Hi,
I have been trying to find a simple explanation to the various immunoglobulin tests, and what they can tell us. Is this a correct summary?
IgG: Antibodies produced in the blood, fighting an infection
IgA: Antibodies produced in the gut, to prevent virus and bacteria from penetrating the mucosa of the gut
IgE: Antibodies produced in the blood, when we are allergic to something
My blood tests back in 2013:
Banana S-IgG 110.20* < 0.35
Almonds S-IgG 0.44* <0.35
Broccoli S-IgG 6.69* <0.35
Mais/corn S-IgG 0.54* <0.35
Lemon S-IgG 19.82* <0.35
Do these results mean that I must avoid these foods forever?
When do we measure IgA and IgE antibodies?
Lilia
IgA, IgG, IgE - What do they tell us?
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IgA, IgG, IgE - What do they tell us?
Collagenous Colitis diagnosis in 2010
Psoriasis in 1973, symptom free in 2014
GF, CF and SF free since April, 2013
Psoriasis in 1973, symptom free in 2014
GF, CF and SF free since April, 2013
Hi Lilia,
Basically, your descriptions are correct. Here is my interpretation of those three immunoglobulins:
IgE antibodies are produced in response to antigens which our adaptive immune system perceives as foreign invaders, and it has "learned/established" a reaction protocol for attacking future exposures to those antigens. IgE antibodies have very short half-lives — usually a few hours or less. These antibodies cause very rapid responses (usually in the 10—20 minute range, but can be even shorter), and after their level rapidly builds to a peak, it typically begins to decline after about an hour.
IgG antibodies are produced in response to a "mature" or chronic IgE reaction. IOW, if IgE reactions to a certain antigen continue to be triggered on a regularly repeated (chronic) schedule, due to continued or frequently-repeated exposure to the antigen, then IgG antibodies are produced. IgG antibodies have much longer half-lives, usually in the range of from slightly over 2 weeks to slightly less than a month.
IgA antibodies are produced in the intestines in response to certain peptides resulting from the digestion (or attempted digestion) of certain proteins. Peptides are intermediate digestion stages between the complete molecule of a protein and individual amino acids. IOW, peptides are short amino acid chains. Theoretically, yes, IgA antibodies are intended to protect against pathogenic invaders. But as we know, under certain conditions they do the equivalent of screaming "FIRE" in a crowded theater by attacking peptides that should not normally be a threat to absorption in the gut. The reason why these peptides are perceived as a threat is because a normal mucosa can easily exclude them from absorption, but when leaky gut (increased intestinal permeability) is present, the tight junctions open wide enough for these peptides to slip through into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body, to be deposited in various organs where they cause the symptoms of arthritis, brain fog, etc.
So while many in the medical profession (especially those who do not understand the implications of a leaky gut) may view the production of IgA antibodies as a corrupt response of the immune system, the truth is that the immune system is simply doing it's job (the only way it knows how) to try to prevent those peptides from entering the bloodstream. Unfortunately it has no way to destroy the peptides, so it cannot actually prevent them from being absorbed. IgA antibodies tend to have half lives in the 5–6 day range for most foods/peptides, but the half-life of anti-gliadin antibodies (from gluten exposure) is 120 days.
The response to IgA antibodies is much slower than IgE antibodies, and usually takes at least 5 or 6 hours, but can take days. IgA antibodies have much longer half-lives (as I mentioned above), and the longer we are exposed to an antigen, the higher our antibody level becomes, so they can be detected in stool for many days (even after we begin to avoid the food that causes them).
To be honest, I view most blood tests used to detect allergies as useful for discovering skin sensitivities to those antigens, and little more. For most of us, they have little or no influence on what happens in our gut. I know that I'm allergic to a lot of plants, because if their leaves or stems contact my skin, I develop a rash or large angry red weals. But they don't bother me at all if I eat them. So I would be very surprised if any of those foods bother you after you have been in remission for a while.
Ideally, the time to measure IgE antibodies is within a couple of hours or so after the reaction begins, because IgE antibody levels normally peak in about an hour and after that the levels continue to decline. But there might still be detectable levels in the blood for up to a day or so afterward. I would guess that the way those blood tests work is by taking small samples of your blood and exposing them individually to known antigens from the respective foods, to see if that results in any reactions. At least I believe that's the way such tests usually work.
IgA antibodies can usually be accurately and reliably detected by the EnteroLab tests for at least 2 or 3 months after the food is cut out of our diet. The higher our antibody level (IOW, the longer we have been reacting to that food) the longer the antibodies can still be detected. Gluten (anti-gliadin) antibodies can usually be detected for up to 2 years after we stop eating gluten, and they can always be reliably detected for up to a year after we stop eating gluten. By comparison, the blood tests can only detect anti-gliadin antibodies in the blood if there is extensive accumulated damage to the small intestine, and gluten has not been removed from the diet for more than a month or so (again, depending on antibody levels).
As far as I am aware, the results of antibody tests are always reported in relative numbers (relative to normal levels), with all of those tests. Most blood tests involve their own patented process, and the process varies from one to another. The EnteroLab tests are based on standard ELISA tests, and the results are also relative to a statistical pattern. IOW, there is no known practical way to measure actual antibody counts that I'm aware of, but maybe someone else is aware of a way to do that.
At least those are my strictly unprofessional impressions, FWIW.
Tex
Basically, your descriptions are correct. Here is my interpretation of those three immunoglobulins:
IgE antibodies are produced in response to antigens which our adaptive immune system perceives as foreign invaders, and it has "learned/established" a reaction protocol for attacking future exposures to those antigens. IgE antibodies have very short half-lives — usually a few hours or less. These antibodies cause very rapid responses (usually in the 10—20 minute range, but can be even shorter), and after their level rapidly builds to a peak, it typically begins to decline after about an hour.
IgG antibodies are produced in response to a "mature" or chronic IgE reaction. IOW, if IgE reactions to a certain antigen continue to be triggered on a regularly repeated (chronic) schedule, due to continued or frequently-repeated exposure to the antigen, then IgG antibodies are produced. IgG antibodies have much longer half-lives, usually in the range of from slightly over 2 weeks to slightly less than a month.
IgA antibodies are produced in the intestines in response to certain peptides resulting from the digestion (or attempted digestion) of certain proteins. Peptides are intermediate digestion stages between the complete molecule of a protein and individual amino acids. IOW, peptides are short amino acid chains. Theoretically, yes, IgA antibodies are intended to protect against pathogenic invaders. But as we know, under certain conditions they do the equivalent of screaming "FIRE" in a crowded theater by attacking peptides that should not normally be a threat to absorption in the gut. The reason why these peptides are perceived as a threat is because a normal mucosa can easily exclude them from absorption, but when leaky gut (increased intestinal permeability) is present, the tight junctions open wide enough for these peptides to slip through into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body, to be deposited in various organs where they cause the symptoms of arthritis, brain fog, etc.
So while many in the medical profession (especially those who do not understand the implications of a leaky gut) may view the production of IgA antibodies as a corrupt response of the immune system, the truth is that the immune system is simply doing it's job (the only way it knows how) to try to prevent those peptides from entering the bloodstream. Unfortunately it has no way to destroy the peptides, so it cannot actually prevent them from being absorbed. IgA antibodies tend to have half lives in the 5–6 day range for most foods/peptides, but the half-life of anti-gliadin antibodies (from gluten exposure) is 120 days.
The response to IgA antibodies is much slower than IgE antibodies, and usually takes at least 5 or 6 hours, but can take days. IgA antibodies have much longer half-lives (as I mentioned above), and the longer we are exposed to an antigen, the higher our antibody level becomes, so they can be detected in stool for many days (even after we begin to avoid the food that causes them).
To be honest, I view most blood tests used to detect allergies as useful for discovering skin sensitivities to those antigens, and little more. For most of us, they have little or no influence on what happens in our gut. I know that I'm allergic to a lot of plants, because if their leaves or stems contact my skin, I develop a rash or large angry red weals. But they don't bother me at all if I eat them. So I would be very surprised if any of those foods bother you after you have been in remission for a while.
Ideally, the time to measure IgE antibodies is within a couple of hours or so after the reaction begins, because IgE antibody levels normally peak in about an hour and after that the levels continue to decline. But there might still be detectable levels in the blood for up to a day or so afterward. I would guess that the way those blood tests work is by taking small samples of your blood and exposing them individually to known antigens from the respective foods, to see if that results in any reactions. At least I believe that's the way such tests usually work.
IgA antibodies can usually be accurately and reliably detected by the EnteroLab tests for at least 2 or 3 months after the food is cut out of our diet. The higher our antibody level (IOW, the longer we have been reacting to that food) the longer the antibodies can still be detected. Gluten (anti-gliadin) antibodies can usually be detected for up to 2 years after we stop eating gluten, and they can always be reliably detected for up to a year after we stop eating gluten. By comparison, the blood tests can only detect anti-gliadin antibodies in the blood if there is extensive accumulated damage to the small intestine, and gluten has not been removed from the diet for more than a month or so (again, depending on antibody levels).
As far as I am aware, the results of antibody tests are always reported in relative numbers (relative to normal levels), with all of those tests. Most blood tests involve their own patented process, and the process varies from one to another. The EnteroLab tests are based on standard ELISA tests, and the results are also relative to a statistical pattern. IOW, there is no known practical way to measure actual antibody counts that I'm aware of, but maybe someone else is aware of a way to do that.
At least those are my strictly unprofessional impressions, FWIW.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Lilja, I'm surprised that you seem to have rised IgG levels to almost the same foods as me, although some of your titers are much higher.
The medical mainstream seems recently to have agreed on a nomenclature for gluten related diseases:
1) Celiac disease. Villous athrophy (Marsh 3). In persons with normal total IgA levels about 90 % of celiacs with Marsh 3 will test positive for Tissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG), IgA class.
2) Wheat
The medical mainstream seems recently to have agreed on a nomenclature for gluten related diseases:
1) Celiac disease. Villous athrophy (Marsh 3). In persons with normal total IgA levels about 90 % of celiacs with Marsh 3 will test positive for Tissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG), IgA class.
2) Wheat
Life's hard and then you die