Does this test diagnose food allergies?

No. The IgA panel does not diagnose IgE-mediated food allergy, which requires specific IgE testing or oral food challenge. It is used to explore non-IgE sensitivities and mucosal immune activation in patients with chronic symptoms where standard allergy testing is negative.

Can this test diagnose coeliac disease?

No. Coeliac disease is diagnosed by tissue transglutaminase IgA and other specific serology, confirmed by duodenal biopsy. The 144 Food Panel includes gluten-containing grains but is not a substitute for coeliac serology.

Should I eliminate every food that shows an elevated IgA?

Not necessarily. Elevated IgA indicates immune activation but does not prove causation. Elimination should be guided by clinical correlation — prioritise foods with high antibody levels that correspond to symptoms, and trial elimination with careful rechallenge and symptom monitoring rather than removing all reactive foods at once.

What if my total IgA is low or absent?

Selective IgA deficiency affects roughly 1 in 300–700 people and renders food-specific IgA testing uninterpretable. If multiple foods show low or absent IgA, total serum IgA should be measured to exclude deficiency before acting on the results.

How should I prepare for the test?

Consume your usual varied diet in the weeks before testing so that antibodies to regularly eaten foods are detectable. Prolonged avoidance of a food may lead to waning antibodies and false-negative results. No fasting is required.

Is food-specific IgA testing accepted by mainstream allergy and gastroenterology societies?

No. Food-specific IgA testing is not included in mainstream allergy or gastroenterology guidelines and is considered exploratory. It is widely used in functional and integrative medicine but lacks large-scale validation and standardisation, so results should inform rather than dictate clinical decisions.

How long does it take to receive results?

Results are typically available 10–14 business days from receipt of the dried blood spot card at the laboratory, plus postal transit time for the kit.

Can I retest after dietary changes?

Yes. Serial testing may be useful to monitor changing antibody patterns after elimination, gut-repair protocols, or reintroduction of foods, though the clinical value of repeat testing is debated and should be balanced against cost and the risk of over-reliance on antibody levels.

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144 Food Panel: IgA

Q: What is the difference between IgA, IgG, and IgE food antibody testing?

IgE antibodies mediate immediate allergic reactions and are the validated marker for true food allergy. IgA antibodies are mucosal and are used in functional medicine to assess non-IgE sensitivities and gut barrier function. IgG antibodies are not recommended by mainstream allergy organisations, as they reflect normal immune exposure rather than pathology.

The 144 Food Panel: IgA measures serum IgA antibodies to 144 food antigens via dried blood spot, used in functional medicine to investigate non-IgE food sensitivities and mucosal immune activation. Results guide elimination diets and are interpreted with clinical correlation; the test is exploratory, not validated for diagnosis, and does not replace standard allergy or coeliac testing.

Biomarkers

Dried blood spot

Sample

10–14 business days

Turnaround

Fasting

What is the 144 Food IgA test?

The 144 Food Panel: IgA measures serum IgA antibodies to 144 individual food antigens using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technology. It is ordered by practitioners working in functional, integrative, and naturopathic medicine to investigate suspected non-IgE food sensitivities in patients with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, systemic inflammation, or conditions attributed to dietary triggers where standard IgE testing and coeliac serology are negative or uninformative. The panel casts a wide net across common and less-common foods — grains, dairy, meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, spices, and additives — to identify patterns of mucosal immune activation. Results guide elimination-rechallenge trials and rotation diets rather than serving as standalone diagnostic criteria; practitioners correlate antibody levels with symptom diaries and clinical response to dietary modification.

What does the 144 Food IgA test measure?

IgA(Food-Specific Immunoglobulin A)

Range: Laboratory-defined thresholds: typically <1.0 AU/mL normal, 1.0–2.0 borderline, >2.0 elevated; exact cut-offs are assay-specific.Optimal: Functional practitioners often interpret results <1.0 AU/mL as negative, 1.0–2.0 as borderline reactivity warranting clinical correlation, and >2.0 as moderate-to-high reactivity. These are assay-defined thresholds, not universal clinical cut-offs.AU/mL / arbitrary units

Immunoglobulin A is the predominant antibody in mucosal secretions, synthesised by plasma cells in the lamina propria of the gastrointestinal tract and transported across the epithelium as secretory IgA. Serum IgA represents a smaller circulating pool that reflects both systemic and mucosal immune responses. When luminal antigens breach the mucosal barrier or are sampled by gut-associated lymphoid tissue, food-specific IgA may be generated as part of the mucosal immune response to repeated exposure.

Food-specific IgA antibodies are interpreted as a marker of mucosal immune activation and intestinal permeability in functional and integrative medicine, where they are used to identify foods that may contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms, inflammation, or systemic complaints. Unlike IgE-mediated allergy, IgA responses are not associated with acute anaphylaxis; they are proposed to reflect delayed or non-IgE immune reactions. The clinical significance of isolated IgA elevation without corresponding symptoms remains contested in mainstream allergy and gastroenterology, and elimination based solely on antibody levels is not standard care.

Why is the 144 Food IgA test ordered?

Patients with chronic unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms (bloating, altered bowel habit, discomfort) in whom coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and infection have been excluded
Investigation of suspected non-IgE food sensitivities contributing to systemic complaints such as fatigue, joint pain, headache, or skin manifestations not explained by standard allergy testing
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome or functional dyspepsia who have not responded adequately to empirical dietary exclusion or FODMAP restriction
Evaluation of suspected intestinal permeability or dysbiosis in the context of autoimmune or inflammatory conditions where dietary triggers are implicated
Guided dietary intervention in patients with multiple chemical sensitivities, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome where food reactivity is considered a contributing factor
Monitoring response to gut-repair protocols or elimination diets, where serial testing may document changing antibody patterns
Patients requesting comprehensive food-sensitivity assessment who prefer a data-driven approach to dietary modification over empirical elimination alone

Sample collection and turnaround

Sample type

Dried blood spot

Fasting required

Collection method

Finger prick

Turnaround

10–14 business days

Collection notes

Patient self-collection using a dried blood spot kit supplied by US BioTek. The patient performs a finger-prick lancet puncture and applies drops of blood to the collection card, which is then air-dried and returned by post. Detailed instructions are included in the kit; the patient should be consuming a normal varied diet in the weeks before collection to ensure that antibodies to regularly eaten foods are detectable.

Specimen requirements

Fully saturated dried blood spots on the collection card; incomplete or insufficient spots may require recollection. The card must be air-dried at room temperature (not in direct sunlight or heat) and returned in the provided envelope within the specified time frame, typically within a few days of collection.

What can affect 144 Food IgA results?

reducesSelective IgA deficiency

Patients with selective IgA deficiency (prevalence approximately 1 in 300–700) will have absent or very low total IgA and correspondingly absent food-specific IgA, rendering the test uninterpretable; total IgA should be checked if deficiency is suspected.

reducesRecent dietary exclusion

Prolonged avoidance of a food may lead to waning of specific IgA antibodies, potentially yielding false-negative results; ideally the patient should be consuming a varied diet in the weeks before testing.

elevatesAcute gastrointestinal infection or inflammation

Acute enteritis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or inflammatory bowel disease can transiently increase mucosal permeability and polyclonal or food-specific IgA production, leading to reactive elevations not reflective of chronic sensitivity.

reducesImmunosuppressive therapy

Corticosteroids, biologics, or other immunosuppressants may blunt antibody production and reduce measured IgA levels, masking true reactivity.

variableCross-reactivity between antigens

Structurally similar proteins (for example within the grass grain family or crustacean shellfish) can lead to cross-reactive IgA responses; clinical correlation and sequential elimination are needed to identify the truly offending food.

variableAssay variability and lack of standardisation

Food-specific IgA assays are not standardised across laboratories, and reference intervals, antibody units, and antigen preparations differ; results from different platforms are not directly comparable, and inter-laboratory variation can be substantial.

What do 144 Food IgA results mean?

Elevated

Moderate-to-high food-specific IgA (typically >2.0 AU/mL, assay-dependent) suggests mucosal immune activation to that antigen, interpreted as potential non-IgE food sensitivity or a marker of increased intestinal permeability. Elevated IgA to multiple foods may reflect widespread gut barrier dysfunction, dysbiosis, or polyclonal activation rather than true reactivity to each individual item. Clinical significance is established by correlating antibody levels with symptom patterns and observing whether targeted elimination produces clinical improvement; an elevated antibody without corresponding symptoms does not mandate exclusion.

Normal

IgA levels below the laboratory's reactive threshold (<1.0 AU/mL in many assays) are interpreted as negative, indicating no significant mucosal immune response to that food. A normal result does not exclude IgE-mediated allergy, coeliac disease, or other food-related pathology, nor does it rule out symptom generation via non-immunological mechanisms (for example enzyme deficiency, FODMAP intolerance, or pharmacological effects).

Reduced

Low or undetectable food-specific IgA is the expected finding for foods to which the patient is not reacting and is considered negative. Uniformly low or absent IgA across all foods should prompt measurement of total serum IgA to exclude selective IgA deficiency.

Note: Food-specific IgA testing is not recognised as a diagnostic standard in mainstream allergy or gastroenterology guidelines and is considered an exploratory tool in functional medicine. Results must be integrated with clinical history, symptom diaries, and response to elimination; antibody levels alone do not establish causation. The test does not diagnose IgE-mediated food allergy, coeliac disease, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease, or lactose intolerance, each of which requires specific testing. Cross-reactivity, assay variability, and the lack of large-scale validation studies mean that results should guide rather than dictate dietary choices, and patients should be counselled that elimination based solely on antibody presence may be overly restrictive. Serial testing and clinical follow-up are often more informative than a single panel.

Frequently asked questions

IgE antibodies mediate immediate allergic reactions and are the validated marker for true food allergy. IgA antibodies are mucosal and are used in functional medicine to assess non-IgE sensitivities and gut barrier function. IgG antibodies are not recommended by mainstream allergy organisations, as they reflect normal immune exposure rather than pathology.

How to access the 144 Food IgA test

The 144 Food IgA reference page is free and open to all practitioners. Create a free practitioner account to see pricing, save tests to your list, and generate requisition forms. Verification takes 1–2 business days.

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About this page

Published: October 7, 2026

Last reviewed: October 7, 2026

References:

Stapel SO, et al. Testing for IgG4 against foods is not recommended as a diagnostic tool: EAACI Task Force Report. Allergy. (2008)
Brostoff J, Gamlin L. Food allergies and food intolerance: the complete guide to their identification and treatment. (2000)
Catassi C, et al. Diagnosis of non-celiac gluten sensitivity: double-blind placebo-controlled rechallenge protocol. Nutrients. (2015)
Wüthrich B. Unproven techniques in allergy diagnosis. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. (2005)
Vojdani A. The characterisation of the repertoire of wheat antigens and peptides involved in the humoral immune responses in patients with gluten sensitivity and Crohn's disease. ISRN Allergy. (2011)

This content is for licensed healthcare practitioners only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical decisions should be based on the full clinical picture and not on any single test result.