FAQ

No, yorktest offers a complete home-to-laboratory service for all tests and programmes. Your kit is posted to you with a return envelope included for you to post your sample back to us. Once your sample has been tested, your results are sent to you by post.

Additionally, all our food intolerance programmes include a consultation with one of our Nutritional Therapist which is carried out over the phone.

Yorktest has been conducting health screening services for over 35 years.

No, our tests are not available on the NHS. Some health insurance providers do cover the cost of some of our tests – if you have such a policy your insurance provider will be able to tell you if a test is covered.

You can call our friendly Customer Care Team free from the UK on 0800 074 6185

(International number: +44 1904 410 410 – call charges will apply)

To email the Customer Care Team, please contact:
[email protected]

Alternatively, you can write to us:

UK

yorktest Laboratories Limited
Triune Court
Monks Cross Drive

Huntington

YORK
YO32 9GZ
UK

The following tests are available outside the UK:

Food & Drink
Scan Programme
IBS Diet Programme
Ideal Weight Programme
FoodScan Junior Programme
Modern Living DietScan
Asian DietScan
Nordic DietScan

Currently, the following tests are NOT available outside the UK:

FirstStep
FoodScan Programme
Homocysteine
LiverCheck
AllergyCheck

We generally anticipate a delivery time of 10 working days for tests posted to addresses outside the UK.

The yorktest Food Intolerance Programmes test for food-specific IgG antibodies in blood. This is used as a strategy for an elimination diet. The tests do not test for all types of food intolerance, therefore do not provide information about allergies, coeliac disease, enzyme deficiencies such as lactose intolerance, histamine sensitivity or other chemical sensitivities.

Tests should not be taken by children under 2 as the immune system is not fully developed. Changes in diet at that age must be supervised as they may leave the child deficient of nutrients. yorktest can accept samples from children under 2 if they have a referral from a Medical Practitioner.

Allergy and Intolerance are often confused or thought of as similar conditions when in reality they are very different. Allergy is an immediate, sometimes dangerous or life threatening reaction to a food or drink. This is often present from a young age and always involves antibody type IgE. Intolerance can be developed later in life and takes longer for symptoms to present themselves, making it more difficult to pin point the culprit food(s). Testing can be beneficial to discover the trigger foods and drinks quicker.

If you are taking steroids or immunosuppressants your results might be affected as these medications can suppress antibody production. Antihistamines, antibiotics and other medication will not alter the test results.

We take our testing incredibly seriously. We have our own accredited laboratory and work to stringent ISO13485 medical device regulatory standards. We are rigorous in our quality control checks, from the laboratory procedures to our customer care process, and our tests show a >98% reproducibility rate.

yorktest offers hospital standard immunoassay (ELISA) based laboratory testing for up to 208 different types of food-specific IgG antibodies, with testing carried out by qualified laboratory technicians in our own laboratory. Unlike our competitors, yorktest have published data supporting the test results. To give our customers all the support and knowledge they need to take control and optimise their diet, the comprehensive results include a 12 week food and drink diary and a 30 minute consultation with one of our highly experienced Nutritional Therapists.

yorktest’s FirstStep Test is only a simple introductory test to see if you have any food-specific IgG reactions in your blood, and therefore that is reflected in the price. Our full programmes includes hospital standard immunoassay (ELISA) based laboratory testing for up to 208 different types of food-specific IgG antibodies, with testing carried out by qualified laboratory technicians in our own laboratory. The comprehensive results include a 12 week food and drink diary and a 30 minutes consultation with one of our highly experienced Nutritional Therapists, to help you with your elimination diet.

No, all our tests are designed with your comfort in mind. The single use home testing kits are much more comfortable than a full blood draw. Full instructions are provided but if you have any questions, please contact the Customer Care Team.

Yes, as well as testing for food intolerance, we also offer an Allergy Check Test which identifies allergic reactions to environmental allergens; a LiverCheck test, a blood test which measures the function of your Liver; and the Homocysteine test, a simple test to check for levels of Homocysteine in the blood, a key indicator of the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, dementia and infertility. Visit our tests page to browse our full range.

Our AllergyCheck tests you for 16 environmental allergens including a variety of pollens and fungal spores. To see the full list please visit each individual test page. If you require any further information please do call our Customer Care Team on 0800 074 6185 / +44(0)1904 410 410 in the UK or 01 20 22 701 in ROI.

All samples are safely destroyed after testing.

The finger is recommended but the lancet can also be used on your thumb or the heel of your foot.

No, the collection of your blood sample can be taken in the comfort of your own home.

Every laboratory test that is processed by yorktest includes individual checks (quality controls) to ensure that the results that are provided are reliable. On rare occasions these fail to pass yorktest’s stringent standards. In these cases yorktest has to ask for the customer to provide another sample.

Immunoglobulin (IgG) is a type of antibody. Antibodies are major components of the immune system. In normal human blood IgG1 is the most prevalent making up 60-70% of the total IgG, followed by IgG2 (20-30%) and IgG3 (5-8%). IgG4 only consists of 1-4% of the food-specific IgG antibodies present.

There is a complex relationship between the four IgG subtypes. Therefore, testing only for IgG4 antibodies in foods severely limits the accuracy of pinpointing those ingredients that are causing significant reactions and could be contributing to your symptoms.

yorktest’s laboratory team tests all four subtypes together, which is the only way to determine meaningful results.

IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 are all are capable of causing inflammation which could contribute to symptoms. IgG4 antibodies are only present in low levels and its presence does not relate directly to inflammatory reactions.

The yorktest test measures the delayed food intolerance reactions in the form of food-specific IgG antibodies. Allergy tests measure reactions caused by raised IgE antibodies.

We can’t advise you to reintroduce a food if you know it causes you adverse effects. If you haven’t eaten a particular food at all for more than 6 weeks it may not be picked up by our test. However, if for example you are cutting out dairy but still have a small splash of milk in your tea once a week, this will still be identified by our testing if you are intolerant. We advise you continue your diet as normal before taking the test.

Some types of proteins are present in more than one food type. In addition many foods contain “hidden” ingredients that may be eaten without realising it.