Wheat Intolerance and Wheat Sensitivity

• What is the difference between Wheat Allergy and Wheat Intolerance?
• How common is Wheat Allergy and Wheat Intolerance?
• What are the Symptoms of Wheat Allergy and Wheat Intolerance?
• How did I get Wheat Intolerance?
• How is Wheat Allergy or Wheat Intolerance treated?

What is the difference between Wheat Allergy and Wheat Intolerance?

 For clarity they are NOT the same thing: Wheat Allergy is a severe sudden onset allergic reaction to a certain protein component of wheat. That is, it's an auto-immune response of the body. Usual symptoms are immediate coughing, asthma, breathing difficulties, and/or projectile vomiting. It can cause life-threatening responses in allergic people. See Anaphylactic responses.

Fortunately, true Wheat allergy is quite rare (less than ½ % of population). These people must observe a strict Wheat-free diet to remain healthy.

HOWEVER, most people who speak of wheat allergy are really referring to Wheat intolerance caused by Gluten - a very complex protein found in wheat and some other grains. It affects one in seven people or 15%.

Wheat Intolerance (Gluten intolerance)

Wheat Intolerance is when you have difficulty digesting wheat, which may seem less important. It is a slower onset but certainly involves the immune system.

Gluten intolerance appears as chronic symptoms like aching joints, gastro-intestinal problems, depression, eczema, low blood iron levels and others.

Wheat intolerance caused by Gluten (contained in Wheat, rye barley and oats) is associated with serious Health Risks like diabetes, bowel cancer, anaemia and osteoporosis.

If you think you might have Wheat or Gluten intolerance you can get proof by doing the Detection Diet - a simple and effective way to find out for sure - no drugs and no therapies.

The treatment is simple - a Gluten-free diet, and people who have suffered for years improve dramatically within a couple of weeks.

Start here: Compare your symptoms in the Symptoms Matrix (register first).

How common is Wheat Allergy and Wheat Intolerance?

True Wheat Allergy is very rare (less than ½ % of people) and is usually detected very early in life, babies and toddlers going on to solid foods.

But Wheat Intolerance (due to Gluten sensitivity - a protein found in Wheat, rye, barley and oats) is actually rather common. Up to 15% of people, or one in seven is Gluten intolerant.

Some of them meet the requirements of Celiac testing and are known as Celiacs. But most Gluten sensitive people are Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive (NCGS) and the majority are undiagnosed. More info

Generally, food intolerance is quite common. There are only four kinds of Food Intolerance (not to be confused with Food Allergy) and they are widely suffered:

What are the Symptoms of Wheat Allergy and Wheat Intolerance?

Wheat allergy causes the same sudden onset symptoms caused by other allergens - coughing, asthma, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, rashes etc.

However the symptoms for Wheat Intolerance are much more varied and usually have a delayed onset - up to 2 or 3 days later. This is why they are traditionally difficult for doctors to diagnose. They can be:

How did I get Wheat Intolerance?

Wheat Intolerance is one of only a handful of common food intolerances. Up to 15% of people are affected (see table). And it's not because of something you caught or something you did. It's in your genes and it's the story of evolution.

The growing of grain crops using agricultural techniques has only been practiced for around 10,000 years. Compared to the time humans have been eating other foods in the hunter-gatherer lifestyle (meat, fish, vegetables and fruits) - 2.5 million years - that's a very short period.

Our bodies just haven't evolved that fast. In fact our capacity to grow high yield grain crops like Wheat and barley has far outstripped our digestive system's rate of development. That is, as a species, not all humans yet have the necessary genetic makeup to break down the complex part of the grain: the Gluten.*

Gluten is a highly complex protein. It is one of the most complicated molecules we eat. It is responsible for "Leaky gut" syndrome - and it actually tears holes in the small intestine of some people. Read Gluten - the Protein with Teeth.

When people say they are Wheat intolerant, they are more likely to be Gluten sensitive. This might mean Celiac disease or it may not. However the symptoms of Gluten sensitivity are easily confused with other food intolerances like Dairy intolerance and Fructose intolerance.

The rush towards a Wheat-free diet should be tempered with a little research and reading first. You need to get PROOF of your food intolerance by doing the Detection Diet first.

Generally food intolerances cause gastro-intestinal symptoms and a wide variety of other types of symptoms. To compare your symptoms see the Symptoms Matrix (you need to register first).

How is Wheat Allergy or Wheat Intolerance treated?

Wheat Allergy is normally identified in babies and is best treated with a Wheat-free diet.Symptoms quickly clear up without any drugs or therapies needed.

Or if it is really Gluten sensitivity, (much more likely in the cases of Wheat-sensitive adults and children) it is effectively treated with a Gluten-free diet. Recovery is often dramatic. These people feel better on Gluten-free than they have for years - often within 2 or 3 weeks.

If you are suffering from a collection of vague symptoms, there are only four possibilities: Gluten, Fructose, Dairy or Yeast. Also you may have more than one food intolerance.

We believe you should approach the discovery process calmly and carefully and with a proper method.

You need a Journal to track the foods you eat and the symptoms you are getting each day. The Detection Diet has a built-in 35 Day Journal. It's really easy to follow with full laid out tables and simple guidelines.

The Detection Diet is available only at The Tuesday Club.

Remember - Doing nothing can be a risk! Undiagnosed food intolerance can cause serious long-term health problems like osteoporosis, anemia and many others. See Health Risks.

Your first step is to look in the Symptoms Matrix to narrow the causes of your symptoms.

continue to the Symptoms Matrix

Remember - for great tips and info on Food Intolerance sign up for our newsletter - it's free!

References - Some of the references used for our research:

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Author: Deborah Manners B.Sc. (Hons) Grad. Dip.Ed is not a medical or healthcare professional. Ms Manners has multiple food intolerances and presents information from the point of view of the consumer.

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Date modified: 10 Aug 2007