Array 4 - Gluten Associated Cross-Reactive Foods

You’ve committed to a gluten-free lifestyle, but symptoms still persist. Despite carefully removing gluten from your diet, you may still be experiencing digestive discomfort, fatigue, inflammation, or autoimmune flares. What’s going on?

The answer may lie in gluten-associated cross-reactive foods—certain foods that your immune system mistakes for gluten. These foods can trigger a similar immune response, leading to ongoing inflammation and symptom flare-ups, even when gluten itself is absent.

The Array 4 – Gluten-Associated Cross-Reactive Foods test by Cyrex Labs is a specialized diagnostic tool that helps uncover these hidden dietary triggers. By detecting antibody reactions to a range of common cross-reactive foods, this test reveals the missing links in your gluten-free journey, allowing for a truly comprehensive and personalized dietary strategy.

Array 4 helps uncover immune reactivity to foods that cross‑react with gluten—foods like oats, rice, dairy proteins, and more. It’s part of our broader Advanced Lab Testing offerings, giving you a deeper understanding of food triggers beyond standard gluten panels.

What Does Array 4 Test For?

This advanced panel evaluates your immune response to a wide selection of foods that are commonly mistaken by the immune system as gluten. Some of the most frequent culprits include:

• Dairy proteins (casein, whey, and milk butyrophilin)

• Oats, which can be contaminated with gluten or provoke a similar reaction

• Coffee, including instant coffee proteins that can cross-react

• Rice, corn, millet, and other gluten-free grains

• Sesame, potato, and other staple foods often included in gluten-free diets

When your immune system recognizes these foods as “gluten-like,” it can prolong immune activation and prevent full healing, even when you’ve removed gluten completely.

Who Should Consider the Array 4 Test?

This test is highly recommended for individuals who:

• Have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity but continue to experience symptoms despite following a gluten-free diet

• Are dealing with persistent digestive issues, bloating, gas, or discomfort even after eliminating gluten

• Experience fatigue, brain fog, mood changes, or skin problems that haven’t improved

• Have autoimmune conditions that remain active despite dietary interventions

• Suspect that hidden food triggers may be causing relapsing or unexplained symptom flare-ups

If you have symptoms that persist despite gluten elimination (like bloating, fatigue, skin reactions, or inflammation), this test may identify hidden triggers. From there, our Personalized Consultations provide guidance on implementing dietary modifications.

Why Cross-Reactivity Matters

Cross-reactive foods mimic gluten in their protein structure. When these foods are consumed, the immune system can mistake them for gluten, triggering the same inflammatory pathways. This ongoing immune response can:

• Keep the gut lining in a state of inflammation and damage

• Prolong digestive symptoms and nutrient malabsorption

• Disrupt hormone balance and energy regulation

• Increase the risk of autoimmune flares and systemic inflammation

Identifying and removing these cross-reactive foods is an essential step in achieving true symptom relief and restoring immune balance.

Benefits of the Array 4 Test

• Pinpoints hidden food triggers that may mimic gluten and cause immune activation

• Supports the development of a more precise and effective gluten-free diet

• Helps reduce inflammation, digestive discomfort, and systemic symptoms

• Improves overall energy, focus, and quality of life

• Empowers you and your provider with actionable insights for faster healing

By eliminating these reactive foods, you can finally achieve the full benefits of a gluten-free lifestyle—with fewer symptoms, less inflammation, and better long-term health outcomes.

Identify foods that mimic gluten, avoid unnecessary elimination diets, and build a targeted nutrition plan based on objective immunity data. Pair it with other tests found in our Advanced Lab Testing suite for a comprehensive evaluation.