Cyrex Announces Publication in the Journal "Foods" on the Importance of Testing for the Contribution of Raw and Processed Foods to Autoimmunity

PHOENIX, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyrex Laboratories, a clinical laboratory specializing in functional immunology and autoimmunity, today announced the publication of a review article titled "Immune Reactivity to Raw and Processed Foods and Their Possible Contributions to Autoimmunity" in the journal Foods, led by Cyrex' Chief Scientific Advisor, Dr. Aristo Vojdani. 

The publication highlights the importance of testing cooked and processed foods when assessing food sensitivity. Modern food processing techniques can modify food proteins, generating new immunodominant epitopes and neo-antigens that affect the body's immune response. These changes may provoke increased IgE, IgG, and IgA antibody responses compared to raw foods, potentially leading to heightened food sensitivities and autoimmunity through mechanisms like cross-reactivity and molecular mimicry.

Traditional food sensitivity tests, which often rely on raw food antigens, miss clinically relevant reactions to processed foods. Processed and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contribute to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders, and neurodegeneration by promoting intestinal permeability and chronic immune activation.

"To determine how dietary antigens influence autoimmunity, comprehensive and validated food antigen testing is needed that includes processed food forms with purified antigens at optimized concentrations," said Dr. Aristo Vojdani, Chief Scientific Advisor of Cyrex Laboratories and the primary author of the publication. "Testing reactions to both cooked and raw foods provide a clearer representation of an individual's diet and how it may induce autoimmunity."

"At Cyrex, our goal is to provide comprehensive testing of one's immune system through accurate screening panels based on a firm scientific foundation," said Mark McDonough, CEO of Cyrex Laboratories. "Accounting for the modification of food proteins due to a food's raw or processed state avoids erroneous conclusions and provides a clear and comprehensive picture of an individual's immune makeup and their predisposition to food sensitivities."

To take into account the need to screen for compromised immune tolerance to both cooked and raw foods as a more accurate reflection of an individual's diet, Cyrex Laboratories developed the Array 10. This revolutionary assay measures immune reactivity to 180 food antigens and can be used as a key test for early signs of dietary autoimmune triggers and as a dietary monitoring tool.

Article citation: Vojdani A, Vojdani E, BenZvi C, Lerner A. Immune reactivity to raw and processed foods and their possible contributions to autoimmunity. Foods, 2025, 14:1357, doi:10.3390/foods14081357.

This article is open access and may be downloaded in full by clicking this link .

To learn more about these and all other tests offered by Cyrex Laboratories, please visit www.Lymphocytemap.com and www.JoinCyrex.com.

About Cyrex Laboratories:
Cyrex Laboratories is a clinical immunology laboratory specializing in functional immunology and autoimmunity, offering multi-tissue antibody testing for the early detection and monitoring of today's complex autoimmune conditions. It develops innovative testing arrays through continuous collaboration with leading experts in medical research and clinical practice. Cyrex technology is built on four pillars of excellence, including the antigen purification system, optimized antigen concentration, antigen-specific validation and parallel testing technology. Cyrex is based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA and is CLIA licensed in the US and holds a Medical Device Establishment License in Canada.

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SOURCE Cyrex Laboratories