Differences between the ALCAT test, RAST test, and MRT

There are various tests which are used to identify food allergies and sensitivities. These tests include:
ALCAT - Antigen Leukocyte Cellular Antibody Test: The ALCAT was first created by the American Medical Testing Labs. This test is being marketed as a test for screening adverse reactions which are particular to certain food additives, preservatives, colors or the food items in general. This test gauges the reactions shown towards food intolerance. However, it fails to give clinically effective results. A lot of researches conducted about this test deem it to be unreliable for screening and diagnosing food allergies. Moreover, it can also lead to false diagnosis, misinterpreted results and wrong therapeutic measures. This test is performed by a Coulter counter in which the white blood cells in the blood sample are counted before and after the food intake. The data is then analyzed by using computer which prints histograms which are then converted into final test results.
RAST – Known as Radioallergosorbent Test, RAST is quite well known for its use to identify food allergies. It is also an alternative to the skin test in order to identify the causative agent behind the allergy. The benefits of the RAST are that it has good reproducibility and tends to measure the full range of the measuring curve. Another benefit of this test is that normally, the patients do not have to stop their anti histamine therapy unlike the skin test. Moreover, this test can also be done in the presence of skin allergic symptoms. Therefore, this test has relatively more benefits as compared to the skin test. This test was created by Pharmacia Diagnostics in 1974 and was also marketed by them. This radioimmunoassay tends to clearly indentify the IgE allergens that are present in the blood stream.
MRT – Mediator Release Testing is also one of the tests that are used to identify the causes of food allergies. This test tends to calculate the chemical mediators that are released from the white blood cells as a response to the allergic antigen in the food. Presence of these chemical mediators in the blood indicates strong signs of food allergy to that particular agent. The results shown by this test are in a gradient from mild to very high, thereby indicating the type of allergic reaction exhibited by the body towards that particular food. Problems such as migraine, rashes, throat infections, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, cramps and constipation are easily identified under the food allergy by using this test. The agent behind the allergy can then be identified by using proper history and patient monitoring.