Wheat Allergy Versus Wheat Intolerance

Many food allergies are confused with a foodwhich can be fatal. True food allergies are rare and a
intolerance. A wheat allergy typically is confused withwheat allergy is not an exception to that. A true
a wheat intolerance and if you dig even further canallergic reaction to wheat is present in less that one
be confused with a gluten allergy as well as celiachalf percent of the population.
disease. How you manage your reactions orWheat intolerance is more typical and involves a
intolerance can be very different so it is veryperson reacting to the gluten ingredient found in
important to know the difference between a wheatmany wheat products. The gluten is a complex
allergy and a wheat intolerance.protein used so that the wheat will stick together
Millions of people suffer from allergies caused by aand will rise when baked. Gluten can be found in
variety of sources both internal and external. Externalother grains like rye and barley. It can also be found
allergies are usually caused by airborne allergens likein oats that may be contaminated in the production
pollen or dust or environment factors like chemicals.process of the other grains. This intolerance continues
Food allergies are usually the culprit when it comes toto grow and can affect upwards of 14% of the
the internal reactions. They can be caused by certainpopulation.
foods that we eat, like seafood, peanuts or eggs.A wheat allergy produced sudden reactions while a
Wheat allergies fall into this category and is known towheat intolerance does not. The symptoms of wheat
cause many uncomfortable reactions for the personintolerance may seem less obvious and many people
involved.confuse it with something else or dismiss them as a
A wheat allergy can be particularly hard to managenormal part of life. The symptoms of a wheat
because wheat is found in so many different places.intolerance include:
There are products that contain wheat like flour.*eczema
There are ingredients like gluten that contain wheat*depression
and then there are the variety of foods like pasta*gastrointestinal upset
and breads that contain wheat. We have broken it*low blood iron
down this way because in order to manage yourOne may dismiss a food intolerance as "That food
allergy you have to be aware of all the differentjust doesn't agree with me" but you should consider
ways you can come across "wheat".that there are serious health risks associated with
How do You Differentiate Between a Wheat Allergyboth a wheat allergy and a wheat intolerance. These
and a Wheat Intolerancerisks can be long term causing or contributing to
A wheat allergy and a wheat intolerance are twoconditions such as:
very different problems. True allergies involve the*diabetes
immune system whereas an intolerance does not*anemia
cause a reaction from the immune system. A wheat*bowel cancer
allergy is an auto-immune response that can cause aWhether you have a wheat allergy or a wheat
variety of symptoms. The signs and symptoms ofintolerance the best treatment is an elimination diet.
wheat allergy include:There may be a specific wheat allergy diet that your
*coughingallergist or nutritionist may recommend. These diets
*vomitingmay be difficult to maintain but they are a must if
*asthmayou want to live as healthy as possible as well as
*other breathing problemsavoid the serious health conditions that can be
Depending on the person it can cause anaphylaxiscaused by this problem.