Overview
- Products: At-home blood testing for food intolerances, and professional consultations
- Cost: $27.50-$140 per test.
- Reports: Positive/negative antibody testing, analysis of individual food and drink reactions.
- Privacy: Smartblood claims they will never pass personal data to any parties outside of sample collection and processing. Users will be granted the ability to erase their data at any time.
- Alternatives: SelfDecode provides personalized health and dietary recommendations supported by peer-reviewed genetic studies based on your DNA and labs. SelfDecode promises to never sell or give away your data to any third parties.
Pros
- If no reactions are found in the Full Smartblood Food Intolerance Test Programme, an 80% refund will be offered
- Smartblood offers text and email alerts with results
- The Full Smartblood Food Intolerance Test Programme ($140 test) includes a 30 minute consultation with a registered nutritional therapist
Cons
- Does not test for genetic variants/SNPs
- Does not provide personalized health recommendations based on results
- The reports do not provide any additional information outside of the direct results
- Does not provide scientific validation of methods
About Smartblood
Smartblood Ltd is a small company located in Exeter, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2017.
The company strives to build a user friendly food intolerance tracking service that is speedy and reliable. They believe that combining food intolerance testing with advice from a licensed nutritionist will improve their client’s health outcomes.
Review of Smartblood Products & Features
Smartblood offers two main blood tests, the 1st Step Test, and the Full Smartblood Test.
The 1st Step Test is the basic package, it offers a binary result that checks for 134 foods and drinks. Therefore, if the customer tests positive for an intolerance for one of the 134 foods or drinks in the list, they will get a “positive” result. The company recommends that positive results should be followed up with their more advanced test, the Full Smartblood Test.
The Full Smartblood Test checks for each of the 134 food and beverage antibody reactions. The test results are not binary, they are listed on a scale of 0-5 in terms of intolerance severity. A consultation with an affiliated registered nutritionist will be arranged to discuss the results.
Both tests are delivered as kits to the customers. The kits include all the materials necessary for conducting the finger prick to collect the blood sample, and to ship it back to the laboratory.
Review of Smartblood Reports
Depending on the test that the customer chooses, the reports will differ.
For the 1st Step Test, the reports are very short, featuring a one page positive or negative result. The 1st Step Test is very simple to understand, and is color-coded depending on the result that the customer gets.
For the Full Smartblood Test, the reports will include a summary of each item tested, on a scale of 0-5. The reports will also include visualizations, such as the chart from the sample report below.
Another way that the data is visualized is the overview section, seen above. This section includes each food or drink and the level of intolerance divided by category, such as the grains and staples, and dairy and eggs section.
Cost of Smartblood
Since the company is based out of the United Kingdom, the prices are offered in pound sterling on the company’s website. When converted to U.S. dollars, the 1st Step Test costs $27.50 and the Full Smartblood Test costs $140 per test.
For both tests, postage and packaging costs are included in the listed price.
The company’s terms & conditions also mention that customers can return their kit within 30 days as long as it is not damaged or not used. Additionally, if there is an error in collecting the blood sample, the company will send you another kit free of charge.
Health Recommendations from Smartblood
Smartblood does not offer health recommendations with their reports. The reports offer visualizations of the customer’s sensitivities, or a simple positive/negative result, but with no other health advice.
That being said, the Full Smartblood Test does include a 30 minute consultation with a certified nutritionist, which would include health recommendations and advice regarding the customer’s results from the test. However, the 1st Step Test will not include the consultation, and no health recommendations are included.
Limitations of Smartblood
While Smartblood provides a convenient at-home blood test for food intolerances and offers a consultation with a licensed nutritionist with its Full Test, there are several limitations compared to more comprehensive health platforms.
Smartblood does not offer DNA testing, meaning it cannot provide insights based on your genetic makeup. It also does not deliver personalized health recommendations beyond the scope of food sensitivities, nor does it integrate lab markers or other health data into its analysis. The reports focus solely on antibody reactions to specific foods, without a holistic view of overall health, diet, or lifestyle.
For individuals looking to optimize their health using both genetics and lab markers, SelfDecode provides more complete solutions. SelfDecode uses DNA to give personalized diet, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations, and integrates blood test results to deliver actionable insights. This platform offers a holistic, science-backed approach to health, covering both genetic risk factors and lab-based markers, something Smartblood cannot provide.
Review of Smartblood Privacy & Data Security
Smartblood includes their main privacy claims within the privacy policy on their website. The policy claims that they will not release or sell private customer data to anyone but the parties that need to use the information to process the sample to deliver the service.
The privacy policy also states that customers have the right to erase their personal health data that is sent to the company. Customers can also opt out of anonymized information that is collected by the website.
Smartblood Reviews
There are currently no customer reviews on Google or Amazon. There is limited discussion on social media, with the company receiving no reviews on Facebook.
Alternatives to Smartblood
For a more complete approach to health, SelfDecode is a powerful alternative to Smartblood. Unlike Smartblood, which only tests for food intolerances, SelfDecode analyzes up to 200 million genetic variants and integrates thousands of lab markers, symptoms, and lifestyle factors to deliver truly personalized, actionable recommendations.
Using advanced AI and ancestry-adjusted polygenic risk scoring validated in published studies, SelfDecode provides accurate predictions for a wide range of health conditions and traits. Its reports cover over 1,500 health topics, from nutrition and fitness to mental health and chronic disease risk, offering a holistic view of your health rather than focusing on a single type of measurement.
Recommendations are science-backed and explained, so you understand why each change is suggested, unlike Smartblood, which only provides a positive/negative or severity rating for food sensitivities.
SelfDecode also guarantees strict privacy and security, compliant with HIPAA and GDPR, and never sells or shares your data. With DNA and lab integration in a single platform, you get comprehensive, personalized health insights and actionable guidance, all for a fraction of the cost of multiple Smartblood tests.
Smartblood Review Summary
Smartblood offers customers a way to understand if they have food intolerances based on a wide variety of food and drinks, but it falls short in many aspects. The basic test offering will only alert the customer that there is a “positive” reaction to a list of over 130 foods, meaning that if only one food has a slight intolerance, the customer will need to purchase the Full Test.
This Full Test will cost about $140, and even with the 30-minute consultation, individuals interested in learning more about their health could find a more comprehensive service for a comparable price.
Alternatives such as SelfDecode offer a DNA test that delivers diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations aimed at improving overall health.
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