Are You Allergic to Gluten?

There is a lot of discussion about gluten intolerance and gluten allergies, but not everyone understands what it means to be allergic to gluten or suffer intolerance. Many people assume gluten is bad and stop eating it, even if they show no allergy symptoms. Research shows only about 15% of the population suffers from any kind of gluten intolerance. Though it can be helpful for weight loss to cut back on gluten and wheat, there is no sense completely eliminating a whole food from your diet unless you must.

There are actually three different types of gluten sensitivity. Determining where you fall among these three categories if you react poorly to gluten can help you determine how to build your diet.

Celiac disease is the worst of the gluten problems. It occurs when your immune system overreacts to gluten. Over time this overreaction stresses the villi in your intestintes, making it more and more difficult to digest any type of food. People unable to digest food properly are unable to get the nutrition they need and their health gets worse and worse.

There is also such a thing as non-celiac gluten sensitivity. The symptoms are similar to celiac disease, but there is no definitive diagnosis. The best way to determine if you suffer from a gluten sensitivity, but not from celiac disease, is to eliminate gluten from your diet and see if your symptoms improve. If symptoms disappear, but you still test negative for celiac, you likely have a sensitivity.

The third category of gluten sensitivity is a wheat allergy. This occurs when the body produces a histamine response to wheat, just as it would to other allergy triggers. Symptoms are different than they are for celiac related gluten intolerance and can include hives or stomach pain.

The majority of the symptoms listed below are triggered by celiac disease or non-celiac-gluten sensitivity, but there can be some crossover for those with a wheat allergy.

• Abdominal issues including distention, pain, cramping, and bloating
• Digestive issues including diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and foul-smelling flatulence or stools
• Anemia
• Arthritis and joint pain
• Attention disorders
• Stomach rumbling not caused by hunger
• Failure to thrive
• Depression, anxiety, and irritability
• Skin problems
• Fatigue
• Gluten ataxia
• Hair loss
• Headaches
• Infertility
• Mouth sores
• Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
• Teeth and gum problems
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Unexplained weight loss

These problems can occur in response to poor nutrition due to the inability to digest food properly as a result of the intolerance or they can be symptoms of a gluten problem. There are also other things not included on this list that occasionally arise in people with gluten issues.

If you believe you have a gluten or wheat sensitivity, speak with your doctor. He or she will likely recommend dietary changes, including the completely elimination of gluten at least temporarily, as well as specific allergy tests.