Wheat Intolerance and allergy

What Is The Difference Between A Wheat Intolerance And A Gluten Intolerance?

Gluten proteins are found within wheat. That means that those who are gluten intolerant are also wheat intolerant. However, it doesn’t work the other way around.

Gluten is found in other grain substitutes such as barley and rye, so those with a specific wheat intolerance who do not react to gluten proteins can still eat these foods without experiencing a reaction.

Supermarkets have continuously expanded their range of gluten and wheat-free produce in recent years to cater for those who are following a gluten-free diet or avoiding wheat.

What’s The Difference Between Wheat Intolerance And Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac disease, classed as an autoimmune disease, is a lifelong intolerance in which the body’s immune system actively attacks its own tissues when gluten is consumed. According to Coeliac UK, the condition affects 1 in 100 people. It’s important to note that coeliac disease is neither a food allergy nor a food intolerance.

People suffering from a wheat intolerance have difficulty digesting wheat, which leads to unpleasant but non-life-threatening side effects.

If you feel that you might have coeliac disease, it’s important to discuss your concerns with your GP, who can take a simple blood test to check for antibodies which can indicate coeliac disease. Our Premium Food Intolerance Test includes a wheat intolerance test but YorkTest does not test for coeliac disease.

Wheat Intolerance Test

It is possible to outgrow a wheat intolerance by eliminating it from your diet and reintroducing it later in life. Our Premium Food Intolerance Test includes a conultation with a qualified Nutritional Therapist.

Step one – Take a Premium Food Intolerance Test with YorkTest, which includes a wheat intolerance test. As well as being a wheat intolerance test, we also test over 200 food and drink ingredients to indentify what you may be intolerant to. We’ve found that on average people show an intolerance* to between 2 and 8 food or drink ingredients. You should therefore be aware that wheat may be just one of your “trigger foods”.

Step two – With the help of a YorkTest nutritional therapist, carry out a 12-week elimination diet by cutting out your food intolerances* and substituting healthy alternatives into your diet.

Step three – If you wish to reintroduce your trigger food(s) back into your diet, we advise that this should be a gradual process in order to monitor how your body responds and to look out for a return of any wheat intolerance symptoms.

How long does it take for a wheat allergy to show?

Unlike symptoms associated with an intolerance, the effects of a wheat allergy present themselves very quickly after consumption of the food. In some cases, severe reactions can occur just by touching wheat.

Is There A Wheat Allergy Test?
Do you suspect that you might be allergic to wheat? If so, you should see your doctor as soon as possible. They will most likely refer you to an allergy clinic, who can provide a wheat allergy test. At the clinic they may perform a skin-prick test or carry out a blood test to assess the level of IgE antibodies present when your sample is exposed to wheat.

Wheat Allergy Symptoms
The most common wheat allergy symptoms can include rashes, itching, swelling and hives. Symptoms of a wheat allergy are usually more severe and present immedeatily. Being allergic to wheat is relatively uncommon relative to incidences of wheat sensitivity. Wheat sensitvity symptoms are much less extreme than those of an allergic reaction, however they are still extremely unpleasant and can still be very disruptive to a person’s life.

YorkTest has been offering food intolerance* tests directly to consumers for more than 40 years. These tests analyse your IgG antibody reactions to up to 208 food and drinks, including wheat and gluten.

With this simple home-to-laboratory finger-prick test, you can identify whether or not your body is producing IgG antibody reactions to specific elements of your diet. Reactions to food and drink vary a great deal from person to person, and an ingredient that causes a problem for one individual could be completely okay for another. Fortunately, YorkTest’s team is on hand to identify your own personal “food fingerprint”.

If you experince wheat allergy symptoms then you should consult your doctor.