02/14/2013
Holder of 22 Guinness World Record Strength Records on his experience with the Alcat Test.
“After taking the test, I have more strength. When I would normally take a rest after workouts in the afternoon, I can carry straight through the day and no need or desire to stop for a break. I recommend it to anyone looking for that edge on the competition and for good health in general”
Dave Gauder
02/21/2013
MLB’s Boston Red Sox on his experience with the Alcat Test.
“I can feel the difference when I swing the bat, and when I work out, I don’t get as tired.”
David Ortiz
02/20/2013
NBA’s Orlando Magic on his experience with the Alcat Test.
“Diet plays a key role in reaching peak performance, the ALCAT Test showed me what foods were right for me”
JJ Redick
Vitality and fitness encompasses all kinds of physical and mental performance. Performance and psyche are closely linked and depend on both internal (sleep, recovery) and external (fast food diets) factors. Therefore it is important to determine not only physiological and mental performance (skills, knowledge, and experience) but also the inner attitude.
The Alcat program offers individually targeted and customized nutritional support which may lead to
- Improvement of (athletic) performance
- Relief and management of stress
- Optimization of mental abilities and stable focus
Stress
The concept of stress refers to “tension” or “pressure”. Physical and mental reactions are caused by external stimuli or stressors. Stress is an important factor in the adaptation of a living organism to its environment. The stress response is a reaction by an organism to a usually negative expectation—the so called “fight or flight” response. The body is physiologically primed by certain neurotransmitters, including adrenaline, to either fight for one’s life or flee from the potentially dangerous situation. Elite athletes are exposed to high stress, but usually in shorter bursts. Managers, musicians, mothers — many people are exposed to almost continuous high stress situations. This constant load of stress hormones can lead to heart and circulatory diseases, depression, adrenal burn-out etc.
Stress on the cellular level
Stress, such as from an invading pathogen, initiates many biochemical processes at the cellular level. The most common phagocytic cells of the innate immune system called neutrophils destroy pathogens mainly by releasing high doses of toxic oxygen and nitrogen free radicals, strong proteolytic enzymes and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The innate immune system is an effective first line of defense in acute infection, but chronic activation can lead to development of multiple chronic diseases (autoimmunity), such as obesity, diabetes mellitus type II, as well as cancer 1-3.
Inflammation and oxidative stress
We are now meeting the link between chronic activation of the innate immune system (silent inflammation) and degeneration, which is aging.
William R Clark, now retired professor of immunology at the University of Los Angeles (UCLA), describes some of the effects of neutrophils activation in his book, “A Means to an End: The biological basis of aging”, Oxford University Press, 1999:
“One of the more common sources of reactive oxygen species in the body as a whole is from cells that use the destructive power of these molecules as a natural defense against microbial infection. Phagocytes (literally, “eaters of cells”) such as macrophages and neutrophils, purposely generate high levels of oxygen radicals, which they store in tightly sealed intracellular compartments…. Oxygen radicals released in this fashion can be taken up by adjacent cells, and once inside they cause the same sort of damage as radicals produced internally….in the case of prolonged infections a chronic inflammatory state may develop, and the repeated engorging and death of phagocytes can cause serious oxidative damage to nearby healthy cells. This is also a major source of damage in chronic inflammatory autoimmune reactions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and can lead to serious tissue loss.
The damage done by reactive oxygen molecules needed to operate living cells can be enormous. No molecular species is immune. Oxygen radicals can attack and deform proteins molecules, disrupting structural complexes and inhibiting important enzymatic functions….Oxygen radicals also attack the individual nucleotide bases that make up both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.”
Test recommendations for fitness and stress conditions
| What test? |
Why? |
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Alcat Test for food intolerance & chemical sensitivity
PreviMedica Program
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Validation studies show that the Alcat Test can have very positive effects on stress management, vitality and performance:
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| Gut Health Profile (GHP) |
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| Adrenal Stress Profile | Stress can compromise gut function.
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| Vitamin D |
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| MTHFR
Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Genetic Mutations |
|
Effectiveness and validation of the Alcat Test
Beginning in 1988, and carrying through to the present, several clinical studies have been performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alcat Test. Some of which were “double-blinded*” to see how well the test results correlate with actually eating the food.
A valid test for food intolerance should show the effect of food substances on those cells of the immune system which are associated with the inflammatory process.
If the test results are valid there should be in a concordance with symptoms (e.g., gastrointestinal complaints), and correlate with double blind oral exposure.
(*Double-blind studies: To obtain an unbiased outcome the study must be carried out in double blind fashion wherein neither the doctor (investigator) nor test subject knows whether the food they are re-introducing has been indicated by the blood test as being either positive or negative. The test results are evaluated to see if they correlate with the “gold standard” – a double blind oral challenge. This is a rigorous and time consuming protocol that yields an objective evaluation of both the sensitivity and the specificity of the test.)
Why is that important?
This is important because you want the test to correctly identify reaction provoking substances; but, you also do not want the test to show false positives. The first parameter is called, “sensitivity”. The second is called, “specificity”. A false positive would cause you to needlessly eliminate a safe food.
Scientists have shown that in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis or migraine the Alcat Test can detect those foods that cause the above symptoms. The Alcat Test has shown high correlation with double-blind oral challenges: 83.4% with foods and 96% with food additives.
Link studies
- High Correlation of the Alcat Test Results with Double-blind Challenge (DBC) in Food Sensitivity (P. Fell, Bostoff et al, 1988 and published in the Annals of Allergy)
- Diagnostic Value of Alcat Test in intolerance to food additives compared with double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) oral challenges ( Hoj, J Allerg Clin Immun 1 (3); 1996)
More detail: Scientific Dossier p. 14-16
Reproducibility of the Alcat Test
Drs. P. Potter and H. Steinmann of the University of Cape Town, South Africa conducted an Alcat Test reproducibility study in 1994. The study found high reproducibility (95%) of both positive and negative test results. . Reproducibility of the Antigen Leukocyte Cellular Antibody test (Alcat) – Statistical Analysis, Summary Statistics & Scientific Report
A second Alcat reproducibility study was conducted at the University in Bloemfontein, South Africa by Dr. WML Neetling and Dr. AM Kachelhoffer, January to April, 1998.
The study analyzed 10 consecutive patients. Of these, 2 patients had no prior allergies. The balance reported various symptoms such as migraine, asthma, and IBS. Using the Alcat Test, 1,300 analyses of 4,989 data points were performed, testing responses to 130 antigens. The study demonstrated 92% reproducibility.
Parexel Medstat Final Statistic Report
Study of the Alcat Test in 10 subjects tested twice: 1000 data points:
- Reproducibility: 97% in Cohort A, 99% in Cohort B. Overall,
- 983 of 1,000 Alcat Test data points (98.3%) were reproducible under the conditions investigated by the study. The study demonstrated the statistically significant reproducibility of the Alcat Test results.
Study comparing the Alcat Test results with flow cytometry and microscopy. Gitte Jensen, NIS Labs (Natural Immune System) Oregon, USA, 2009
More detail: Scientific Dossier p. 17 No 1-4
Studies of the Alcat Test and its use with fitness
- Rational management of food intolerance in elite soccer club
Investigators Angelini F, Marzatico F, Stesina G, Stefanini L, Bonuccelli A, Buonocore D studied eight elite (European football) athletes who were selected based on symptoms suspected of being food related. These athletes were placed on an ALCAT based-elimination diet, followed for eight months then retested again. There was significant improvement in the athletes’ condition and reduction in inflammatory response as seem through improvement in body composition. Published in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2011, Volume 8 (Supplement 1).
More detail: Scientific Dossier p. 18, Nr. 3
Literature
1 Wan-Wan L et al: A cytokine-mediated link between innate immunity, inflammation and Cancer. J Clin Invest.
2007;117(5):1175-1183
2 Lumeng CN and Saltier AR: Inflammatory links between obesity and metabolic disease. Clin Invest. 2011;121(6):2111–2117.
3 Oodegard, J.L. et al, Connecting Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes through innate immunity. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med,
- 2(3).
4 Sears B, and Ricordi C. Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition as a Pharmacological Approach to Treat Obesity
J Obes. 2011; 2011: 431985.
5 Ceddia RB. Direct metabolic regulation in skeletal muscle and fat tissue by leptin: implications for
glucose and fatty acids homeostasis. Int J Obes (Lond). 2005 Oct;29(10):1175-83.
6 Cho LW. Metabolic syndrome. Singapore Med J. 2011 Nov;52(11):779-85.
7 Morrish NJ, Wang SL, Stevens LK, Fuller JH, Keen H. Mortality and causes of death in the WHO
Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes. Diabetologia 2001, 44 Suppl 2:S14–S21.
8 Global status report on noncommunicable diseases 2010. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2011.
9 WHO, Fact sheet N°312, Updated November 2014.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/
10 Salisbury D, Bronas U. Inflammation and immune system contribution to the etiology of
atherosclerosis: mechanisms and methods of assessment. Nurs Res. 2014 Sep-Oct;63(5):375-85.
11 WHO, Fact sheet N°317, Updated March 2013. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/
12 Global status report on noncommunicable diseases 2010. Geneva, World Health Organization,
2011.