Gluten Allergy: Is Eating Gluten Make You Sick?

Gluten is a complex protein found in many grains, including wheat, barley, rye, and oats. Gluten is found in a large number of foods commonly found in grocery stores and restaurants. The rise in processed food over the past few decades has also meant an increase in gluten consumption, because most of prepackaged foods contain gluten.

Unfortunately for many people, gluten is difficult to digest, and the ingestion of gluten may trigger allergic reactions. It is unknown how many people are affected by gluten allergies, mainly because most people who suffer from gluten don't even know it.

To make matter worse, there is no one specific symptom that will help people know if they have gluten allergies. Some research has shown that there may be over 250 different symptoms caused by a gluten allergy! Some people might have just one symptom, and some might have several. And, even worse, people might be (and often are) misdiagnosed based on the symptoms, because the symptoms are usually similar to a wide variety of common ailments.

So, what are the symptoms? As was said above, there are many different effects from a gluten allergy, but there are some symptoms that are more common than others. These include:

• Headaches


• Join pain


• Depression


• Miscarriages


• Constipation


• Diarrhea


• Abdominal pain


• Fatigue


• Poor sleep habits

For some people with gluten allergy, the continued ingestion of gluten will lead to celiac disease. Celiac disease occurs when the body attacks gluten when it is in the small intestine. This is a dangerous disease because it damages, sometimes permanently, the small intestines. This damage leads to the inability to absorb nutrients, meaning that people with celiac disease can slowly starve to death, regardless of how much food they eat. While it is unlikely that celiac disease will actually lead to death, the body does literally become starved for nutrients.

There is hope for anyone with gluten allergies and/or celiac disease. The one and only way to prevent symptoms is to stop eating gluten. This can be done, though it will be challenging at first. It may be helpful for people going gluten-free to consult with a nutritionist, so they have an easier time eliminating gluten from their diets.

However, it is best for people to involve their doctors in the decision to stop eating gluten, since there may be other problems that crop up as a result of not eating gluten. Family doctors will be able to keep an eye on their patients as they eliminate gluten, and catch any problems early, or help their patients prevent them from happening.

If you have chronic physical problems that don't go away despite your, or your doctor's, actions, consider asking to be tested for gluten allergy. Be sure that you continue to eat gluten before the test, which will most likely be a blood test. If you stop eating gluten before being tested, your body will stop reacting to it, and this can result in a false negative.