wheatintolerence homefamily health Virgin Media

An increasing number of people in the UK are questioning the presence of wheat in their diet, either concerned by symptoms that arise after eating it, or feeling that it somehow "does not agree" with them.

Often they will decide that this means they are allergic to wheat and will aim to cut it out of their diet. True wheat allergy is actually very rare and can produce extreme reactions, such as a rash, swelling of the lips and tongue or in a few cases life-threatening anaphylaxis. However, it is important to emphasise the rarity of such reactions as true wheat allergy affects less than 0.5% of the UK population.

When most people talk about being allergic to wheat, what they are usually referring to is wheat intolerance, which affects around 15% of the population.

Wheat intolerance is the inability to properly digest gluten - a very complex protein that can be found in wheat and in varying quantities in rye, barley and oats (the latter of which which do not contain gluten, although there is some worry of cross-contamination during processing).

This inability to tolerate wheat can often lead to uncomfortable gastro-intestinal symptoms such as stomach bloating, cramps, wind, constipation or diarrhoea.
Wheat intolerance is most common in young children, the majority of whom will outgrow it within five years. This has been proven to occur more quickly if foods containing wheat are completely avoided. Those who develop the intolerance later in life are more likely to retain it.

Some people with wheat intolerance also have coeliac disease. Coeliac (pronounced see-liak) disease is a genetic condition that affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK. It is characterised by damage to the small intestinal wall due to intolerance to gluten. The lining of the gut is damaged by it, preventing the absorption of essential nutrients and causing symptoms such as diarrhoea, anaemia, tiredness, vomiting and failure to thrive in infants.

If left untreated, it can lead to more serious conditions, such as gut cancer and osteoporosis. The diagnosis is confirmed by a biopsy of the gut wall, which can return to normal, along with an improvement in symptoms when the sufferer adopts a gluten-free diet.