New research on intolerance to 108 foods will be offered at the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology at UMBAL "St. Ivan Rilski" in Sofia. "Panel food intolerance - 108 antibodies (IgG)" registers IgG antibodies in serum and is specifically aimed at people with autoimmune diseases. The obtained results are accompanied by an explanation in which cases we can suspect intolerance to the given food and when the values of IgG antibodies to the food do not speak of intolerance. This can, on the one hand, support the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Bechterev's disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus, etc., to avoid in their menu the food that aggravates their symptoms. On the other hand, they will know which foods they should not exclude from their menu because they are not related to their condition. In addition, they will be directed by the doctors from the laboratory to a specialist who will find the cause of their worsening condition. For questions, patients can also contact the laboratory's specialists directly at tel. 02/ 852 49 57. This is what the head of the laboratory, Prof. Dr. Dobroslav Kyurkchiev, explained about food intolerance.
“The concept of food intolerance (sensitivity and intolerance) is not well understood. Most people think it's a food allergy. But they are completely different. It's not about autoimmunity either. Food intolerance and the associated leaky gut is a multifactorial condition. It involves genetic predisposition, enzyme defects, imbalance between various mediators in the intestine, intestinal flora, resulting in low-grade inflammation. Modern food with its ingredients, which are different from those of the past, also plays a role in the process. As a result of all these interactions, antibodies are formed against certain foods, and antibodies also have a pathogenetic effect. 80% of people on the planet have nothing to eat, and the other 20% of them have a problem with what not to eat. We, the Bulgarians, are in the 20 percent, says the specialist.
The notion of food intolerance goes to extremes - from its complete denial to its unconditional acceptance. Doctors usually deny it, and some people are completely convinced that they don't need drugs and that if they eat right and lead a natural lifestyle, they will live without diseases.
“But these are extremes that we should not accept. The facts described in world-renowned scientific journals prove that food intolerance is a real pathology.
Prof. Kyurkchiev
In our Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, we are looking for the relationship of food intolerance and leaky gut with autoimmune diseases, as we have always been involved with autoimmunity over the years. None of us seriously think that food intolerance is the only cause of autoimmune diseases, because many factors are involved when the immune system turns on itself. Serious scientific studies show that food intolerance affects symptoms in people with autoimmune diseases.
If avoiding certain foods can alleviate patients' symptoms, this is a great achievement. That's why we introduce diagnostics for intolerances to 108 foods.
Our goal is also to look for the place of food intolerance in immunopathogenesis - what gives rise to autoimmune diseases , added Prof. Kyurkchiev.
Prof. Dr. Iskra Altonkova, MD: And he althy people have intolerance to dairy products, eggs, wheat and garlic
The great specialist in clinical immunology - Prof. Dr. Iskra Altonkova, has 116 scientific publications in our and foreign journals, she participated in the writing of 20 monographs and textbooks. After his retirement and resignation from the leadership of the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology at UMBAL "St. Ivan Rilski", Prof. Altonkova works at "Lozenets" Hospital. She shared the results of a mini-clinical study of 15 patients diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for intolerance to 24 types of popular foods. The results were compared with those of he althy people. They were also tested for the presence of the pathogenic bacteria clostridia and helicobacter pylori, which are common in people with intestinal diseases. It turns out that all patients in the study have gastroenterological complaints, 20% have skin complaints, over 70% have neurological complaints (headache, migraine), 30% report different forms of allergy.
Most people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome are positive for the various antigens. But especially to dairy products, egg whites, wheat and garlic, low-level intolerance is also found in he althy people, without clinical symptoms. Intolerance to egg white, for example, is present in 40% of patients, but mild intolerance to egg white is also present in 25% of he althy people.53% of sick people and 25% of he althy people have an intolerance to cow's milk, to wheat the ratio is 33%:12%, to garlic - 27%:12%. The conclusion, according to Prof. Altonkova, is that IgG-antibodies are formed much more often and to a higher degree in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. A third of patients have low-to-moderate bowel inflammation. This means that food intolerance is involved in the mechanism of disease development. And according to Dr. Edward Roessler, who attended the presentation, this is proof that Irritable Bowel Syndrome does not exist, that it is simply a food intolerance.
