Food Allergy

Antibodies and Their Meaning

IgE (Immunoglobulin E)

Allergies are the immediate responses to a foreign substance that has entered the body via food or inhalation.
IgE allergies can cause mild to serious symptoms including anaphylactic shock, difficulty in breathing, swelling, and hives. Symptoms occur within 3 hours.
Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system that attack antigens such as bacteria, viruses, and allergens.

IGG4 (Immunoglobulin G Subtype 4):

Antibody produced to fight infection.
Desensitization injections, or allergy therapies, increase IgG4 to help neutralize the reaction of IgE. This is due to its potential to decrease histamine responses by blocking IgE from attaching to receptors, causing degranulation.
Levels of IgG4 are beneficial up to a point, as they block IgE or allergic reactions and result in immune tolerance to foods.
High levels are associated with autoimmune conditions.

IgG (Immunoglobulin G, Total)

IgG food sensitivities can be subtle to severe and are dependent on dosage and tolerance.
Sensitivity symptoms range from fatigue, headache/nausea, seizures, hyperactivity, bloating, mood changes, or dark circles under the eyes.
IgG symptoms typically occur within 3-72 hours after the offending food was ingested creating ongoing inflammation.
The complete elimination of IgG positive foods may bring about important improvements in symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, autism, ADHD, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy, as demonstrated in numerous clinical studies.

C3b/d (Complement Component 3)

Is a protein of the innate immune system that is activated by microorganisms in the absence of an antibody.
When C3d is activated in response to an antigen, the C3 portion attaches to the antigen.
This activation, even though it is independent, will amplify the reaction/symptoms that occurs with a positive total IgG
If complement is present, it will amplify an IgG reaction as much as 1,000 to 10,000-fold. Therefore, tests that only measure IgG may miss the reactions to foods that are most clinically relevant.