While most at-home ovulation tests identify the 2 peak fertility days during your cycle by detecting the surge in Luteinising Hormone (LH) that triggers ovulation, the Clearblue Fertility Monitor is unique and more accurate.   It not only shows your 2 peak fertility days, but tracks 2 hormones to typically identify up to 6 fertile days.   The technology is based solely on hormone monitoring and can therefore inform most women of an extra 1-5 days of high fertility prior to their peak fertility. Since your partner’s sperm can survive in your body for several days, making love on all of these days can lead to conception.

Trying for a baby is one of the most exciting times in a couple’s life. When you start trying to get pregnant, you probably want it to happen as quickly as possible.  Trying on the wrong days of a woman’s cycle can delay this, so good timing is essential.  The Clear Blue Fertility Monitor enables you to track your fertility status and has been proven to double your chances of conceiving. The ClearBlue Fertility Monitor is the most trusted fertility testing device available – with countless satisfied customers and nearly just as many babies.

BUY NOW

The Body ID Plan is a revolutionary approach to weight loss that can work to banish yo-yo dieting for good.  The 100% at home test analyses your immune response to food and offers you a personalised approach to weight and shape management.

You will receive a Body ID test kit with detailed instructions for use.  The test is a quick and easy at-home finger prick blood sample test that delivers reliable laboratory results within just ten days.  Once you have completed your test it is sent to the YorkTest laboratories to be analysed by experts in the field of food intolerance.  The blood is tested for immune reactions to 76 foods and combined with a healthy eating plan, creates a totally personal step by step guide to cutting out problem foods, and achieving natural weight loss.

The Body ID plan aims to put a stop to fad diets with an ineffective ‘one size fits all’ ethos.  Rather than making impractical changes to your eating plan that are unsustainable, the Body ID plan offers you a long-term healthier program enabling you to achieve a balanced and effective sustainable eating plan.

Get your personal diet eating plan today and join the thousands of people making their way to a happier, healthier lifestyle.  The Body ID plan is not a ‘diet’, it is a test that enables you to get a personal step by step guide to cutting out problem foods, thus achieving natural weight loss.

The personalized program provides a natural weight loss plan and long-term weight management leading to better overall health and vitality.

Click here to unlock the secret to your natural weight loss

When you place an order a test kit is sent to you in the post, with everything you need to collect a small blood sample including detailed instructions.  Once the sample is collected, it should be sent on the same day to the Yorktest laboratories to be analysed.  Within just ten days your results pack will be delivered including a unique colour coded GLCheck score chart and a results guidebook providing a detailed explanation of your results plus general advice on the key risks affecting diabetic health.

The GLCheck test can diagnose those at risk of type 2 diabetes by measuring your glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) level, a procedure widely used in hospitals to screen and monitor diabetes.

And for those seeking advice about low calorie/low fat diets, the GLCheck test can help monitor the effectiveness of such diet plans and prevent you from feeling lethargic or tired out, thus enabling you to maintain balanced blood sugar levels and stick to healthy eating plans for longer. 

The GLCheck test is a quick and easy 100% home test that delivers reliable laboratory test results within just 10 days, all from the comfort of your home.  Click here to take this test

We offer AllergyCheck a home blood testing service for IgE Allergy. We also provide a two step approach to finding out about whether dietary change could help any delayed onset food allergy (food intolerance). The First Step test is currently on offer at £10 and this will give a YES / NO result to tell you whether food intolerance could be contributing to your ill health symptoms. If you receive a positive result you will then have the opportunity to upgrade your test to measure your food-specific IgG reactions to 113 foods; all from the comfort of your own home.
 
Optimum level of “friendly” gut bacteria essential for overall good health
Back in March we launched a gut ecology profile testing service (Gut Health Test), which like our FoodScan service also includes a Nutritionist consultation. We all hear about the importance of ‘friendly’ bacteria nowadays, but how do we know if we have enough to support our own individual gut? If we need probiotics which particular type will suit our needs, and how can we optimise our diet to improve our gut health, and general health?
 
Did you know that the healthy gut is home to around 100,000,000,000,000 microbes more than ten times more than the number of cells in the entire body?! In order for the intestine to work effectively the optimum balance of ‘friendly’ and harmful bacteria (microflora) in the gut must be maintained. This is increasingly difficult as lifestyles have changed.
 
An increase in stress and modern day living, increased consumption of pharmaceutical compounds such as antibiotics, and the effects of changes in dietary patterns and eating habits  can disrupt this balance; shifting the balance of the gut microflora away from potentially beneficial or health-promoting bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, towards an increase in harmful or pathogenic micro-organisms, like the clostridia and proteolytic bacteroides species.
 
The important role of the gut microflora for maintaining our general health in the prevention of disease is also clear. The bacteria in our guts are constantly interacting with other systems in the body such as the central nervous system, endocrine system and the immune system. Disturbance of this delicate balance may contribute to other disorders that are not obviously related to the gut. Probiotics, lifestyle and dietary changes offer a means to improve the balance of gut microflora³.
 
YorkTest Gut Health Test is a unique service that tests many different bacteria strains, yeasts and moulds, the presence of undigested carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and physical factors such as sample acidity and sample appearance indicators, all from one stool sample⁴. Based on the results, the individual receives tailored advice from our Nutritionist, and diet recommendations to aid digestion and improve gut function. The suggested regime is designed to help change the composition of the bacteria flora, and the condition of the gut to optimise gut ecology and improve health.
 
YorkTest has been offering healthcare services direct to the public for over 25 years, and always recommends that the individual also discusses their ill health symptoms with a health professional of their choice.
 

Role for food-specific IgG based elimination diets

Evidence has suggested that elimination diets based on food-specific IgG measurement can lead to improvements in chronic ill health symptoms. This paper aims to review the evidence from studies on food-specific IgG measurement and dietary change.

Methodology/Approach  A literature review of studies on the putative role for food-specific IgG
based elimination diets was undertaken.

Findings  The use of fully standardised clinically evaluated food-specific IgG tests as a basis for elimination diet could lead to a considerable improvement in many patients’ quality of life.

Originality / Value  This unique review captures evidence for a viable alternative to the time
consuming and expensive elimination diet / food challenge approach.

The role of elevated levels of homocysteine, a naturally occurring amino acid in the body, is gradually becoming recognized as a significant factor in ageing and for a whole host of diseases including heart disease, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer.  Various factors have been identified that can lower homocysteine especially the nutrients folic acid, Vitamins B6 and B12 and Trimethlyglycine (TMG) and also physical exercise.

Objectives: To determine the effect of a nutritional supplement containing the above nutrients in therapeutic doses on the homocysteine levels of healthy individuals that engage in exercise, as measured by a pin-prick blood test.
 
Method: This randomised controlled trial recruited 100 participants from two local leisure centres and from a college of natural medicine. Blood plasma homocysteine levels were measured by means of the YorkTest plasma separator home test kit, at baseline and after 6 weeks of supplementation, and analysed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) at their laboratory. Participants were randomly assigned to take either a combined nutrient supplement (AOR Homocysteine plus), that has been formulated with the aim of lowering homocysteine, or a vegetable cellulose placebo. Assignment was made according to a random number generator and masking was achieved by means of third party coding of identical active and placebo containers. Exercise levels and food frequency were assessed by means of questionnaires.
 
Results: Results were analysed for 84 patients at baseline. Descriptive statistics showed that data was normalized and randomisation achieved as there was no significant difference between treatment and control group homocysteine levels at baseline ((F = .277, p> 0.05). Homocysteine was found to be significantly related to age (Pearson r = .282, p< 0.01), dietary folate intake (Pearson r = -.472, p<0.01) and exercise level (One way ANOVA F=10.410, p <0.01) but not gender

(independent t- test F= .002, p >0.05).  A paired-t-test of 30 post-intervention scores showed a significant decrease in homocysteine for the treatment group (t= 0.646, p<0.05) but no significant difference for controls (t= 0.646, p>0.050).
 
Conclusion: The AOR combined nutrient supplement was found to effectively lower homocysteine regardless of level of baseline homocysteine. Many reductions were > 3 µmol/L homocysteine, indicative of a significant reduction in disease risk. Regular, ‘moderate’ levels of exercise seem to yield the lowest homocysteine measures. The Yorktest pin-prick homocysteine test was an effective tool for identifying undetected high levels of homocysteine in healthy members of leisure centres and for evaluating the efficacy of the combined nutrient supplement on homocysteine levels

So when the 43-year-old saw a story in the News/Gazette’s sister paper, the Herald & Post, about food intolerance specialists YorkTest, she decided to tackle the problem and take a test.

“I thought I’d have a go,” she said. “My diet has always been a bit weird. I’ve always played with it to stop the stomach aches. I thought I’d try the YorkTest.”

When the results came back, Amanda, of Dunstable Road, found she was intolerant to cheese, cow’s milk, wheat, sesame seeds, coffee and egg.

She said: “It seemed to be the things I had too much of. All the things that came up as intolerant weren’t of a massive level but I just cut everything out that day. It did help.”

“Wheat and gluten gave me the bad stomach aches. I haven’t had a slice of bread for over two years and that has really made a difference.”

“I love cheese but its cow’s milk. I still don’t drink cow’s milk, I have soya. But I eat feta cheese every day just about because they say your stomach can tolerate that better.”

Before YorkTest, Amanda suffered from severe stomach cramps. She said: “It wasn’t terrible but certainly very discomforting. I’d get bloating and stomach pain and at the back of my mind knew something wasn’t right.”
“I have my own business so I never really had to take time off. I just worked through it.  I had a few appointments with my GP but it never improved my symptoms.”

Amanda cut out all her problem foods and saw dramatic results. She then reintroduced each food little by little to see what caused the discomfort. But she said: ‘You’ve got to cut out everything and then decide.”
YorkTest said it is possible as many as 12 million people are living with symptoms brought on by what they eat.
For more information about food intolerance testing click here

Newspaper: The Luton News
Date: 29 July 2009
By: Laura Kempsell

The startling research, analysed by York University, taken from a section of 5,000 participants, showed that over 75% showed moderate to high improvement of their symptoms within three weeks by removing the problem foods identified by an IgG antibodies test, commonly used to identify food intolerances.
Notable improvements among sufferers included ‘moderate to high’ reduction in symptoms (%) of:

• Flatulence / Wind (91%)
• Upset stomach (90%)
• General aches and pains (88%)
• Colitis (88%)
• Fatigue (87%)
• Rashes (84%)
• Arthritis (74%)

Those with IBS showed a significant reduction in stomach distension, bowel dysfunction and general well-being, and also showed a reduction in factors such as pain and fatigue (3).

Geoffrey Hardman of the University of York, co-author of the study commented: “This robust survey, the largest of its kind, gives a clear indication of the benefits that dietary change can make on some of the most common chronic conditions.”
Family health expert and media GP, Dr Hilary Jones, also commented: “Over the years, in my work as a GP, I have met many patients who suffer with chronic conditions such IBS and arthritis. These new, exciting findings, which show that these conditions may be linked to food intolerance, offer real hope for the many who suffer from the painful and debilitating symptoms of these conditions. It offers them a chance to get to the root of their problem by tackling the possible cause, rather than relying on long-term treatments for chronic conditions.”

Food intolerance is a delayed response to certain foods and can be a debilitating condition that affects long term health and quality of life with symptoms such as IBS, bloating, tiredness, migraines and digestive complaints.

Sufferers often react to more than one food, which means it can be a timely process identifying which foods are causing the problems. Getting rid of food intolerance is about identifying the foods that are making you ill and subsequently eliminating them from your diet. Currently the NHS advocates an arduous process in treating food intolerance involving an elimination diet and food diary which often proves a lengthy process.

The YorkTest FoodScan Food Intolerance Test is a simple finger-prick home testing kit, which offers a simple solution to identifying up to 113 problem ‘trigger foods’.

The YorkTest First Step Food Intolerance Test provides a positive or negative result as to whether a person is food sensitive or not. If results prove positive the sufferer can then upgrade to the YorkTest Foodscan113 Food Intolerance Test to identify exactly what the problem foods are so they can begin eliminating them from their diet.

The YorkTest Foodscan includes a finger prick blood collection kit with detailed instructions on how to take the test so it’s easy to use and straightforward. The results which are based on the presence and amounts of food-specific IgG antibodies are analysed by scientists at YorkTest Laboratories who can accurately identify which foods are causing the food intolerance.

The results will give a breakdown of which of the 113 individual foods from cows milk to yeast, tea to tomatoes, wheat to walnuts, egg yolk to mustard seeds, gluten, tuna, beef, lamb and lentils are causing the food intolerance and give advice on which foods to avoid, those that are borderline and foods that are fine to continue consuming.

The process also includes two telephone consultations with a qualified nutritionist from the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy who will offer specific individual advice and help on how to incorporate the recommended diet changes. A 12 week food diary with diet tips will also be provided to help sufferers keep track of the changes they are making to their diet.

Food intolerance in the UK

Food sensitivity is not to be confused with a full-blown allergy to a food, which will provoke a strong immediate reaction, and is commonly caused by foods such as nuts and shellfish. The effects of food reactions are more subtle and less well understood.

When people start talking about inflammatory diseases the symptoms of bloating, gut pain and changes in bowel habit may come to mind. However, although inflammatory diseases include problems with the gut such as inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), they also include diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, nephritis, multiple sclerosis and skin disorders such as psoriasis. The symptoms linked with inflammatory diseases are wide and varied and include bloating, lethargy, swelling, joint pains, rashes and weight gain.
 
Chronic inflammatory disease – what is it?

Inflammatory diseases develop because of an inappropriate response to factors that the body has been exposed to. In many cases, this manifests itself as an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system becomes confused and starts to attack the person’s own body. All in all this can cause considerable damage to the tissues of the body, and can lead to a variety of problems, depending on where the inflammation is located. Some people experience inflammation in response to certain foods or environmental factors. The type of symptoms experienced will depend on which organs are affected. For example inflammation of the large intestine  may cause cramps and diarrhoea.

People with chronic inflammatory diseases tend to experience a great deal of suffering.  Inflammation, often, cannot be fully controlled and so resorting to constant medication is commonplace. Some people also find that their symptoms and suffering are dismissed by people such as employers and co-workers, who may not fully understand the processes and debilitation which can be involved in having a chronic inflammatory disease.
Chronic inflammatory diseases afflict millions of people across the world leading to untold suffering, economic loss and premature death. Chronic inflammatory conditions are difficult to treat and impose a big socio-economic burden to society. It is estimated that about 10% of the world population suffer from some kind of chronic inflammatory disorder. Within the last 25 years, a major research effort worldwide has resulted in new insights into the mechanisms that drive chronic inflammation. As a result many novel drugs have been developed, however, there are still no drugs that cure chronic inflammatory diseases specifically and most drugs have severe side-effects such as stomach upset/bleeding, easy bruising, thinning of bones, cataracts, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, blurry vision and increased susceptibility to infection.

Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood. Epidemiological studies have shown that too much homocysteine in the blood (plasma) is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Recent findings suggest that laboratory testing for plasma homocysteine levels can improve the assessment of risk. It’s particularly useful in patients with a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease, but in whom the well-established risk factors (smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure) do not existHomocysteine levels can also increase with age, when a patient smokes, and with the use of drugs such as carbamazepine, methotrexate, and phenytoin.

How can I lower a high homocysteine level?

Eating more fruits and vegetables (especially leafy green vegetables) can help lower your homocysteine level by increasing how much folate you get in your diet. Good sources of folate include many breakfast cereals, fortified grain prodcuts, lentils, asparagus, spinach and most beans.
If adjusting your diet is not enough to lower your homocysteine, your doctor may suggest that you take a folate supplement. You may also need to take a vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12 supplement.

If you don’t have enough vitamin B-6 in your diet, foods like fortified breakfast cereals, potatoes, bananas, garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) and chicken are good sources. Dairy products, organ meats (such as liver), beef and some types of fish are good sources of vitamin B-12 .

Homocysteine is the key indicator for heart & brain health, take the homocysteine test today and put your mind at rest!

More and more people are now trying new diets and struggling to lose weight, usually because they have followed the conventional advice of low calorie and low fat.

Overweight people lost more weight on low GL (glycaemic load) diets than on high GL or other weight reduction diets and their cardiovascular risk marker profile improved according to a review in July 2007 carried out by the highly respected and independent Cochrane Collaboration.

The Glycaemic Index tells us how quickly the sugar in the food raises the sugar in our blood, Glycaemic Load tells us just how much of that sugar is in the food we are eating making the GL measurement of food a more balanced indicator than just using GI. Eg. the GI of Mars bars is around 68 and is the same if you eat 1 or 21 Mars bars, the GI of watermelon is 72 as it contains fast releasing sugars but very little of them. GL would then take the weight of these sugars in the food consumed into the equasion and is more realistic. By using the GI and multiplying by the quantity of sugar in a serving (GI (%) x grams of carbohydrate per serving) we get the total glycemic response to a food or meal which is a very good indicator of the overall affect on our bodies.

The glycaemic load test is ideal for those people starting a low GL diet or with a family history of diabetes

Up to 45% of the UK population is affected by food intolerance according to Allergy UK, therefore more and more people need to be aware of the differences between food intolerance and food allergy in order to take the correct course of action. Food intolerance also known as delayed onset food allergy is due to an inability to fully process a particular food, usually making the sufferer feel unwell.

Symptoms can be slow to develop and can take hours or days to appear and it is rarely life threatening. Food Intolerance (also known as ‘delayed onset food allergy’):

• Produces delayed chronic symptoms

• Is difficult to diagnose as offending foods can react hours days after they have been eaten

• Is rarely life-threatening

• Managed by measuring IgG antibodies

Food allergy is a rapid response by the body’s immune system to a particular food. In this type of reaction, the body’s immune system mistakes a food for an ‘invader’ often resulting in a rapid allergic reaction within minutes. This type of allergic reaction is commonly associated with nut allergies.

Food Allergy (also known as ‘classical allergy’):

• Produces acute distinctive symptoms, usually within seconds or minutes.

• In extreme cases, can be life-threatening.

• Reaction can occur with the tiniest trace amount of food

• Mediated by an IgE antibody reaction

What causes most food intolerances and food allergies? People react differently to different foods. Food hypersensitivity can involve reactions from the body’s own immune system such as:

• Classical immediate reaction known as food allergy which is mediated by IgE antibodies.

• Coeliac disease which is a reaction to the gluten protein and is detected by measuring anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA) and anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA).

• Delayed onset food allergy or food intolerance which is detected by measuring IgG antibodies.

All three require different tests to identify them and different management. Food sensitivity can also arise from mechanisms that don’t even involve the body’s immune system. These include:

• Enzyme deficiencies such as lactose intolerance.

• Chemical sensitivities such as reactions to food additives e.g tartrazine (E102) and sunset yellow (E110).

Symptoms of food intolerance Food intolerance is a condition with a mixture of symptoms and can be difficult to recognise and diagnose. Those affected often suffer for years without knowing the proper steps to take, unable to enjoy normal life and activities and in some cases, unable to work.

According to charity Food Intolerance Awareness, common symptoms that food intolerance can contribute to include:

Abdominal pains

Aches and pains

Acne

Bloating

Constipation

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Depression

Diarrhoea

Dizziness

Eczema

Fatigue

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Itching

Fluid retention

Headaches

 Hyperactivity

Loss of Appetite

Migraine

Nausea

Rashes

Respiratory Symptoms

Restless Leg Syndrome

Rhinitis

Sinusitis

Stomach cramps T

Tension

Urticaria

Weight loss

 Wheezing

Do any of this symptoms sound familiar to you? It may be time to think about taking a food intolerance test. 

 ”I’m a GP and to be honest, I would not think of food intolerance initially, but I think we should be more aware of food intolerance and get outpatients to take a test like YorkTest.” ITV ‘This Morning’ Resident Doctor, Dr Chris Steele MBE

The treatment The NHS acknowledges food intolerance and recommends food diaries and elimination diets as the preferred method of treatment. Those who have chronic symptoms and are concerned that food may be a contributory factor can sometimes get involved in taking lengthy blind elimination diets which can be limited by the fact that they require a high level of patient compliance.

Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to test all the different combinations of food types that may be causing the problems. Using the scientifically proven and precise ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) testing method, the YorkTest FoodScan 113 food intolerance test identifies raised levels of food-specific IgG antibodies.

By identifying foods to which an individual has had a reaction, it is used to ‘fast track’ the elimination diet and challenge process. It can remove the guess work and therefore significantly speed up the whole process of diagnosing food intolerances. With so many unregulated, scientifically inaccurate tests on the market, it is important to choose a food intolerance test that is backed by research, accreditations and endorsements.

YorkTest has over 25 years in allergy and intolerance testing and has been at the forefront of food intolerance research which has resulted in our food intolerance testing service being the only one of its kind to endorsed by medical charity Allergy UK.

It is important to note that a validated food intolerance test such as the YorkTest FoodScan 113 is aimed at those with chronic symptoms, and therefore includes comprehensive aftercare support through professionally qualified Nutritionists, to aid dietary management. Some individuals can tolerate the presence of raised food-specific IgG levels without showing symptoms.

For this reason we recommend that only those with symptoms use our food intolerance testing service. If you have any doubt on if you should take a test or not, take our free symptoms check to help you confirm your next step.

Acting on the results of the FoodScan 113 food intolerance test has produced impressive results for many chronic symptom sufferers over the years – see our testimonials section. A survey commissioned by Allergy UK of over 5,000 YorkTest customers found that over 75% people enjoyed symptom relief as a result of acting on their test results, 68% of which found that relief within three weeks!

Click here to find out more about the Foo0dScan 113 food intolerance test “75% of people who have bought this test have felt better within just 3 weeks after removing the offending foods from their diets!”