Gluten Allergy

Many people have excluded gluten from their diets because of reports of the harmful effects of gluten allergy.  However, there is some misunderstanding of gluten tolerance and gluten allergy.

Gluten is a protein

Gluten is found in wheat and is a rubbery, elastic form of protein.  It is also found in barley, rye, and to a lesser extent in oats.  It does not occur in maize or rice.  The doughy and spongy consistency of bread is due to its gluten content.

You should be aware that there are many other proteins found in rye, barley, and wheat, and that any one of these could cause allergic reactions.  Wheat products may also contain preservatives, and other ingredients, so there are several potential causes of allergy.  In these circumstances some people have thought that they were suffering from gluten allergy, when something else had caused the problem.

Adverse reactions to gluten

Just to confuse matters further, gluten has been connected with disorders other than gluten allergy.  It has been blamed for intolerance, including wheat intolerance, and coeliac disease.  Gluten intolerance is hardly ever life threatening, but often causes painful symptoms, including migraines and skin rashes.

Gluten allergy is considered to be more serious than gluten intolerance, because it causes similar risks to other allergies.  Symptoms include swollen lips and tongue, hives, red rash, and asthma.  In rare instances the severe condition known as anaphylaxis may occur.

How and why do people suffer from gluten allergy?

Gluten allergy occurs, when the immune system overreacts to the substance, by producing vast amounts of antibodies, known as IgE (Immunoglobin  E).

The next time gluten is ingested, the sensitized immune system adversely reacts, creating health problems including the production of histamine, responsible for inflammation, and associated with various symptoms of gluten allergy.

By comparison with other allergies, gluten allergy is not all that common, although accurate information regarding prevalence is hard to come by.  The symptoms are not always immediately apparent, and can take place from minutes, to a few hours after consuming gluten foods.

Symptoms

There are many symptoms of gluten allergy, including eczema and other skin problems, hives, inflammation and swelling, and problems such as digestive and respiratory disorders, including nausea, vomiting, hay fever, and asthma.

Avoidance is the best treatment

If you suffer from gluten allergy, the best treatment is to avoid products containing, wheat, rye, barley and oats.  There are plenty of alternative foods to enjoy and obtain your nutritional requirements.

A much bigger problem arises, for people who not only suffer from gluten allergy, but other food allergies as well.  That being said, no allergies are better than one, but if gluten allergy is a specific problem. You must totally eliminate gluten from your diet.

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