Gluten Allergy

To be honest, the term gluten allergy symptoms itself creates confusion and I’m not fond of it. I titled this article this confusing term on purpose to draw those using it so I might educate them on why it isn’t the best term for this condition. And yet even as I wrote it, I’ve decided that “gluten allergy symptoms”may still have a purpose if we can get the health community to use it in a specific way and in a consistent manner.

The first aspect you must understand is that clinical Celiac Disease and evenNon-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is fundamentally different than an allergy in the traditional sense. Someone suffering from celiac disease symptoms isn’t simply suffering from a food allergy; they’re suffering from an autoimmune disease. I explain this to some degree with the main article of this site, but because I receive an overwhelming number of emails targeting the phrasegluten allergy symptoms, I thought I better address the term more directly in its own article.

Wheat Allergy Symptoms

Gluten Allergy SymptomsFirst, you should understand exactly how an allergic reaction to wheat occurs. It’s important for people to understand that an allergic reaction is completely different than the systemic reaction your body experiences over time with gluten intolerance.

A wheat allergy is the result of a histamine response. By itself, such an allergy doesn’t indicate Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance. An allergic reaction to wheat is more like the kind of allergy you might associate with allergies to pollen (hay fever) and pets (I’m sure you’ve known someone allergic to cats or dogs).

With such a histamine response, what’s happening is that white blood cells known as basophils and mast cells over-react to Immunoglobulin E. This causes an immediate response. Symptoms of wheat intolerance manifest themselves not unlike other allergic reactions you may recognize: hives, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, stomach discomfort and even pain.

But just because you eat something with wheat in it and you experience these symptoms does not specifically mean you suffer from gluten intolerance or Celiac Disease. This instead is a relatively simple food allergy.

One example how fundamentally different this can be from gluten intolerance is that often times people can be allergic to foods containing wheat but can do fine with other gluten-based foods, such as spelt or barley.

It is vital that you understand how this is NOT the case for people who are truly gluten intolerant. Spelt and barley are just as bad for you as wheat if you are truly gluten intolerant and not just allergic to wheat.

Please note that I am not trying to downplay the seriousness of a wheat allergy. Anaphylactic shock can be deadly.