Weight Loss News and Current Events - Are Hidden Food Allergies Making You Fat?

Interesting article by Jonny Bowden. Patients unable to achieve goal weight loss just by cutting calories were significantly aided in their attempts when they avoided foods that had been shown by a unique lab test to excite their immune response, according to a new study from Dubai.

http://www.jonnybowden.com/blogger.html

Thanks for the info.

It's interesting that they are saying that they didn't just budge of their plateau, they lost 3 pounds a week for 12 weeks, on average. But, there's absolutely no information on methods and validity or other stats; or even any citation to the actual study.

THIS. IS. JUNK. SCIENCE.
There is no scientific evidence that the ALCAT test is useful for diagnosing allergies and relying upon the results of this test may lead to inappropriate advice and treatments .
Official position statements assessing the test as unproven and opposing the clinical use of the test have been issued by the Allergy Society of South Africa, Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, and the American Academy of Allergy. Several studies have shown that the ALCAT test lacks clinical efficacy and should not be used to guide therapeutic decisions.
These are peer reviewed scientific journals.
Please read this concerning how to detect quack medicine, specifically with respect to allergy diagnosis:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/allergytests.html
IN PARTICULAR:
The correct way to assess a suspected food allergy or intolerance is to begin with a careful record of food intake and symptoms over a period of several weeks. Symptoms such as swollen lips or eyes, hives, or skin rash may be allergy-related, particularly if they occur within a few minutes (up to two hours) after eating. Diarrhea may be related to a food intolerance. Vague symptoms such as dizziness, weakness, or fatigue are not food-related. The history-taking procedure should note the suspected foods, the amounts consumed, the length of time between ingestion and symptoms, whether there is a consistent pattern of symptoms after the food is consumed, and several other factors. Although nearly any food can cause an allergic reaction, a few foods account for about 90% of reactions. Among adults these foods are peanuts, nuts, fish, and shellfish. Among children, they are egg, milk, peanuts, soy, and wheat.

Please don't be fooled!
Kira

Figures do lie, and liars do figure. One of the 3FC'rs once said, "We are all a laboratory of one." It's my opinion, but there's a whole lot out there that science hasn't yet found a way to categorize, so they deem it "rubbish" and "junk science." Look at this so-called "evidence-based health care" they want to ramrod ... no, let's not get started on how well governments run programs! There's plenty of studies that show that low-level wheat and gluten sensitivities (and other high-allergen foods) cause chronic inflammation. Most of the diet programs that have been written by doctors start out with a 3 week phase that eliminates most of the high-allergen foods. I don't know the specifics of the ALCAT test ... but I do know that if a test tells me to avoid something, and I do, and then I feel better ... I got further ahead than by trying to singly eliminate foods for weeks at a time and subjectively guess about their missing effects.

Hey, for $200 bucks, I'll design a test for you! I'll send it to a lab (my Golden Lab, that is) and I can TELL you to avoid what the lab says you should avoid!!

The key here is CRITICAL THINKING. Not all tests are valid. Not all tests are useful. I'm not sure WHY you would accept the results of ANY lab test that you don't understand the specifics of such as the ALCAT. I am my own best gatekeeper when it comes to the medical system and you better BELIEVE that I know the specifics of each and every test I take so I can make informed, appropriate decisions!
And it is a shame to see so many people suckered into things because some guy in a lab coat wants some money through preying on the "well, it IS a test so it MUST be right and I MUST do what the TEST says" mentality...


JMHO

Kira

I suppose that if you were to a) infer from the article that the maker of the ALCAT test did it specifically to prey on the unknowing, and that b) Stephen Barrett actually has the credentials to make judgments, you could be right. Personally, I think that there are such an overwhelming number of factors that make weight loss a unique proposition for each person, that it's worth an attempt to figure out what are the "red X's" that result in the desired output.