First time link / food intolerance and illness

[harvest_table]

In a six-month long study, people with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were tested for IgG-mediated food intolerances and were shown to have clinically significant food intolerances, at significantly higher levels than controls.

Initiating a diet free of food intolerances leads to better control of these diseases and many other chronic illnesses.

Here I re-print the entire story:

First-time link between food intolerance and illness

Researchers from University College London have found compelling evidence for the first time to link food intolerances and serious illness. A six-month programme has shown potential links with foodstuffs and Crohn's Disease, and ulcerative colitis.

The discovery could prompt an entire rethink in the medical profession across a range of conditions, from irritable bowel syndrome to migraine. To date, patient reports of intolerances have largely been seen as 'in the mind', and discounted.

At UCL, researchers worked with three specific groups of patients - one with Crohn's Disease (28 patients), a second with ulcerative colitis (25), and a control group with a benign coincidental thyroid lump (24). Each was asked in advance which of 113 foods they felt gave them a bad reaction, and specifically whether that reaction was a gut reaction or non-gut one.

Then, over the six months, each had their blood tested for individual intolerances of the 113 foodstuffs through Yorktest Laboratories, measuring levels of IgG antibodies.

In the control group, most people were found to have few intolerances; in the disease groups there was a much higher frequency.

Specific findings included:

* Those with Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis were typically found to be intolerant to three or more foodstuffs.
* Ulcerative colitis subjects most commonly reported sensitivity to peanut (29 per cent of UC subjects versus 13 per cent of control), cashew (25 per cent versus 13 per cent), lentils and broccoli (19/4), hazelnut and brazil nuts (19/13), chilli (19/8).
* These [Crohn's?]subjects most commonly reported sensitivity to chilli (44/8), wheat (40/8), milk (36/8), kidney and haricot beans(both 24/0), coffee and onions (20/4) and oranges (20/0).

Dr. Anton Emmanuel from UCL said: "The results were compelling. If there had been no link, one would have expected the results to be 50/50 - i.e. random chance association between (i) patients with objective measure of food sensitivity and (ii) subjective report of food sensitivity.

"For years, GPs - indeed most of the medical community - have perceived food intolerances as being largely in the mind, and this is probably the first research project to demonstrate that they could well be wrong. Indeed this
points to what could be a direct link between food intolerance and patient
symptoms."

The researchers are planning further experiments to investigate whether IgG antibodies can predict foods that provoke disease on a double blind placebo controlled food challenge - and conversely, whether specific food avoidances based on antibody results might be worthwhile.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/

http://mednauseum.blogspot.com/2007/07/ ... rohns.html

Joanna

[JLH]

Thanks for all your great research.............

[tex]

Joanna,

Good find. I tried to locate the original article at UCL, but didn't have any luck. The date of this blog was apparently July 12, 2007, but when I went to the news archives at UCL for July 2007, it told me there was nothing there. Somebody must have purged their database, or else their server wasn't working correctly.

Anyway, I don't know what your reaction to finding this article was, but mine was "Duh!" Isn't it amazing how long it took some organization to actually investigate the food issue for those IBDs, and what's really incredible, is how they seem to feel that they have made a revolutionary discovery. No reflection on the researchers at UCL, (good for them, for finally doing it), but IMO, this is just more evidence that the medical profession as a whole, is still in the dark ages. Until they somehow overcome their almost universal closed-mindedness, (and specifically, their general refusal to actually listen to their patients), they will almost surely remain in the dark ages.

Progress seems to be so pathetically slow in the medical world. The more I learn, the more disappointed I become, about the attitude and knowledge structure of the medical profession, in general. If those guys were in any other business, they wouldn't be able to survive, would they.

Thanks,
Tex

[harvest_table]

Anyway, I don't know what your reaction to finding this article was, but mine was "Duh!"

Tex, that's pretty much sums up how I felt too, but was grateful at least/last to see something out there in print. I agree, progress seems so slow in the medical community especially in light of the experiences we discover and discuss with other members here and of coarse, what we each learn during our own recovery process.

I couldn't find the original article either- I believe I posted it awhile back on the main message board and thought it would be less likely to be lost here.

I'm so thankful I found you all at the time of my CC DX. What a ride, huh?

Love,
Joanna

[harvest_table]

Thanks for all your great research.............

Your welcome and thank you Joan!

Love,
Joanna