A growing number of individuals are identifying their gluten intolerance symptoms — and Celiac Disease symptoms — and discovering their sensitivity to gluten. We aim to help you determine whether or not you’re experiencing gluten intolerance symptoms or symptoms of wheat intolerance, and then if you require, help you learn your way through a new world of gluten-free cuisines.
Specifically, we hope to help you understand the difference between symptoms of wheat intolerance and gluten intolerance symptoms. Many mistake these to be the same, but they’re not! Please note this article does not use “wheat” and “gluten” interchangeably as they are two distinct terms. Also, it is possible to experience Celiac Disease symptoms but test negative for Celiac Disease (which you’ll sometimes see spelled Coeliac Disease or Coeliac Sprue Disease). And yes, adults can develop food allergies, so don’t exclude yourself from certain conditions just because you didn’t have them in your youth.
You need not view your gluten intolerance symptoms — or symptoms of wheat intolerance — as a harbinger of darker days. We’ll help you restore hope. Use the following index to skip to your desired section:
Can Adults Develop Food Allergies?
What is Celiac Disease?
What is Gluten?
Is this a Wheat Allergy?
Can Adults Develop Food Allergies?
Too many adults develop a belief that once they reach adulthood, they have a full understanding of their sensitivities and allergies. It is also possible that you’ve either ignored or misread your gluten intolerance symptoms. The condition is infamously under-diagnosed and diagnosis takes some study and thought. There isn’t a simple single test to give you an outright answer and the best and most comprehensive research on the matter has only become widespread in recent years.
If you and your doctor (or natural physician) determine your gluten intolerance symptoms are distinctly a result of consuming gluten, you may be diagnosed as having celiac disease. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine. It can rear its troublesome head at any point from infancy to old age.
It is important to recognize that clinical tests (a blood test and/or an intestinal biopsy) can determine to some certainty that you have Celiac Disease, but inconclusive or negative results in these tests do not necessarily mean you’re free from gluten intolerance. In fact, most people experiencing legitimate and significant gluten intolerance symptoms have officially tested negative for Celiac Disease. These individuals are categorized as non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive, or NCGS.
Because it is difficult to test conclusively, many people will be diagnosed based on a wide variety of screenings and observations. The most common symptoms are gastro-intestinal problems (diarrhea, flatulence & bloating) and fatigue, but many peripheral symptoms also lead to celiac disease diagnosis or non-Celiac gluten sensitivity. (I don’t want to make everyone reading this paranoid so over time this site will provide a wide range of essays on different ways people have come to evaluate gluten intolerance symptoms.)
Celiac Disease is caused by the inflammatory interaction of gliadin — a gluten protein in wheat and other grains such as barley and rye — and the enzyme tissue transglutaminase. This inflammation flattens the lining of the small intestine and thus impedes your small intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients. The best and likely only way to deal with this disease is a strict gluten-free diet.
Gluten is composed of the proteins glutenin and gliadin. They exist in the grass-like grains wheat, barley, rye and spelt. While western civilization has come to rely on gluten not only as an important nutritional protein but as a utility for obtaining a desired texture and elasticity in foods, in recent years some controversial studies indicate our bodies may not tolerate and digest gluten as well as everyone has always assumed.
Is Celiac disease a Wheat Allergy?
Even though it occurs as a reaction to protein in wheat, Celiac Disease is not specifically a wheat allergy. A wheat allergy — like most well-known allergies — is the response of white blood cells called basophils and mast cells to something called Immunoglobulin E (or IgE for short). In laymen terms, this is a traditional allergy where you develop antibodies to an allergen, in this case wheat. Believe it or not, you can have a wheat allergy and not have Celiac Disease (or gluten intolerance), and you can have Celiac Disease and not have a wheat allergy. They’re two completely different responses in your body.
In a vast majority of cases, gluten intolerance symptoms will be systemic and will be a result of consuming gluten over a period of time. But symptoms of wheat intolerance will instead manifest themselves more like you perceive a typical allergy: quickly and with single exposure.
For example, if you eat a large, dense piece of gluten-rich bread and have immediate reactions, you are more likely experiencing wheat intolerance symptoms rather than symptoms of gluten intolerance.
I know this can be confusing, but think of a wheat allergy reaction as similar to the way a person might react to cats if he or she is allergic to them. If he pets the cat and breaths around the cat, then he will almost immediately start having watery, itchy eyes and begin sniffling and sneezing.
In contrast, gluten intolerance symptoms manifest themselves more like a nutritional deficiency, with symptoms that sometimes arise slowly over time. The symptoms can be severe and serious, but they’re systemic, not immediate like symptoms of wheat intolerance.
I hope this helps you gain a basic understanding of the overall issue. In the coming months, I will provide multiple perspectives to evaluating gluten intolerance symptoms and I will begin rolling out some great ways to live gluten-free, including some fun recipes.
For example, check out our comprehensive Gluten-Free Pantry or our first collection of Gluten-Free Bread Recipes. Or keep up-to-date with our changes and additions with our Gluten Intolerance Symptoms Blog.
Thank you for visiting and please return soon!