According to a new study led by Mount Sinai researchers, a new blood test could predict which people have severe allergic reactions to foods.

Currently, physicians use skin prick tests or blood tests that measure levels of allergen-specific IgE (sIgE), a protein made by the immune system to detect food allergies. However, these tests are not cannot calculate the severity of allergic reactions.

The gold standard to signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction is Oral food challenge. Specific allergens are given to patients, which are consumed under physician supervision. However, these tests can themselves trigger severe reactions.

However, the new study reported in The Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology claims that a simple, safe blood test can accurately predict the severity of each person's allergic reaction by counting the numbers of one type of immune cell activated by exposure to a food.

The blood test called basophil activation test or BAT, which measures the levels of an immune cell called basophil. The cell is activated by food exposure.

The test only requires a small blood sample and provides quick results. The researchers from the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute and the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute used the blood test on 67 people between the ages of 12 and 45 , who has food sensitivities.

They also underwent an exposure test comparing their reactions to peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish, or sesame versus a placebo. The aim was to see if BAT test results would correlate with food challenge results.

The BAT proved accurate and showed a high correlation with the BAT's scores and the severity of the individuals' reactions. Study author Dr. Xiu-Min Li, a researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, "This study should encourage similar studies, which could lead to wide widespread clinical use".