Difference- Wheat Allergy, Wheat/Gluten Intolerance, & Celiac Disease

What's the Difference?

The way in which Wheat Allergy, Gluten Intolerance, and Celiac Disease are defined means a great deal to the person with the gastrointestinal disorder, and the person’s family. Fortunately, medical research has allowed us to define the differences. In spite of this, a medical professional who does not know how to properly diagnose Celiac Disease may provide the wrong diagnosis of Gluten Intolerance or Wheat Allergy. Understanding the differences between these conditions is very important and can help to clarify an individuals diagnosis.

Being that these are part of a growing pandemic as more and more people are being diagnosed everyday, it is important to acknowledge that Wheat Allergy, Gluten Intolerance, and Celiac Disease are all associated with food intolerances. There are several classifications of food intolerances: food allergy, Autoimmune-mediated, congenital digestive disorders, and metabolic diseases.

Some people experience allergic reactions, some gastrointestinal symptoms, and other no symptoms at all. Those who experience an Autoimmune reaction from Celiac Disease, resulting in attacks against the body's own tissues. The list of various symptoms, conditions, and ailments associated with Wheat/Gluten consumption can be very serious and endless.

A metabolic disease such as Fructose Intolerance only affect 1 in 10,000 people, however, the largest study ever conducted in 2003 by the University of Maryland Medical Center, finds that 1 in 133 Americans may have Celiac Disease. That’s more than 2 million people in the United States and approximately 3-5 million in the world. In addition, those people who have first-degree relatives, parent, sibling, or children diagnosed with Celiac Disease, that equates to be 1 in 22 people may be affected. Now in 2009, with our ever growing population, it has escalated to approximately every 1 in 7 people.

We will explain the three main and sub groups, which fall under the heading "Food Intolerances", according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. They include Food Allergy consisting of Wheat Allergy, Intolerance which includes Wheat Intolerance/Gluten Intolerance/Lactose Intolerance, and Autoimmune-Mediated which is Celiac Disease.

Food Allergy

Food Allergies affect 5% of the United States population which is a projected figure of up to 15 million Americans. Of those cases, 20% of people have a Mediated Immune reaction to Trigger Foods and the frequency is rising every year. An estimated 6% to 8% of Children ages three(3) and under, and 4% of Adults have Food Allergies. This has resulted in approximately 30,000 Emergency Room visits and 100 to 200 Deaths per year in the United States alone.

The numerous Trigger Foods in Adults vary from, but are not limited to; Shellfish, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish, Eggs, and Wheat. The most common Trigger Foods in Children are Wheat, Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, and Tree Nuts. The Immune System has determined the offending Trigger Food(s) Protein to be dangerous to the body, and the Immune System initiates a Defense Response which then creates symptoms and ailments.

The symptoms are usually time-limited and do not cause permanent harm to the body’s tissues. The only exceptions are the immediate Anaphylaxis response to peanuts or other allergy foods, where the individual can stop breathing and it then becomes life-threatening.

Treatment is composed of Allergen/Trigger Food(s) avoidance diet/lifestyle, in which you avoid ALL forms of the foods/ingredients in relation to the Allergen(s). For people who are extremely sensitive or may be Intolerant, this involves avoidance of and ANY exposure to the Allergen. This includes Consuming (check medications), Touching (same/shared surface as allergen), Inhaling (occupational hazard), or Application (shampoo, creams, lotions, make-up, etc.).

Intolerance

Any Intolerance is an undesirable food-provoked reaction, that usually does not involve the Immune System, but is a reaction in the Digestive Tract that causes Gastrointestinal symptoms. Examples of Food Intolerances of this type are, Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Intolerance, and Lactose Intolerance. The only exception is Gluten Intolerance, referred to as Celiac Disease, in which case it is an Autoimmune Response.

Because this is usually not an Immune-Mediated condition but is rather the absence of specific chemicals or enzymes needed to digest a food substance (such as lactase deficiency), an Antibody Tests (measuring an immune response) would produce a negative test result for Intolerance. Instead, a typical Diagnosis Test consists of Breath Tests, Saliva Swab, and other diagnostic means can determine the proper Intolerance. Please check with a medical professional for proper testing.

Treatment is composed of Allergen/Trigger Food(s) avoidance diet/lifestyle, in which you avoid ALL forms of the foods/ingredients in relation to the Intolerance Allergen(s). Sensitive or Intolerant people have to avoid ANY exposure as the Allergens may be included in everyday items you would never consider to be contaminated. This would include Consumption(check medications), Touching (same/shared surface as allergen), Inhaling (occupational hazard), or Application (shampoo, creams, lotions, make-up, etc.).

Autoimmune-Mediated

Roughly there are 24 million people the United States with an Autoimmune-Mediated Condition and a shocking 79% of those patients are women. It’s important to understand Autoimmune Diseases, how they occur, and what happens when the Immune System attacks the body’s own tissues/cells. The destruction and tissue damage produced by the Immune System is caused by an Autoimmune Disorder and can lead to medical difficulties and an increased risk for other diseases.

Symptoms have a tendency to appear shortly after or during puberty as hormone levels have been shown to have an effect on the severity of some Autoimmune Diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS-immune system attacks the central nervous system and impairs the conduction of signals in the affected nerves, causing impairment in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions depending on which nerves are involved). Other causes include the presence of Celiac genes originating in the maternal bloodstream, therefore genetically predisposing it to the fetus. Leading examples include Celiac Disease (Immune System attacks and destroys the body's own tissues, leading to flattening of the lining of the small intestine called villous atrophy causing Malabsorption when Gluten/Gliadin is consumed), Diabetes Mellitus type I (IDDM -destruction of insulin-producing cell, Goodpasture’s Disease (rapid destruction of both the lung and the kidney), Systemic Lupus Erthematosus (SLE - body produces abnormal antibodies in the blood that target tissues within their own body rather than infectious foreign agents), Sjogren’s Synrome (destruction of the exocrine glands that produce tears and saliva), Thyroiditis (inflammation of the Thyroid Gland and makes Hormones that control Metabolism), Rheumatoid Arthritis (inflammation to lungs, eyes and tissue damage in joints and tendons, together with Anemia), and much more.

Treatment for Autoimmune Disease depends on several factors. The type of Disease, the severity of the Disease, and all if any associated symptoms. General goals for Autoimmune Disease treatment are to relieve symptoms, preserve organ function, and target disease mechanisms. Specialists for Autoimmune Disease treatment include Rheumatologists, Endocrinologists, and Neurologists. Treatment have traditionally included some drugs, basically suppressing the Immune System, which may not be necessarily something you want to do.

Treatment for Celiac Disease consists of Gluten/Gliadin avoidance diet/lifestyle, in which you avoid ALL forms of the foods/ingredients in relation to the Intolerance Allergen(s). Sensitive or Intolerant people have to avoid ANY exposure as the Allergens may be included in everyday items you would never consider to be contaminated. This would include Consumption(check medications), Touching (same/shared surface as allergen), Inhaling (occupational hazard), or Application (shampoo, creams, lotions, make-up, etc.).

Celiac Disease is the only Autoimmune Disorder where the Trigger (Gluten) is known and when removed the Autoimmune Response does not reoccur. This means a person with Celiac Disease following the Gluten-Free Diet/Lifestyle is on their way to a healthy Immune System and a Healthier Body!

In conclusion, even a tiny amount of Gluten, such as, having your food share same the surface as Wheat, flour in the air, or kissing a baby who's been eating Wheat, can cause an Autoimmune reaction and damage to the small intestine. Following a Gluten-Free Diet for a short while and then “treating” yourself to a reward snack containing Gluten can cause a reaction Tenfold or even Fourtyfold worse than before.

It is extremely important to understand all of these differences and how they effect us, our families, and loved ones. As you can see below, we have outlined an easy to understand chart to help explain these different conditions and the effects.

Type of Condition	Immune System Involvement?	Genetic Risk?	Permanent Tissue Damage?
Food Allergy	Yes	Yes	No
Intolerance	No	Yes*	No
Celiac Disease	Yes	Yes	Yes

Food Intolerance Prevalence
Dairy Intolerance (includes Lactose intolerance)	75%	3 in 4 people
Yeast sensitivity (eg. Candida infections)	33%	1 in 3 people
Gluten sensitivity (includes Celiac and Wheat intolerance)	15%	1 in 7 people
Fructose or Sugar sensitivity	35%	1 in 3 people
Food allergy	1%	1 in 100 people