--- title: "Food Allergy Tests | Sutter Health" description: "I had a food allergy test about five years ago. All the tests came back negative. How long are the tests reliable? Can I still get a new food allergy in the future?" url: "/ask-an-expert/answers/food-allergy-tests-1051061289" --- 1. Home / 2. Food Allergy Tests # Food Allergy Tests * * * Medically reviewed by - Steven Machtinger, M.D. ## Question I had a food allergy test about five years ago. All the tests came back negative. How long are the tests reliable? Can I still get a new food allergy in the future? ## Answer The significance of a food allergy test cannot be interpreted out of context. For example, if you had a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction to peanuts but the food allergy test was negative, it would not necessarily mean you could resume eating peanuts. You would have to eat peanuts in a safe and controlled setting, like the allergist's office, to see if anaphylaxis was really due to peanuts. A very positive test would negate the need to have an oral challenge. On the other hand, if you presented to the allergist with symptoms such as headache or abdominal pain and tests to see if foods were the cause were negative, you could reasonably conclude that food allergy was not the reason for your complaints. Lastly, if you have had no new symptoms in the intervening five years, you can rely on the previous tests. ## Explore related topics Breathing and allergiesFood Allergies ## Meet our care team Steven Machtinger, M.D. Allergy and Immunology Pediatric Allergy and Immunology ## Related questions View all questions - Health Q&A ### Symptoms of Food Allergies How can I know if I have a lagging reaction to a specific food? - Health Q&A ### Allergies Plus Shortness of Breath? I struggle with seasonal allergies and take Claritin, plus use a neti pot. This season, I have also had shortness of breath and light coughing, but no wheezing. It's hard to do my usual workouts. Is there some kind of inhaler I can use? - Health Q&A ### Allergy Treatment I've been plugged up for months with allergies. I've used decongestants, antihistamines, and sinus rinses but nothing seems to help. Any advice? - Health Q&A ### Allergy and Cold Symptoms: How Are They Different? My 6-year-old daughter has recently been sneezing, coughing and is tired. How can I tell if this is caused by allergies or if it's a common cold? - Health Q&A ### Are Allergies and Asthma Inherited? Are some allergies and asthma inherited? My sister and I seem to be allergic to the same foods and pollens. Also do children ever outgrow these conditions? View all questions ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/food-allergy-tests-1051061289#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Food Allergy Tests"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/food-allergy-tests-1051061289#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/food-allergy-tests-1051061289","name":"Food Allergy Tests","description":"The significance of a food allergy test cannot be interpreted out of context.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/food-allergy-tests-1051061289#breadcrumblist"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/food-allergy-tests-1051061289#question","name":"Food Allergy Tests","text":"I had a food allergy test about five years ago. All the tests came back negative. How long are the tests reliable? Can I still get a new food allergy in the future?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/food-allergy-tests-1051061289#answer","text":"The significance of a food allergy test cannot be interpreted out of context. For example, if you had a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction to peanuts but the food allergy test was negative, it would not necessarily mean you could resume eating peanuts. You would have to eat peanuts in a safe and controlled setting, like the allergist's office, to see if anaphylaxis was really due to peanuts. A very positive test would negate the need to have an oral challenge. On the other hand, if you presented to the allergist with symptoms such as headache or abdominal pain and tests to see if foods were the cause were negative, you could reasonably conclude that food allergy was not the reason for your complaints. 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