As there are several different kinds of food sensitivity tests, some food sensitivity tests are more reliable than others. Moreover, the results of food sensitivity tests should also be compared with your own experience eating the particular foods being tested. With that being said, some common and reliable food sensitivity tests include the following: • Antibody-based tests • Cell-based tests, including the mediator release test (MRT) and antigen leukocyte cellular antibody test (ALCAT) • Challenge tests • Elimination diets In general, challenge tests and elimination diets are considered the gold standard for accurately diagnosing food sensitivities, while the reliability of antibody and cell-based tests is still being researched. Challenge tests involve giving a patient a controlled amount of a particular food in a safe environment to evaluate any immune or allergic reaction to the food, while elimination diets involve removing certain foods one by one from a patient’s diet to see if their symptoms improve. Antibody and cell-based tests involve a blood draw from the patient’s arm and laboratory analysis of the blood sample to determine if the patient has any food sensitivities. If you come to Piniella Asthma + Allergy for a food sensitivity test, one of our allergist/immunologists can go over your food sensitivity test results with you to help you get a firm grasp of how to interpret them and move forward with your diet given the results of the test.