ALCAT Testing:
A second type of food intolerance testing is the ALCAT (Antigen Leukocyte Cellular Antibody Test). In this test, white blood cell responses, rather than an IgG response, to a particular food are recorded.
“The lab is looking to see which foods trigger a white blood cell response, and then it is graded in terms of severity,“ said Craig Koniver, M.D., an organic doctor in Charleston, SC.
Koniver, who has used IgG testing in the past, said that he finds the ALCAT, offered through Cell Science Systems, to clinically correlate better.
Koniver has numerous accounts of patients eliminating a seemingly innocuous food, such as garlic or olives, and totally reversing their nagging health problems. Along with the results, a meal plan with the foods ideal for you is included.
A number of studies, including a recent study at Yale University, have been done concluding the validity of this immune response to food antigens.
One of the biggest criticisms of this test is the argument that it is not reproducible. Different results are given when duplicate samples are analyzed blindly, and the results “don’t correlate with those from conventional testing,” according to the Australasian Clinical Immunology and Allergy Society,
Lipman said he used to use the test in his office but felt that the results were not reliable.
Cost: Because it’s considered investigational by many insurance plans, it’s typically not covered. The ALCAT can cost anywhere from about $200 to upwards of $500, depending on how many foods are tested. Included in the cost is a meal plan with approved foods.
Where to get tested: You can visit the lab’s patient portal for more information on finding a practitioner or for more information on how to get your blood drawn for the test.
