*This web site is intended to provide basic information about Celiac Disease/Gluten Intolerance. Information contained herein has been approved by the GlutenSecret.com advisory board. It is not intended to provide, nor does it constitute, medical advice. Dietary changes based on information on this web site should not be initiated without first consulting a physician.
GlutenSecret.com© 2009
GlutenSecret.com© 2009
Wheat Intolerance
Wheat Intolerance
Wheat Intolerance is very different from Wheat Allergy. Unlike the Allergy, a Wheat Intolerance does not involve the Immune System but rather appears as a harmful reaction in the Gastrointestinal Track and the body has difficulty digesting Wheat. This response is triggered by the protein in Wheat called Gluten. When people have this Intolerance, they are usually intolerant to the Gluten in Wheat, but not to the Gluten in other Grains.
Wheat was not always a part of human diet and it is believed that it has been grown by people only for the last few thousand years. Back then, people were eating meat, fruits and vegetables for a much longer time period. Many researchers claim that this is the reason that so many people around the world suffer from Wheat Intolerance. If you think about it, they use water and flour to make glue for wallpaper and to make Piñatas in art class.
It has been recently published that around 15% of all people have Wheat Intolerance, but experts say that the actual number is a lot higher. Patients just don't know that they are patients and that they do suffer from this Intolerance. Recently more and more people are putting their pets on a Gluten-Free Diet claiming it makes them feel better. In some pets, signs of improvement were seen in illnesses.
Learning How to Shop Wheat/Gluten-Free is a challenge as you have to read all the labels. Manufacturers can be deceiving and reading the label can get confusing. There are Hidden Gluten agents in many products and its important to know them.
Causes
Food Intolerance is more common than Food Allergy and like we mentioned above, Wheat Allergy is different from Wheat Intolerance. The Intolerance does not involve an Immune Response but is a chemical reaction that is believed to happen when an individual is lacking the enzymes necessary to digest the Wheat properly. Some people find foods such as pasta and bread hard to digest. This is because pasta absorbs water, so it swells in the stomach and causes discomfort. But don't leave out the dairy which is spread on bread or sprinkled on pasta which could be a parallel offending culprit leading to Lactose Intolerance.
Damage can occur in any part of the body include digestive disturbances. Unlike allergies, the symptoms of Intolerance may not show up at all, or they show up as much as 72 hours after consuming a form of Wheat.
Symptoms
Wheat Intolerance can be composed of Digestive Disturbances and shows itself through a number of different symptoms which could also be blamed on many other Allergies, Food Intolerances or Diseases. Some of the most common symptoms include Sleepiness, Bloating, Flatulence, Fluid Retention and Swelling of Limbs or Joints. In extreme Intolerance cases you may even suffer from extreme Fatigue, Depression and Obesity. If the condition is left untreated and other Diseases such as Diabetes have developed, you may need to be in medical care for the rest of your life. This is why it is so important to recognize symptoms and to identify the cause; Wheat. This Intolerance is hard to diagnose because it shares symptoms with many other illness, but once it has been identified it is easy to alleviate and even reverse the adverse effects. Although it may sound simple to just leave Wheat out of your life, but it is not. A person does not outgrow a Wheat Intolerance.
Again, different from Allergies, the symptoms of an Intolerance may not show up at all, or they could show up 72 hours after eating or being in contact with Wheat. There are several forms of Wheat Intolerance and different forms of damage. Symptoms can appear on/in various parts of the body and can be noticeable to unbearable.
Below is a list of symptoms, which include but are not limited to;
Wheat Intolerance is very different from Wheat Allergy. Unlike the Allergy, a Wheat Intolerance does not involve the Immune System but rather appears as a harmful reaction in the Gastrointestinal Track and the body has difficulty digesting Wheat. This response is triggered by the protein in Wheat called Gluten. When people have this Intolerance, they are usually intolerant to the Gluten in Wheat, but not to the Gluten in other Grains.
Wheat was not always a part of human diet and it is believed that it has been grown by people only for the last few thousand years. Back then, people were eating meat, fruits and vegetables for a much longer time period. Many researchers claim that this is the reason that so many people around the world suffer from Wheat Intolerance. If you think about it, they use water and flour to make glue for wallpaper and to make Piñatas in art class.
It has been recently published that around 15% of all people have Wheat Intolerance, but experts say that the actual number is a lot higher. Patients just don't know that they are patients and that they do suffer from this Intolerance. Recently more and more people are putting their pets on a Gluten-Free Diet claiming it makes them feel better. In some pets, signs of improvement were seen in illnesses.
Learning How to Shop Wheat/Gluten-Free is a challenge as you have to read all the labels. Manufacturers can be deceiving and reading the label can get confusing. There are Hidden Gluten agents in many products and its important to know them.
Causes
Food Intolerance is more common than Food Allergy and like we mentioned above, Wheat Allergy is different from Wheat Intolerance. The Intolerance does not involve an Immune Response but is a chemical reaction that is believed to happen when an individual is lacking the enzymes necessary to digest the Wheat properly. Some people find foods such as pasta and bread hard to digest. This is because pasta absorbs water, so it swells in the stomach and causes discomfort. But don't leave out the dairy which is spread on bread or sprinkled on pasta which could be a parallel offending culprit leading to Lactose Intolerance.
Damage can occur in any part of the body include digestive disturbances. Unlike allergies, the symptoms of Intolerance may not show up at all, or they show up as much as 72 hours after consuming a form of Wheat.
Symptoms
Wheat Intolerance can be composed of Digestive Disturbances and shows itself through a number of different symptoms which could also be blamed on many other Allergies, Food Intolerances or Diseases. Some of the most common symptoms include Sleepiness, Bloating, Flatulence, Fluid Retention and Swelling of Limbs or Joints. In extreme Intolerance cases you may even suffer from extreme Fatigue, Depression and Obesity. If the condition is left untreated and other Diseases such as Diabetes have developed, you may need to be in medical care for the rest of your life. This is why it is so important to recognize symptoms and to identify the cause; Wheat. This Intolerance is hard to diagnose because it shares symptoms with many other illness, but once it has been identified it is easy to alleviate and even reverse the adverse effects. Although it may sound simple to just leave Wheat out of your life, but it is not. A person does not outgrow a Wheat Intolerance.
Again, different from Allergies, the symptoms of an Intolerance may not show up at all, or they could show up 72 hours after eating or being in contact with Wheat. There are several forms of Wheat Intolerance and different forms of damage. Symptoms can appear on/in various parts of the body and can be noticeable to unbearable.
Below is a list of symptoms, which include but are not limited to;
Abdominal pain
Aching joints
Anemia (due to poor absorption of iron as well as reduced absorption of Vitamin B12, fatigue, and breathlessness.)
Appetite Loss
Bed Wetting
Bleeding
Blister
Bloating
Breast Pain
Chest Pain
Confusion / For Get Fulness
Constipation
Cough
Cramps, tingling and numbness
Dandruff
Decline in dental health
Depression
Diarrhea (possibly the symptom that is the most major)
Dyspepsia (an uncomfortable sensation or pain in the upper area of the stomach)
Aching joints
Anemia (due to poor absorption of iron as well as reduced absorption of Vitamin B12, fatigue, and breathlessness.)
Appetite Loss
Bed Wetting
Bleeding
Blister
Bloating
Breast Pain
Chest Pain
Confusion / For Get Fulness
Constipation
Cough
Cramps, tingling and numbness
Dandruff
Decline in dental health
Depression
Diarrhea (possibly the symptom that is the most major)
Dyspepsia (an uncomfortable sensation or pain in the upper area of the stomach)
Earache
Eczema
Elbow Pain
Exhaustion
Eye , Itchy/Red
Eye Discharge
Eye Pain
Faintness
Fat excreted in stools (because of poor digestion)
Fatigue
Fever
Finger Pain / Injury
Flatulence
Foot Pain/Itch
Gastro-intestinal problems
Hand Pain
Head aches
Hearing Loss
Infertility, irregular menstrual cycle and miscarriage
Irritability and behavioural changes
Nutritional deficiencies
Slow infant and child growth
Weight loss or weight gain
Eczema
Elbow Pain
Exhaustion
Eye , Itchy/Red
Eye Discharge
Eye Pain
Faintness
Fat excreted in stools (because of poor digestion)
Fatigue
Fever
Finger Pain / Injury
Flatulence
Foot Pain/Itch
Gastro-intestinal problems
Hand Pain
Head aches
Hearing Loss
Infertility, irregular menstrual cycle and miscarriage
Irritability and behavioural changes
Nutritional deficiencies
Slow infant and child growth
Weight loss or weight gain
Diagnosis and Testing
The best way to diagnose Wheat Intolerance is to work with your doctor and keep a complete dietary journal, for an allotted period of time, recording what you consume everyday. Remember, this log can only be utilized if it is accurately completed daily. Discuss the results with your doctor, as they may want to do further testing. Further testing would consist of the following, but are not limited to:
Blood Test; which will determine if the proper Antibodies, caused by Wheat, are present. This test is similar to the one being administered for Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Patients. Testing with this method has shown to be the most accurate today.
Allergen Avoidance Diet/Lifestyle; with the help of a Nutritional Specialist, you will work to exclude Wheat from your lifestyle while continuing your daily food journal. This change in diet should be observed over a period of 4 - 6 weeks and reevaluated with your doctor. At this time you will determine if you have noticed any changes and if there are any other Allergens present that need to be addressed.
The reason you want to do all of this under the supervision of professionals is because, you may have other underlining ailments that may surface while undergoing such change in diet.
Treatment
The only known treatment includes strict a avoidance diet/lifestyle of ALL Wheat and Wheat-Gluten. 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.).Products containing Wheat and grains containing Gluten such as Rye, Barley, and some Oats should be avoided as well. Learn more about the Foods/Products to Avoid.
The best way to diagnose Wheat Intolerance is to work with your doctor and keep a complete dietary journal, for an allotted period of time, recording what you consume everyday. Remember, this log can only be utilized if it is accurately completed daily. Discuss the results with your doctor, as they may want to do further testing. Further testing would consist of the following, but are not limited to:
Blood Test; which will determine if the proper Antibodies, caused by Wheat, are present. This test is similar to the one being administered for Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Patients. Testing with this method has shown to be the most accurate today.
Allergen Avoidance Diet/Lifestyle; with the help of a Nutritional Specialist, you will work to exclude Wheat from your lifestyle while continuing your daily food journal. This change in diet should be observed over a period of 4 - 6 weeks and reevaluated with your doctor. At this time you will determine if you have noticed any changes and if there are any other Allergens present that need to be addressed.
The reason you want to do all of this under the supervision of professionals is because, you may have other underlining ailments that may surface while undergoing such change in diet.
Treatment
The only known treatment includes strict a avoidance diet/lifestyle of ALL Wheat and Wheat-Gluten. 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.).Products containing Wheat and grains containing Gluten such as Rye, Barley, and some Oats should be avoided as well. Learn more about the Foods/Products to Avoid.
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