This is precisely why results at The Wright Practice are never read in isolation.
Every result is reviewed alongside your symptoms, medical history, diet and lifestyle. The goal isn’t simply to flag abnormalities, but to work out which findings are genuinely relevant to what you’re experiencing, and to build a personalised dietary and gut health plan around that, rather than a list of foods to avoid indefinitely.
Your first appointment focuses on understanding your symptoms, their pattern and any factors that seem to trigger them, before any testing is discussed. This history-led approach is what determines whether allergy testing, gut health investigation, nutritional assessment or a combination is genuinely useful for you.
Blood-based allergy and nutritional tests typically return results within five to seven working days, while stool and microbiome testing may take slightly longer. Your clinician will review everything together with you and explain what the findings do, and don’t, mean.
The cost of food sensitivity and gut health testing at The Wright Practice depends on which investigations are appropriate for your symptoms. This typically includes your initial consultation, any laboratory tests recommended, and a follow-up appointment to discuss your results. Book a consultation for a tailored quote based on your specific symptoms.
“A lot of patients arrive having already had a commercial food sensitivity test done privately, often with a long list of foods to avoid,” says Dr Dan Wright. “Our job is to look at that alongside a proper clinical history and work out what’s actually likely to be going on, rather than accepting a lab report at face value. Some findings are genuinely useful; others simply aren’t the right tool for the question being asked, and it’s important patients understand the difference.”
This evidence-based, history-first approach runs across every consultation at our Harley Street clinic, including our wider preventative health and early detection services.
A food allergy involves the immune system and can cause immediate, sometimes serious reactions such as hives or swelling. Food sensitivity is a broader, less precisely defined term for symptoms that seem linked to certain foods without meeting the clinical definition of allergy.
Major allergy bodies, including the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, do not support IgG or IgG4 testing as a way to diagnose food intolerance. Raised IgG levels are a normal response to foods you eat regularly and don’t reliably indicate a problem.
Not on its own. IBS is a functional digestive condition, and while food sensitivity and gut health testing can provide useful context, a proper clinical assessment is needed to identify likely triggers and exclude other causes of your symptoms.
For most blood-based allergy and nutritional tests, no dietary changes are needed beforehand. Your clinician at The Wright Practice will confirm any specific preparation required for the particular tests recommended for you.
Sometimes, but not always. Symptoms like bloating and fatigue can stem from food intolerance, digestive dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies or conditions unrelated to food entirely, which is why a structured clinical assessment matters more than a single test result.
Microbiome testing can offer useful additional information about gut bacteria composition and diversity, though interpretation remains an evolving area of medicine. Results are most useful when reviewed alongside your wider symptom picture rather than in isolation.
Coeliac disease is diagnosed through blood testing for specific markers, and if results are positive or inconclusive, a specialist referral for confirmatory biopsy is required. This is a distinct process from general food sensitivity assessment and shouldn’t be inferred from a broad panel.
If you’ve experienced throat tightening, difficulty breathing or other signs of a severe allergic reaction, seek emergency medical care immediately. For less severe reactions, book a consultation as soon as possible so the likely cause can be properly investigated.
Not automatically. The Wright Practice’s approach focuses on identifying which findings are genuinely relevant to your symptoms, rather than generating a broad avoidance list, since unnecessary restriction can affect nutrition and quality of life without addressing the real cause.
Blood-based allergy and nutritional tests typically return results within five to seven working days. Stool and microbiome testing can take slightly longer due to laboratory processing. Your clinician will review everything with you in a follow-up appointment.
Understanding what food sensitivity testing can and cannot tell you is the first step to getting a useful answer, not just a long list of foods to avoid. Book a consultation with The Wright Practice today to talk through the right assessment for your symptoms.
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