MRT food sensitivity testing is a way for people with food sensitivities to identify specific foods that are causing food-related symptoms and chronic health problems. Read on to learn more about, who should consider MRT testing, what MRT food sensitivity testing is and what differentiates it from other food sensitivity tests, and how it may be beneficial to you. I also explain the difference between a food allergy, intolerance, and sensitivity.
Who should consider the MRT Test?
Food sensitivities can cause a range of symptoms and illnesses, including:
Skin issues
Asthma
Mood disorders - ADD/ADHD
Brain fog
Digestive disorders
Acid reflux and heartburn
Leaky gut
Chronic Fatigue
Arthritis
Hives
Migraines and headaches
Sinus tension or cluster headaches
Sinusitis
Stubborn weight loss
Inflammatory conditions
You can see, this list includes many common issues people are suffering with today and have no idea that adverse food reactions are a key underlying component. Testing is the only way to determine which foods are driving the issues and symptoms.
Do you deal with some or many of the symptoms listed above?
Digestive disturbance, reflux, bloating, brain fog, chronic inflammation? Do you wonder or suspect you have a food sensitivity?
Medical Research has shown that foods and food additives can be involved in a wide array of painful symptoms and chronic health problems. Sadly, many of the symptoms these food sensitivities cause are not recognized in conventional medicine and are often treated with a medication. In the end, whatever medication(s) you take will ultimately fail because they only mask the symptoms. They don’t get to the root of the underlying cause of the symptoms. And as is too often the case, many medications have side effects that can lead to other health problems.
What is a food sensitivity test?
Food sensitivity tests identify specific foods or food chemicals that cause inflammatory responses within the body. When our body encounters one of these foods or chemicals, our immune system triggers the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals, known as “mediators,” that can cause adverse or unpleasant symptoms.
What is the MRT Test?
The MRT (Mediator Release Test) is considered the highest standard of food sensitivity tests currently available. The MRT is a simple, patented blood test that identifies our body’s reactions to 140 foods and 30 food chemicals by measuring the number of mediators released and the subsequent changes in white blood cells.
In this way, the MRT test can identify which items cause an inflammatory response in your body. Substances are then designated as highly reactive (red), moderately reactive (yellow), low reactive or non-reactive (green).
The Benefits of MRT Testing and How It Can Jumpstart Your Journey
The most common blood test used to help identify sensitive foods is the ELISA IgG, which can detect a single type of sensitivity reaction - Type 3, which covers only 25% of reactions. IgG testing does not identify reactions to food-chemicals, which means this type of testing will not provide an entire picture of potential food sensitivities.
MRT (Mediator Release Test) accounts for both Type 3 and Type 4 pathways. A blinded peer-reviewed scientific study showed MRT to have the highest level of accuracy of any food sensitivity blood test on the market.
Food and food-chemical sensitivities have clinical characteristics that make it very challenging to identify trigger foods. For example, symptom manifestation can be delayed up to 72 hours and/or may be dose-dependent. This means we may not feel the effects of a reaction until many hours or days after we’ve eaten the reactive foods, or unless we eat too much of a specific food because these reactions can be dose dependent. Often, the foods that are causing these reactions are healthy everyday foods that we would not suspect, like salmon, chicken, spinach, blueberries … any “healthy” food can be reactive.
MRT directly measures a wide range of diet-induced sensitivity pathways and how our bodies are responding to 140 different foods and 30 food chemicals. It also identifies the best foods to consume, which helps to provide the basis of the MRT nutrition protocol.
MRT can serve as your jump-start to improved wellbeing and systemic balance. With the results from MRT, you will be able to identify your triggers to begin a path with a systematic process in determining your optimal diet.
While MRT can identify inflammatory foods and chemicals that underlie many issues, it’s particularly powerful with these conditions:
IBS symptoms
Migraines
Fibromyalgia
Muscle aches
Fatigue
Eczema and dermatitis
This is because mediator release causes both local GI and systemic symptoms, which is what is occurring in cases of IBS. There is local inflammation and smooth muscle contraction which can result in diarrhea, cramping, and a lowered pain threshold.
With migraines, there are changes in blood flow, including vasoconstriction or vasodilation, inflammation and pain receptor activation that results in headaches.
Other systemic issues caused by mediator release include fibromyalgia, muscle aches, fatigue, and skin issues like eczema and dermatitis.
Are Food Sensitivities and Food Allergies the Same Thing?
No, food sensitivities differ from food allergies and food intolerances in several ways.
Food allergies:
Directly involve the immune system
Occur when the body produces Immunoglobulin E (IgE) – antibodies produced by the body's immune system – in response to a food, which triggers the release of histamine and proinflammatory compounds
Result in an anaphylactic, potentially life-threatening response
Occur quickly, typically within minutes to hours
Examples include allergies to peanuts and shellfish
Food intolerances:
Do not involve the immune system
The body cannot properly process or digest specific foods
An example is lactose intolerance
Food sensitivities:
Involve the immune system, like food allergies, but through different pathways
Pro-inflammatory chemicals called “mediators” are released into the bloodstream in response to specific foods or chemicals, resulting in uncomfortable symptoms
Delayed or dose-dependent response
Examples include soy, corn, eggs and gluten
To find out if food sensitivities are a part of your lingering health problems,
or for more information on MRT food sensitivity testing,
contact marnie@whatishealth.net
or call 978-835-1733.
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