If you’ve been dealing with chronic migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, or unexplained inflammatory symptoms, your healthcare provider may have recommended the Mediator Release Test (MRT). This blood test is the clinical backbone of the LEAP (Lifestyle, Eating, and Performance) dietary protocol — and it’s the foundation of every product assessment in the Wellbloom directory.

This guide explains what the MRT 176 panel tests, how it differs from standard allergy testing, and how to interpret your results.

What Is the MRT 176 Panel?

The MRT 176 is a patented blood test developed by Oxford Biomedical Technologies that measures your immune system’s mediator release response to 176 different foods and chemicals. Unlike IgE allergy tests (which detect immediate allergic reactions) or IgG panels (which measure antibody levels of uncertain clinical significance), the MRT measures the volumetric changes in white blood cells when exposed to specific substances.

When your immune system reacts to a food or chemical, white blood cells release inflammatory mediators — histamine, cytokines, prostaglandins, and others. These mediators are what cause symptoms. The MRT quantifies this release, giving your practitioner a precise map of which substances trigger the strongest inflammatory response in your body.

What Does the Panel Test?

The MRT 176 panel screens two categories of substances:

149 Foods

The food panel covers a comprehensive cross-section of the typical Western diet, including:

• Proteins: Beef, chicken, pork, turkey, lamb, duck, venison, egg white, egg yolk
• Seafood: Salmon, tuna, cod, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallop, sardine, tilapia, and 10 others
• Dairy: Cow’s milk, cottage cheese, American cheese, whey, yogurt
• Grains: Wheat, corn, rice, oat, barley, rye, spelt, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, sorghum
• Legumes: Soybean, peanut, lentil, kidney bean, pinto bean, navy bean, lima bean, green bean, green pea
• Fruits: Apple, banana, blueberry, strawberry, grape, orange, lemon, mango, pineapple, watermelon, and 15+ others
• Vegetables: Tomato, potato, spinach, broccoli, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, mushroom, sweet potato, and 15+ others
• Nuts & Seeds: Almond, walnut, pecan, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, coconut, sesame, sunflower
• Herbs & Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, basil, oregano, cumin, black pepper, mint, vanilla, and others
• Sweeteners: Cane sugar, honey, maple sugar, fructose
• Oils: Olive, canola/rapeseed, safflower

27 Chemicals

This is where MRT stands apart from other food sensitivity tests. The chemical panel includes additives, preservatives, and compounds commonly found in processed foods:

• Artificial colors: FD&C Blue #1, Blue #2, Red #3, Red #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6
• Sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, Fructose
• Preservatives: Benzoic acid, Sodium metabisulfite, Potassium nitrate
• Emulsifiers: Lecithin (soy), Polysorbate 80, Carrageenan
• Flavor compounds: MSG, Coumarin/Vanillin, Capsaicin
• Biogenic amines: Tyramine, Phenylethylamine
• Medications: Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Caffeine
• Other: Citric acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Salicylic acid, Solanine, Candida albicans

How Is the MRT Different from Other Food Sensitivity Tests?

How to Read Your MRT Results

Your MRT results are presented as a color-coded bar chart:

• Green (Low Reactive) — These foods produced minimal mediator release. They are your safest options and form the foundation of your Phase 1 elimination diet.
• Yellow (Moderate Reactive) — These foods triggered a moderate response. They are typically reintroduced during Phase 2 under practitioner guidance.
• Red (High Reactive) — These foods caused significant mediator release. They should be strictly avoided during the initial protocol phases and reintroduced last, if at all.

It’s important to understand that MRT results are unique to each individual. A food that’s green for one person may be red for another. This is why working with a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT) is essential — they can interpret your specific pattern and build a personalized dietary plan.

Where Wellbloom Fits In

The Wellbloom product directory cross-references the MRT 176 panel against the ingredient lists of over 20,000 grocery products. For each product, our system:

1. Scans every ingredient against all 176 tested substances
2. Identifies direct matches, derivative matches, and chemical matches
3. Assigns a risk classification (Low Risk, Moderate Risk, High Risk, or Requires Testing)
4. Determines LEAP phase compatibility
5. Generates a clinical narrative explaining the assessment

This means you can search for any product and instantly see which MRT triggers it contains — saving hours of label-reading and cross-referencing.

Getting Tested

The MRT requires a blood draw that is then sent to Oxford Biomedical Technologies for analysis. You can get your blood drawn at:

• A Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT) — Many practitioners can order the test and coordinate the blood draw
• A blood draw lab near you — Search our directory of partner labs
• A mobile phlebotomist — Convenient in-home blood draws available in many areas

The LEAP ImmunoCalm® Dietary Protocol is a structured elimination and reintroduction diet designed to reduce chronic inflammation caused by food and chemical sensitivities. Unlike generic elimination diets that remove broad food groups, LEAP is personalized — built entirely from your individual MRT (Mediator Release Test) results.

This guide walks you through each phase of the protocol, what to expect, and practical tips for success.

How LEAP Works: The Core Principle

The LEAP protocol operates on a simple but powerful premise: if you stop eating the foods that trigger your immune system’s inflammatory response, your symptoms will improve.

Your MRT results identify exactly which foods and chemicals cause mediator release in your white blood cells. The LEAP diet then uses this data to:

1. Build an initial diet from your least reactive foods (your safest options)
2. Gradually reintroduce moderately reactive foods one at a time
3. Establish a long-term, sustainable eating pattern that minimizes inflammation

This process is guided by a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT) — a dietitian or nutritionist with specialized training in food sensitivity management.

Phase 1: Elimination (Days 1–14)

What Happens

Your CLT selects approximately 20–25 of your lowest-reactive foods from your MRT results. For two weeks, you eat only these foods — nothing else. No seasonings, sauces, or condiments unless they’re on your approved list.

Why It’s Strict

The goal is to give your immune system a complete rest. By eating only foods that produce virtually zero mediator release, you create a clean inflammatory baseline. Most patients begin noticing symptom improvement within 5–10 days.

What to Expect

• Days 1–3: Possible withdrawal symptoms (headaches, fatigue, irritability) as your body adjusts
• Days 4–7: Symptoms begin to stabilize; many patients report the first noticeable improvement
• Days 8–14: Continued improvement; you establish your “baseline” symptom level

Practical Tips

• Meal prep on Sunday for the week — limited ingredients means simpler cooking
• Keep a symptom journal (rate symptoms 1–10 daily)
• Drink plenty of water; some people use water as their only beverage in Phase 1
• Use the Wellbloom directory to find pre-made products that are safe for your Phase 1 list

Phase 2: Reintroduction (Weeks 3–8+)

What Happens

Once you’ve established your baseline, your CLT begins adding back foods one at a time — typically starting with your yellow (moderately reactive) MRT foods. Each new food is introduced in isolation and monitored for 48–72 hours before adding the next one.

The Challenge Protocol

1. Eat the challenge food 2–3 times on Day 1 in reasonable portions
2. Return to your baseline diet for Days 2 and 3
3. Monitor for any symptom flare-ups during the 72-hour window
4. If no reaction: the food is added to your safe list
5. If reaction occurs: remove the food and wait until symptoms clear before testing the next one

What to Expect

• Most yellow foods will pass the challenge — your diet expands significantly
• Some surprises: a food you thought was safe may trigger a reaction, and vice versa
• This phase requires patience — rushing the process can muddy your results
• Your CLT will adjust the order of reintroduction based on your symptom patterns

Phase 3: Maintenance (Ongoing)

What Happens

By Phase 3, you have a clear picture of your safe foods, your conditional foods (tolerated in moderation), and your trigger foods (to be avoided long-term). Your CLT helps you build a sustainable, nutritionally complete meal plan.

Key Principles

• Rotation: Even safe foods should be rotated every 3–4 days to prevent developing new sensitivities
• Variety: Eat as wide a variety of safe foods as possible for nutritional completeness
• Retesting: Some practitioners recommend retesting MRT after 6–12 months, as sensitivities can shift over time
• Label vigilance: Always check ingredient labels — manufacturers change formulations frequently

How Wellbloom Supports Each Phase

Finding a Certified LEAP Therapist

The LEAP protocol is designed to be administered by a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT). These are licensed healthcare professionals (typically registered dietitians) who have completed advanced training in food sensitivity management through Oxford Biomedical Technologies.

Use our CLT directory to find a practitioner near you. Many CLTs offer telehealth consultations, so location doesn’t have to be a barrier.

Grocery shopping on the LEAP elimination diet can feel overwhelming. Every product requires reading the ingredient list, cross-referencing against your MRT results, and making judgment calls about ambiguous ingredients like “natural flavors” or “spices.” Wellbloom eliminates that guesswork.

Our directory indexes over 20,000 grocery products from the USDA FoodData Central database, each one analyzed against all 176 substances on the MRT panel. Here’s how to get the most out of it.

Searching for Products

By Product Name

The simplest way to use Wellbloom: type a product name into the search bar on the homepage. For example, searching “organic peanut butter” will return all matching products with their MRT risk assessment.

By UPC Code

Have a product in your hand at the store? Enter the UPC barcode number directly into the search bar. Wellbloom will return the exact product with its full safety assessment. This is the most precise way to check a specific item.

By Brand

Browse all products from a specific manufacturer by visiting their brand page. We index over 500 brands including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Whole Foods Market, McCormick, Conagra, and hundreds more.

Understanding Product Assessments

Every product page on Wellbloom includes:

Risk Classification

Each product is assigned one of four risk levels:

• Low Risk — Zero MRT-tested triggers found. No ambiguous ingredients. These are your safest options for Phase 1.
• Moderate Risk — 1–2 MRT triggers identified. These products may be suitable for Phase 2 reintroduction under practitioner guidance.
• High Risk — 3 or more MRT triggers found. These products contain multiple reactive substances and are best avoided during the initial LEAP phases.
• Requires Testing — Contains ambiguous ingredients like “natural flavors,” “spices,” or other umbrella terms that could hide MRT-tested substances. Check with your CLT.

LEAP Phase Compatibility

Each product is tagged with its earliest compatible LEAP phase:

• Phase 1 — Elimination Safe: Can be used during the strict elimination phase
• Phase 2 — Reintroduction: Contains 1–2 triggers suitable for controlled reintroduction
• Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided: Contains multiple triggers; use only with CLT approval

Flagged Ingredient Mapping

The most detailed section of each assessment: a table showing exactly which ingredients map to which MRT-tested substances, and what type of match was identified:

• DIRECT_MATCH: The ingredient is directly on the MRT panel (e.g., “soybean” → Soybean)
• DERIVATIVE_MATCH: The ingredient is derived from a tested substance (e.g., “soy lecithin” → Lecithin (Soy) + Soybean)
• CHEMICAL_MATCH: The ingredient matches a tested chemical (e.g., “carrageenan” → Carrageenan)

Clinical Narrative

A plain-language explanation of the assessment findings, written in clinical third-person tone. This narrative summarizes the trigger count, explains the risk classification, and notes any ambiguous ingredients that require caution.

Shopping Strategies

Phase 1: Building Your Safe List

1. Get your MRT results from your CLT
2. Search Wellbloom for products containing only your green-rated foods
3. Filter for “Low Risk” products — these have zero known triggers
4. Build a shopping list of 15–20 staple products
5. Save or bookmark your safe products for repeat purchases

Phase 2: Planning Reintroductions

1. When your CLT approves a food for reintroduction, search for products containing it
2. Choose “Moderate Risk” products with only that specific trigger
3. Avoid products with multiple triggers during a challenge — you need to isolate the variable

At the Store

• Use your phone to search by UPC — scan the barcode and type the numbers into Wellbloom
• When in doubt about an ingredient, search the product before buying
• “Natural flavors” is the most common ambiguous ingredient — if a product is otherwise safe, ask your CLT about it

Understanding Our Data

Wellbloom’s product database is sourced from the USDA FoodData Central Branded Foods dataset, which contains nutritional and ingredient data for over 400,000 products sold in the United States. Our analysis engine cross-references each product’s ingredient list against the complete MRT 176 panel, identifying both direct and indirect matches.

Important limitations:

• Product formulations change — manufacturers may update ingredients without notice. Always verify the physical label against our database.
• Our assessments are procedural data interpretations, not medical guidance. They identify which MRT-tested substances appear in a product’s ingredients, but they cannot replace your individual MRT results or your CLT’s clinical judgment.
• “Low Risk” does not mean “safe for everyone” — it means zero MRT-panel triggers were identified. Your individual reactivity depends on your personal test results.

Getting Started

Ready to simplify your LEAP grocery shopping? Here’s what to do next:

1. Search the directory — Try searching for a product you eat regularly
2. Find a CLT — If you haven’t been tested yet, connect with a Certified LEAP Therapist
3. Find a blood draw location — Locate a lab or mobile phlebotomist near you

Wellbloom is free to use and growing daily. We currently index over 20,000 products across 500+ brands, with more being added regularly.