Could blood tests be employed to test for food allergy?

Could blood tests be employed to test for food allergy?

Yes, in general you can test for food allergies with a blood test.

An immunologist or respiratory physician with an interest in allergies could help you. Agree with axptguy, blood tests can reveal some allergies e.g coeliac disease

Many laboratories performing non-validated blood tests claim that these tests can be used to identify food intolerance. Such tests typically test for dozens or even hundreds of foods using crude methods such as ELISA. Food intolerance is not a diagnosis, rather an umbrella term for any condition that produces symptoms due to food ingestion. Food allergy, for example, is a form of food intolerance. Other examples include enzyme deficiencies that can lead to indigestion or malabsorption of certain nutrients, pharmacological effects of food chemicals such as caffeine etc.


Since none of these conditions, with the exception of food allergy, involve food-specific antibodies, antibody blood tests have no role in making diagnosis. Any laboratory that claims that a blood test can be used to diagnose food intolerance is committing healthcare fraud.


Reference: http://allergy-hongkong.blogspot.com/2011/03/allergy-blood-tests.html