MRT Food Sensitivity Testing: Identifying Hidden Food-Related Inflammation

To order your own MRT test with practitioner interpretation, see this page.

There are 3 categories of diet-induced inflammatory reactions: allergy, autoimmune disease, and sensitivities. Of the 3, sensitivities are the most prevalent.

The MRT (Mediator Release Test), offered through Oxford Biomedical Technologies, is a blood test designed to identify food and food-chemical sensitivities that may be contributing to inflammation in the body.

Unlike food allergies, which create immediate and often obvious reactions, food sensitivities can produce delayed or subtle symptoms that are difficult to connect back to specific foods. These reactions may occur hours or even days after eating, making them especially hard to identify through elimination diets alone.

For many people, this creates a pattern of ongoing symptoms without clear answers - even when they feel like they are eating "healthy."

The MRT test helps identify which foods and food chemicals are triggering an inflammatory response so that dietary changes can be made in a targeted and structured way.

Understanding Food Reactions

There are three primary categories of diet-related immune reactions:

Food allergies (IgE-mediated), which are immediate and can be severe
Autoimmune reactions, where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues
Food sensitivities, which involve inflammatory mediator release without a true allergy

Food sensitivities are the most common of the three and are often associated with chronic, low-grade inflammation rather than immediate symptoms.

This type of inflammation can contribute to symptoms such as:

Digestive discomfort or IBS-type symptoms
Migraines or headaches
Skin issues
Fatigue or brain fog
Joint discomfort
Mood or focus changes
Sleep disturbances

Food sensitivities are rarely the only cause of these symptoms, but they can act as an ongoing stressor that makes other health issues harder to resolve.

How MRT Testing Works

The MRT uses a live blood sample to measure how white blood cells respond when exposed to specific foods and food chemicals. Rather than measuring antibodies, the test quantifies the release of inflammatory mediators - substances involved in the inflammatory response.

This allows the test to identify reactions that may not appear on traditional allergy or antibody-based food sensitivity testing.

The MRT evaluates a wide range of foods, additives, and food chemicals, providing a clearer picture of which foods may be contributing to inflammation and which are least reactive for the individual.

Why Interpretation Matters

One of the biggest mistakes with food sensitivity testing is removing too many foods or staying restricted for too long.

The goal of MRT testing is not long-term avoidance, but strategic, temporary removal of reactive foods to reduce inflammation and allow the body to stabilize.

Practitioner interpretation helps:

Prioritize which foods to remove first
Prevent overly restrictive diets
Create a structured reintroduction plan
Identify patterns that may point to underlying gut or immune issues
Integrate results with other testing or symptoms

Without interpretation, many people either eliminate unnecessary foods or struggle to implement the results effectively.

MRT Testing May Be Recommended If:

You feel like you’re eating well but still don’t feel your best
Symptoms seem inconsistent or hard to trace to specific foods
Digestive, skin, or inflammatory symptoms persist despite dietary changes
You want a structured way to identify potential food triggers
You are willing to temporarily remove reactive foods to evaluate improvement

MRT Testing May Not Be Recommended If:

You are looking to confirm a known food allergy
You are unable to have blood drawn
Your current diet is already extremely limited
You are not willing to temporarily remove foods during the testing phase
You live in New York State and are not willing to travel out of state for the blood draw (state regulations require this)

The Goal of MRT Testing

The goal is not to create a permanent restrictive diet, but to reduce inflammatory load so the body has an opportunity to heal and symptoms can be evaluated more clearly.

When used appropriately, MRT testing can help remove guesswork and provide a clearer starting point for nutrition decisions moving forward.

To read more about the Oxford Biomedical MRT, click here.

MRT testing is often recommended alongside GI-MAP stool testing, because gut health directly affects how the immune system responds to foods. Identifying and supporting underlying gut imbalances helps prevent unnecessary long-term food restrictions and these makes results more actionable.

Example report example below (does not show practitioner interpretation and individualized analysis that comes with our package, but shows the broad range of foods tested):