YORKTEST Laboratories Ltd

YORKTEST Newsletter

Golfer free from gut pain

Golfer, Mark Loftus, took a food intolerance test with YORKTEST Laboratories and the resulting changes have transformed his personal and professional life.  His change of fortune has included winning the 2007 Scottish PGA, which gains Mark automatic entry to the European Tour’s Barclay’s Scottish Open and possible entry to the world’s premier golfing event, The Open.

Following a glittering amateur career, Mark ranked as high as 2nd in Britain’s amateur listings, and collected 23 caps for Scotland. Mark turned pro in 2001 but found slim pickings playing alongside names such as Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Nick Dougherty.  

Mark has been competing on the European Tour, Challenge Tour, South African Sunshine Tour, PGA Europro Tour and the Tartan Tour in his Native Scotland.

With 5 wins on the Tartan Tour and a 3rd place finish in the 2005 Scottish PGA championship (behind eventual winner Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion), Mark’s progression was gradual. For the last decade, Mark has been accompanied on his journey through the ranks with a mysterious stomach complaint.  It has never been used as an excuse for results but has been a constant distraction to his training routine and tournament scheduling.  
“The uncertainty as to how I was going to feel physically from day to day was very unnerving mentally, not only with golf but with my whole life in general.”

After numerous visits to private hospitals for tests, and exploratory operations, severe inflammation was noticed but no satisfactory diagnosis could be established and the complaint was put down to the pressures of competing in top-level sport.
 “As a pretty laid back person this diagnosis was hard to take and I thought there had to be more to this, however having exhausted what I thought was every avenue I resigned myself to coping with the aggravated stomach and extreme nausea indefinitely.”

Following a trip to a health trade show in Glasgow, Mark was introduced to Les Rowley from YORKTEST, and became intrigued by the allergy angle that could have been the cause of his problems.
 “I had nothing to loose and sent a small blood sample to the YORKTEST Laboratory for allergy analysis and was amazed when it was found that I am severely allergic to Cows milk and Yeast, two major aspects of my diet.  Eliminating these two food types from my diet has been a challenge but has totally cleared up my stomach complaint and its effects.”

“It remains to be seen if my allergy was a contributor to my slower than anticipated progress through the professional ranks, but regardless of the effect this will have on my future performances YORKTEST has improved my standard of life on and off the golf course immeasurably which I was starting to doubt would ever happen.”