Enjoy eating without food intolerances
– Information patients (direct customers) –
Why test?
The 100% personalized Alcat nutrition concept provides many health benefits
Health & fitness
Nutrition directly impacts my health. I wish to optimize my weight, boost metabolism and strengthen the immune system with the best customized diet choices and avoid harmful factors.
Everybody is/eats unique
General diet recommendations work for my friend but not for me. I am looking for a smart and effective individualized approach, because every person is unique and reacts individually to a specific food.
A simple personalized diet
My foods matches my immune system and my diet consists of customized nutrition choices. In this way I support my gut health, unburden the immune system, boost metabolism and avoid foods that could trigger harmful immune reactions.
Who should test?
Areas of application
Alcat Test health benefits
Gut problems, overweight, skin rash? I simply do not feel well and desire to be back in top shape?
The following diseases may be related to chronic inflammation associated with nutrition and diet:
Weak immune system / immune balance
Weakened defence against infections (viruses/bacteria), loss of energy and performance, over a long period of time a lower immune status may promote autoimmune diseases and tumours
Gastrointestinal disorders
Irritable bowel, diarrhoea, constipation, flatulence, inflammatory bowel diseases
Metabolic disorders
Overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid dysfunction
Skin problems
eczema, acne, inflammatory rashes, psoriasis
Joints and intangible complaints
Rheumatism, arthritis, aching limbs
Respiratory complaints
Asthma, recurring sinusitis
Neurological disorders
Migraine, chronic fatigue, depression, unspecific anxiety, ADHS / ADD
scientifically validated sensitivity test
comprehensive selection
patient friendly results
personal service
Differentiation from allergy
There are different types of reactions to food. The terms “allergy”, “intolerance” or “sensitivity / intolerance” are often used synonymously or even incorrectly. The following clarification will provide you with an overview of basic definitions and classifications.
SENSITIVITY (Alcat)
The effects of these inflammatory processes can be wide-ranging: Digestive problems such as diarrhoea, constipation, flatulence, bloating, headaches, migraines, fatigue, skin problems, arthritis, focus and attention problems, severe mood swings, and many more.
In contrast to IgE-mediated allergies the inflammation, caused by sensitivity – the cellular immune defence -, is often milder and subliminal without the cause being identified. Those affected can generally tolerate small amounts of an offending food.
Thus, the Alcat Test is a sensitivity test – a lab test procedure to assess the innate immune cell’s reactions with regard to the immune tolerance of foods, additives, and other substances.
Classical allergy
A classic food allergy (type 1 or immediate type) is an immune reaction mediated by IgE antibodies (immunoglobulin E) and usually occurs IMMEDIATELY and very severely, sometimes life-threatening.
Even tiny amounts can trigger the reaction of the immune system. The immune system attacks a certain protein as if it were a harmful pathogen. The symptoms can be different and include tingling in the mouth, hives, rashes, immediate vomiting, wheezing, oedema – swelling of parts of the body such as the throat, tongue and face. If the allergic reaction is very severe and life-threatening, it is called anaphylaxis.
Once a type 1 allergy has been diagnosed, it is very important to strictly avoid such food, in many cases lifelong!
Intolerance
The word “intolerance” is used to describe symptoms caused by an enzyme deficiency or a transport defect. These are not immune reactions but metabolic dysfunctions.
The best known are lactose intolerance and fructose malabsorption.
In fact, it is not an immune response but the result of insufficient production of digestive enzymes necessary to break down certain food components. In lactose intolerance, the enzyme lactase is not produced in sufficient quantities to digest the milk sugar, lactose. Consequently, the milk cannot be “digested”.
How it works
Target cells as in the defense against infections
A strong and healthy immune system is in balance
We believe that every person has unique nutritional needs and that health care should be based on the ability to provide individually suitable solutions.
The Alcat Test is a blood test that investigates substances related to nutrition for cellular immune system reactions. The Alcat nutritional concept is based on laboratory data and is tailored to your unique immune system. By avoiding potentially inflammatory and therefore burdening foods, you support important physical functions, detoxification and processes to maintain health.
Your immune cells (granulocytes) should be able to effectively defend against infectious pathogens. This basic ability can be compromised by an overloaded or even misdirected immune system.
Video: The basics of the Alcat Test
The Alcat Test may help to unburden the immune system
Studies support the effectiveness of the Alcat Test and that the direct cell defence is a scientifically sound way to investigate immunologically complex, often time-delayed food intolerances.
Cells and chronic inflammation
The Alcat Test is a biological immune cell activation test
Important to understand: The Alcat Test does not diagnose classic food allergy type 1
Granulocytes represent the immune cell population in human blood with 60-85% of circulating leukocytes. A key characteristic of innate cell defense is that it acts non-specifically against invaders or internal molecules. The cells can identify danger molecules, e.g. proteins, fats, carbohydrates, bioactive substances, additives, toxins, etc., which may not be recognized by antibodies (specific immunity). An overactivation of the immune system can lead to chronic inflammation and tissue damage.
The aim of the Alcat dietary concept is to improve the immune balance and to prevent an overactivation of the cellular defense and its pro-inflammatory consequences.
About our lab
Members of our team provide insight into the areas of cell-mediated food/chemical sensitivity, laboratory, clinical application, research and development, test method, quality assurance, interpretation of laboratory test results and ethical aspects.
How does chronic inflammation develop?
Graphic: How is immune cell activation related to my health? (explanatory model)
A – A neutrophil granulocyte in resting state: Granulocytes, the largest subgroup of white blood cells, belong to the innate immune system and fight “dangers” using inflammatory responses. Threats include bacteria, viruses, and other invaders – but also molecules within the body, for example cell debris, cell-free DNA, stress, food, etc. can be interpreted as danger signals.
Everyone knows the effects, it is the principle behind influenza.
B/C – Flattening and swelling of the cell: The immune cells “eat” (phagocytosis) or swell (e.g. degranulation).
D – Bursting of immune cells (pyroptosis/NETosis): Due to the bursting of the cell, the inflammatory cell contents (” combat agents”) including DNA are released and form extracellular traps. These are intended to repel microbes. However, if the immune system is overactivated, misdirected or overloaded, these strong inflammatory reactions can also lead to chronic inflammation cascades and tissue damage, which are associated with many chronic inflammatory diseases. Yale scientists researched the Alcat Test and identified the DNA supernatants released by cell bursting, which are considered a specific internal danger signal.
Cell changes can be measured. The Alcat Test identifies if and which food/additives trigger causes such cell changes (volume, size, number / B-D) that occur with immune cell activation.
FAQs
Is the Alcat Test a food allergy test?
The Alcat Test is NOT a food allergy test. It is designed to test for sensitivities, which have a delayed reaction. Although in common parlance, the terms have been used interchangeably, food allergy and food sensitivity are quite different from one another.
The Alcat Test detects sensitivities and NOT allergies. You should still avoid all items to which you have a known allergy.
Is the Alcat Test a IgG Test?
No. In contrast to IgE, the mediator of classical allergies, primarily type 1, there is currently no evidence that antigen-specific IgG is also an indicator of hypersensitivity of the body to food.
Evidence from multiple studies suggest that elevated IgG levels, especially IgG4, are physiologically natural and an indicator of contact with a substance. However, previous exposure to a food should not be confused with an active inflammatory defence process.
In the context of the corona virus, for example, antibody tests are used to evaluate whether a person has been exposed to the virus and has developed protection.
Is the Alcat Test validated?
The gold standard for identifying food sensitivity is oral provocation. Accordingly, only an
immunological blood test can approach the gold standard, which measures the effect of food substances on precisely those immune parameters that are responsible for the biological effector function. The validation of an in vitro test, such as is the Alcat Test, is divided into an a) analytical and b) clinical validation.
Some of the Alcat Test studies are equivalent to a clinical validation for the diagnosis of sensitivity to foods, additives, and other substances. The analytical validation results both from clinical studies and, in particular, from the authorisations, certificates and patents.
About 45 studies or observational applications are currently available for the Alcat Test, including double-blind studies from independent institutions such as Yale University, Baylor Medical College, Northern Illinois University, Pavia University, University of Camerino and others.
Why use the impedance method?
The measurement technique for the Alcat Test is a specific combination of flow cytometry and impedance methodology. According to the current state of science, it is used to analyze early cellular responses, and is superior to all other available methods for the analysis of cellular responses. Analysis of cellular responses by conventional flow cytometers can miss early adverse cellular responses. We refer to the work of Prof. M. Cooper, a pioneer in labelfree technology for “continuous non-invasive real-time cell monitoring.” (Label-Free Technologies for Drug Discovery, Wiley-Blackwell; Label-free Biosensors: Techniques and Applications. Cambridge University Press).
+++ Disclaimer +++
The Alcat Test is to be understood as a nutritional concept and health consultation of complementary nutritional therapy and is NOT a disease diagnosis or healing method. Nutrition alone is NOT a substitute for careful diagnosis and medical care in case of illness.
The Alcat Test should therefore be carried out in consultation with a healthcare professional in the case of a pre-existing illness. This practitioner can integrate the Alcat Test into the treatment plan in an integrative and compatible manner. However, a healthy diet according to the Alcat principle can easily be used for prevention.
We emphasize that the Alcat Test does NOT measure parameters of the specific immune system, i.e. no antibody levels are measured and it is not an LTT /lymphocyte transformation test, but cell-mediated food-related hypersensitivities are examined, which are mainly mediated by the innate immune system.
Thus, the Alcat Test does NOT diagnose food allergies (type 1/IgE – allergies have to be avoided!) and NO enzymatically caused intolerances to e.g. lactose, fructose or histamine.
It is possible that the innate immune system may be activated at the same time despite existing classical allergy or intolerance and therefore does not exclude cell-mediated pro-inflammatory reactivity as measured by the Alcat Test.
The Alcat Test is NOT an IgG test – we explicitly distance ourselves from antibody tests of IgG class(es).