AN award-winning company that provides a range of allergy, intolerance and health tests to customers across the world has revealed the UK’s biggest allergy is to egg white, according to its data.
Test Your Intolerance, which has recently carried out its one millionth test, found that egg white was also the biggest allergen in the USA, while in Australia green beans were the number one cause of allergic reactions.
It is the first time the company, which is based in Castle Donington, on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border, has been able to breakdown its results which also found that rye was the UK’s second biggest allergen, closely followed by wheat.
The global home-to-laboratory testing company produces a range of kits which are approved by the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA). They work by measuring reactions in the body which can uncover evidence of an allergic reaction or an intolerance.
Its finger-prick screening kits test for 38 allergens in food, drink and the environment and 63 intolerances including various nuts, pollens, insects and foods including fruits, fish, seafood, beans and vegetables.
Cris West, who runs Test Your Intolerance with business partner Jason Wootton, said: “We hear a lot about people being allergic to nuts and pollen, so it might be a surprise to some people that egg white was the biggest cause of allergies in the UK and the States.
“We might have expected cow’s milk, shellfish or nuts to be among the highest allergens, but they didn’t appear in the top three over here or across the pond.
“We sell our kits all over the world, and Australia is a big market for us. Over there, green beans and egg whites were the top two allergens, with spelt coming in third place.
“We provide our allergy and intolerance tests to more than 40 countries and our state-of-the-art laboratories provide the most accurate information available, so we can be confident in our results.”
In a food allergy, the body’s immune system reacts against proteins in foods. A food intolerance is an adverse reaction to foods that does not involve the body’s immune system. Symptoms usually affect the gut, causing diarrhoea, bloating or constipation.
Test Your Intolerance, which is part of the Healthy Stuff brand, has been running for 14 years and also supplies kidney and liver function tests, as well as a prostate health tests and a kit that measures levels of Vitamin D.
It also supplies a prostate health test, a kit that measures levels of Vitamin D and a menopause kit, which allows people to detect elevated levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), which is a sign that they have started going through the menopause.
Earlier this year, Test Your Intolerance won the Intolerance Testing Company of the Year accolade from the UK Enterprise Awards 2023 which recognise market leaders, innovators and enterprising small to medium sized businesses that are thriving among fierce competition on a national scale.
The accolade strengthens Test Your Intolerance’s position as the UK’s leading allergy and food intolerance testing company and the news comes on the back of record sales – turnover for its latest financial year was £3.5 million compared to £2.75 million in 2021.
Cris added: “We know that more and more people around the world are turning to our technology to get to the bottom of their allergies and intolerances. This is in part due to the increased confidence people have in these sort of tests – the experience of using self-test kits during the pandemic increased awareness and trust in this sort of technology.
“In the UK the increase is almost certainly because the NHS is in crisis and people can’t get an appointment to see their GP, never mind ask for a blood test.
“Our research, innovation and laboratory place us at the forefront of our industry and we are proud to give people invaluable information about their bodies that can potentially change their lives for the better.”
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