

Desertcart purchases this item on your behalf and handles shipping, customs, and support to Japan.
🧪 Decode your gut, reclaim your life—before your next meal!
The 5Strands Food Intolerance Test analyzes 800 common food items via a simple at-home hair sample, delivering clinically validated results within 4 days. Covering 14 food categories, it identifies intolerance severity levels to guide personalized dietary adjustments, backed by third-party research and expert nutritional support—empowering adults and kids to optimize gut health and reduce chronic symptoms.







| Best Sellers Rank | #23,051 in Health & Household ( See Top 100 in Health & Household ) #7 in Genetic Tests |
| Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 2,581 Reviews |
Y**A
Changed my life
Had some problems initially buying from Amazon as there was no way for the company to track it and it disappeared for a while. I sounded like it would be quite complicated if it didn’t show up. Luckily it did and the results arrived very quickly. Literally has changed my life. I had been to allergist who said I was allergic to nothing. I had been to specialist and no explanation for my Gastro intestinal distress. Understanding sensitivies Makes my life make sense. The foods I thought I was allergic to, not anaphylaxis, but definitely distress when eating, while not popping on the allergy test Were definitely confirmed here. I bought this with the hope of the advertising reducing pain and inflammation. I haven’t really seen results in that department but the results I have seen have been amazing. I wasn’t thrilled to getting my results a month before the holidays and finding out I have Hi sensitivities to every Holiday food there is, But I was in such constant pain I was willing to make adjustments and have non-traditional holiday meals. I knew they were foods like potatoes and eggs that would create great distress on my insides. It may be TMI but I know it will be helpful to know, my insides were a mess with gas and bloating on a daily basis. There were times I thought I must have intestinal cancer and was dying the pain was so bad. I was constipated all the time. Again, the knowledge I received from this test, changed everything. I was not thrilled and very very overwhelmed with the amount of foods I had intolerances to. It was right on target with foods I knew I already had problems with. I was super excited that it was egg white causing problems because I don’t like them anyway. I immediately made myself toast with egg yolks and was in heaven and zero pain! Again, the results are super overwhelming and you have to take them in a little bit at a time. Make changes as you adjust. I called the company and spoke to the nutritionist for an hour and a half. He was super awesome! Answered all my questions and explain things patiently to the point I wasn’t freaking out anymore. I did All the tests And while it’s helpful knowing the vitamins and minerals I don’t metabolize correctly and the environmental stuff because that makes a lot of sense with the Health issues I have, it was nice confirmation but beyond that I haven’t done much with the information because I don’t know that I can. The food portion though I referred to again and again. It is too much to process at once so I go back to it frequently and realize I can have food so I didn’t think I could originally from being so overwhelmed. The first week I just ate the foods that I had on hand that I didn’t have any problems with. I eat as much as normal. The only big change I needed to adjust to was not having my half-and-half in my coffee. Or I should say the coffee in my half and half. I use about half a cup for my latte. I could have coconut and almond milk but that is not something that excited me in anyway shape or form. I like my coffee Creamy and they’re just not rich enough. I enjoy one cuppa caffeine a day and I wasn’t willing to give it up so I suffered through. The first week, with just that one change, I lost 4 1/2 pounds. I felt better. My gut started feeling better. It was significant enough that I had the courage to stick to the plan. My diet became very limited in choice, But again the significant improvement and continual weight loss kept me on track. I started feeling better and better inside. I thought there were things I could never give up, like cooking with garlic! There were many items on the list I thought I never had a problem with. But as my insides started feeling better and better, I quickly and painfully realized that I did indeed have a problem with those items! I was just in so much pain all the time I never noticed. When I was sick with Covid I had made myself some soup with garlic to help me breathe. This was only within the first two weeks of cutting the intolerant food out. And let me tell you, the pain I felt after feeling so much better convinced me that I don’t need garlic in my food anymore.In less than three months, 32 pounds melted off. I emphasize I still ate as much as before I just ate foods I wasn’t intolerant to. I did not add exercise yet. While I wasn’t pleased with some of the substitutions I had to make, it honestly was not as difficult as an adjustment as I thought it would be. I have to admit after three months I started cheating because I was feeling deprived by my lack of variety. The weight loss stopped but that’s OK because I’m getting used to my new body and I can’t afford to keep buying new clothes. I plan on recommitting soon as I can tell the difference in my insides. Even though it’s only about 20% of the past discomfort, it really isn’t worth it when I know how good I can feel. When I eat new foods that aren’t on the list, I know immediately if they are not OK. If you were ready to make a significant change in your life, this is well worth the investment. I had like five people who saw the changes in me and got it themselves. Those who abuse the information have seen improvement. Those who were overwhelmed And didn’t bother are still suffering. Again I have to stress it is very overwhelming to get these results. Do not let it discourage you. You just have to be ready to change. If you are just take it bit by bit and you will see results
C**R
It really helped me so much without breaking the bank
I decided to try this test after dealing with ongoing stomach discomfort that I couldn't explain. The process was simple, the results came back quickly, and it gave me useful insights that helped me make better food choices.
C**Y
Ineffective Recommendations
I struggle with seasonal allergies and I had this test done at the behest of my doctor, who thought it would give me some valuable insight in suggesting what foods I should avoid, if any. In short, I don't think that this test is accurate enough to give good data and recommendations, at least in my case. For starters, my test came back that I had strong intolerance to beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and tuna - the most common proteins I was consuming. I had yellow/red flags on about 40% of the items that the test covers, so these recommendations were extremely limiting. Despite the limitations, I went through the process of removing all of these foods and made an honest and structured go of it. By the end of the first week, I had immense stomach issues. I toughed it out into the third week, attempting to tweak my diet and stayed on track the entire time. I thought that maybe my stomach just needed time to adjust to the new diet. By the end of the third week, I ejected from trying to follow the test's recommendations, and I felt better by the next day. I went back to my old diet, more or less, which was still healthy and balanced. Listening to my body and keeping a food log has been a long-standing practice in general for me, and being aware of what I eat is clearly far more valuable than anything this test presented to me. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are experiencing a lot of discomfort and need to weed out potential intolerances, but even then, I think that the test was quite suspect in how it grades your intolerances, as it flagged dozens of items red to me that have obviously had no perceptible negative affect on me.
M**M
I would have paid hundreds
We spent over $6000 last year trying to diagnose the myriad of digestive issues I was having and the only answer we got, which I had known since I was 14, was "you have severe chronic IBS". My life was becoming unmanageable and I was in daily pain and discomfort. I knew I had some food intolerances, but I had no idea how many I truly had and what was causing them. I purchased a different diagnostic product and was able to find a myriad of foods that were bothering me, but the information was still too vague. For example, according to that testing - I couldn't eat apples. I wanted more information so for a very small price point tried the 5 Strands. I got my kit, sent in my hair, and about 6 days later - I had the most comprehensive report that gave me so much more information than I thought possible (via email and via the website). I love that the test breaks foods down, for example, my previous testing indicated I couldn't eat apples. Through 5 Strands, I've learned there are two apple varieties that I can have! The test breaks food into categories like: beverage, dairy, anti-coagulant, food dye, etc. Even better - fruits and vegetables that come in varieties are broken down (like red, yellow, green). With the vegetables, the test even tells you if you can have it in it’s raw form or cooked form! My test indicated I have 393 food intolerances. While that feels overwhelming, now that I'm several weeks into my elimination diet and learning what I can have - I finally feel like I have my life back. Two years ago I considered applying for disability because I couldn't make it more than an hour without pain. Now, I'm about to go back to work full time and I'm in the best physical shape of my life. I rarely have issues, and to be honest, I'm not even convinced I have "IBS". I have A LOT of food intolerances, to many of the common foods and it has been work to figure out how to substitute quinoa and hemp milk for everything ;) BUT - I'm getting healthy and I feel better than I've felt in decades. Without this test - there’s no way I would have known I can tolerate cooked carrots vs raw for example. My only small complaint was that the test results aren't in Excel format. I'm an excel person and I wanted to be able to sort the data in different ways. I put it all into a spreadsheet myself, but it would have been a great option. That's the most minor detail though and it's hardly worth mentioning because this test is so worth it. I've made videos on my Facebook, talk about it to my friends, and am buying them for my children. Everyone should have the opportunity to gain this much insight into their dietary health!
M**N
Worth trying as one piece of health information.
US post office took a good 14+ days to get the item to the testing lab. Once it was at the lab, it was finished within two business days. It is a fairly comprehensive test doing many different categories however, there’s some things that I assumed would be tested that were not. Because I am celiac I really wanted some of the grains like sourgum flour tested . There is a download app that you can use to access easier than your files. However, my app does not pull any of the spices and several other categories so you can’t always trust it and I go to the file to doublecheck. I had a similar test done through my naturopathic physician‘s office several years ago except they use blood rather than hair. As it is sensitivity testing, I know that your gut can heal from various reactions and it seemed like in some cases I had however, eggs did not show up as reactive at all and yet they still are for me so I’m wondering about that one overall I’m glad that I did it But I would be disappointed if I’d spent quite a bit more money. I purchased it on Amazon prime days.
S**E
PAIN
As a diabetic, I’m used to pricking my finger at least once a day. But this was ridiculous. You prick your finger and the blood does not drop. you stroke your finger. You stroke your wrist, your arm, whatever the hot water, you name it and the blood just does not come out where it DROPS from your finger (per instructions ).Four of my fingers on my left hand are black and blue. If you’re female with a nice nails, good luck. You may find that the blood just runs underneath your nails even if you hold your finger horizontal to the table top. Also, they only give you three lancets, and they only work once. My diabetic ones can be used again and again and again which one does not do but it can be done. The test is very expensive. I understand lab work involved, and that costs. But, only three lancets when you have many many many dots to cover with blood and one drop, doesn’t usually cover it especially when the drop rolls off the side of your finger and hits someplace else . If you hold your finger flat out so the blood can drop you can’t see where the drop is coming from. Perhaps if I held my hand and the testing card up above my eyes, it would work, but then how would I stroke my hand to get the blood to drop? They are extremely cheap on the accessories they send you. They should rethink this. I will be telling my Doctor who recommended this. I think it would be far better to have the test go to your doctor have them draw some blood with a syringe and then drop it onto the dots. I have faith in the test results because of what my doctor told me, but I think the process of doing the test needs to be revisited! ***The results were awesome. I do recommend it…just get past the the blood letting.
S**R
simple to collect data at home
I liked how simple it was to collect the sample at home without having to schedule an appointment. The large number of items tested also gave me plenty of information to look through when reviewing my results.
A**O
Know what you can eat
I would say it’s about 97% accurate it was right on the money when it come to my Lactose intolerance issues, it gave high marks for milk and plain yogurt along with cheddar cheese ,specially with some fruits among many other things
M**X
Game changer!
This has been the best thing I've done for myself in a while. I was really hesitant at first but this has been so worth it!! I've seen many specialist and nobody could figure out my issue, so I took it upon myself to figure it out. This test weirdly really works! I followed the diet and my issues are completely gone!! Great product!
M**S
Para quienes están en México y a los que nunca se les quita la inflamación este test es para ti!
Hasta el agua me inflamaba!, estoy encantada con este estudio, llevaba años buscando porque me inflamaba y tenía estreñimiento y estaba cansada de las benditas dietas fodmaps que funcionaban unas semanas pero muy restrictivas y sabía que había que hacer el esfuerzo para ver el cambio, esto no me lo recomendó el médico, esto surgió a raíz de que le conté sobre un síntoma que tenía, que a veces comía e inmediatamente me daba tos y comenzaba a vomitar como una especie de baba blanca, transparente, como forma. Y era muchísima y el Dr me dijo, eso es un síntoma de alergia o intolerancia a algún alimento, y no es que el agua te inflame, es que el líquido hace que se termine de esparcir muchísimo la sustancia que no toleras. Y esto fue el impulso para comprar esta prueba. Y pues me dejó impresionada, porque yo estaba negada a dejar algunos alimentos, ir según eran buenos para el metabolismo, la regulación hormonal, que los recomendaban en todas partes y me puse a sacar cuentas, desde que comencé esos hábitos comencé a ganar mucho peso y a estar enferma por todo y mi periodo menstrual no se arreglaba, entre ellos el bendito vinagre de manzana, el hinojo, el romero, la albahaca, el aceite de aguacate que eran infaltables en mis comidas!. Y yo culpando al gluten por mi estreñimiento pero no, eran otros aditamentos en el pan, como la yema del huevo. En la dietas bajas en fodmaps me dejaron fresas, arándanos y cosas así y resulta que tengo intolerancia a las antocianinas responsables de esa coloración, y cada vez que comía fresas con crema le echaba la culpa a la crema por los gases y a crema de leche no me perjudica para nada. Entonces se los súper recomiendo, es difícil querer quitarse alimentos de la dieta, pero cuando llevas muchos años inflamado y nada te sirve debes dar un salto de fe a confiar y hacerlo diferente, te indican que son 3 meses sin estos alimentos con marcas amarillas y rojas. Ya luego a puedes introducirlos a ver cómo te va. Yo estoy en chihuahua México, dentro de Estados Unidos el envío de la muestra no tiene costo, yo envié mi muestra junto con la de mi esposo por DHL, hay un envío que cuesta casi 1500mxn y llega en 8 días, y otro más caro que cuesta 1900 y llega en 3 días, para los que estamos en México cundo registras el kit por no ser envío interno solo te avisa cuando lo recibieron, no te da para hacer seguimiento. Una vez que recibieron la muestra notificaron y en 4 días tuvimos los resultados al correo. Me faltó mencionar, hasta los productos que se aplican en las uñas aparecen, hace años dejé deje de hacerme uñas de shellac o de cualquier tipo porque me dolían y no sabía porque, y en la prueba me apareció que soy altamente intolerante al shellac. Espero que les sirva mi súper larguísima opinión!
P**R
Scam, don’t bother.
Would give less if I could, it’s a scam.
S**A
Hyper complet, je suis ravie
A priori ce sont d'incroyables résultats, 650 aliments testés ! Après, est-ce véridique ? je vais essayer de retirer ces aliments de mon alimentation, et j'espère que j'irai mieux ! D'après ce test, je suis intolérante au chocolat au lait, poulet, gluten, lait de vache, mais je peux manger de la dinde, du chocolat noir, du riz, du fromage, du bœuf et du porc ! En plus je n'y avais pas pensé mais la liste d'aliments est bien dans ma langue le français ! J'ai dû envoyer mes cheveux aux USA pour un affranchissement de 4 euros et quelques. En moins de 10 jours, ma lettre avait traversé l'océan et j'avais les résultats !
S**L
Easier than getting a doctor in Canada to do theese type of testz
Took a bit longer for the lab to process the sample. Im pretty sure they misplaced it after contacting customer service results were in 2 days. That being said my results were really eye opening 60 foods plus a lot of food dyes and preservatives. In Canada its very hard to get a doctor to do this testing, now i eliminate these from my diet and hopefully my tummy will feel better
Trustpilot
1 month ago
1 week ago