A woman who grew up on pasta and pizza has discovered 37 food sensitivities after years of severe digestive problems that routine NHS checks repeatedly failed to explain. Serena Basso, a 33-year-old marketing manager originally from Lake Como in Italy, moved to East London in 2012 and spent most of her adult life accepting painful bloating after meals as the price of eating large portions of carbohydrates.
A lifetime of unexplained pain
“For as long as I can remember, I felt bloated after eating. We would go out for pizza, and I would have to lie down due to stomach pain,” Basso recalled. The discomfort was so persistent that she began to believe it was normal. She endured years of routine blood tests and annual health checks through the NHS, all of which returned no abnormalities. Her doctors were unable to identify any cause for her symptoms.
Beyond the physical pain, the undiagnosed condition took a toll on her confidence. “I would hate myself for wearing a tight dress,” she admitted.
The finger-prick test that found the answers
The breakthrough came not from a hospital consultation but from a home finger-prick test provided by the private company Supply Life. The test uses IgG antibody testing to measure the immune system’s response to specific foods. Basso’s sample was analysed at a Cambridge laboratory that holds ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 certifications, using immunoassay microarray technology and ELISA methods. The result identified 37 separate food sensitivities, including gluten, lactose, rice, potatoes, oats and almonds — staples of the diet she had been raised on.
“We were in the car when I got the email from Supply Life, and my mum was waiting for us at home with a big pasta plate,” she said. The news meant an immediate and dramatic change to her eating habits.
Impact and adjustments
Cutting out the trigger foods did not come without difficulty. The first weeks brought stomach aches as her body adjusted to the new regimen. She has since restructured her diet around fish, chicken, vegetables and grains — all of which she had previously never eaten. She now bakes her own gluten-free bread and biscuits at home. The change has been transformative, ending the cycle of bloating and pain that had plagued her for years.
Why food intolerances are so hard to diagnose
Basso’s story highlights a significant gap in both public awareness and medical diagnostics. Food intolerances differ fundamentally from food allergies. Allergies involve an immediate immune system response driven by IgE antibodies and can be life-threatening, potentially leading to anaphylaxis. Intolerances, by contrast, are a digestive system response. Symptoms are often delayed, diffuse and easily dismissed as overeating, stress or general digestive upset.
Gluten sensitivity is one of the most common forms of intolerance, but its warning signs are slow and subtle, making it difficult to connect to a specific food. Lactose intolerance, caused by suboptimal levels of the enzyme lactase, tends to produce similar symptoms without hours of dairy intake. Sensitivities to foods like almonds and oats may show up on the skin or simply cause low energy alongside gut symptoms. Because the reaction is often delayed, sufferers frequently fail to link their symptoms to a particular food. Without targeted testing, neither do their doctors.
The NHS does not generally offer IgG-based food intolerance testing for symptoms such as bloating or fatigue. Instead, its approach focuses on diagnosing allergies (through IgE testing), coeliac disease and lactose intolerance — the latter via a hydrogen breath test. For suspected intolerances, GPs may refer patients to a dietitian for a supervised elimination diet or recommend keeping a food and symptoms diary. The NHS has advised caution regarding home-testing kits, stating that there is limited evidence of their accuracy and that they may recommend unnecessary food avoidance, which can be harmful.
Private testing offers an alternative, with private GPs and clinics charging between £250 and over £800 for blood tests and consultations. Home-to-laboratory services such as Supply Life are more cost effective, with comprehensive tests priced at around £179. Supply Life’s tests are available in packages covering 64 to more than 200 foods. The company holds a high rating of 4.9 stars on Trustpilot, with many customers reporting significant symptom improvement and positive experiences with nutritional support.
However, the scientific validity of IgG testing for food intolerances remains a subject of debate. Some sources argue that these tests have no proven scientific basis and can produce high rates of false positives. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates self-test kits in the UK, and tests sold here must be registered with the MHRA and often carry a CE or UKCA mark. The UK is strengthening regulations for health self-testing kits to combat misleading claims and ensure safety.
Beyond digestive issues, food intolerances can manifest as fatigue, headaches, joint pain, skin problems and irritability. There is also a significant link to mental health: chronic inflammation caused by food sensitivities can contribute to anxiety, depression and mood disorders, mediated by the gut-brain axis. The constant discomfort and uncertainty can lead to social isolation and a reduced quality of life.
Eliminating trigger foods can be challenging. Gluten-free diets, while essential for those with coeliac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, have limited evidence of health benefits for others, and gluten-free products can sometimes be less nutritious and higher in fat, sugar and salt. Lactose intolerance management typically involves limiting dairy, choosing low-lactose options such as hard cheeses and yogurt, or using lactase enzyme supplements. The NHS advises that anyone considering such changes should consult a GP first to rule out serious medical conditions, and does not recommend home-testing kits for food intolerances due to concerns about accuracy and the potential for unnecessary dietary restrictions.