Gluten intolerance is a broad term that can refer to a few different conditions. The first and most commonly considered condition is celiac disease, but it can also refer to non-celiac gluten sensitivity or even a wheat allergy. Having a better understanding of these conditions and what to do about each of them will help you take the right steps towards the path of health and recovery.
If you are new to a gluten-free diet, you may wonder how much gluten is too much? Or what should you do if you accidentally consume a little gluten because you couldn’t control the preparation environment or because you just didn’t know something was made with gluten? Learn how much gluten it takes to do damage.
To understand the difference between a wheat allergy and celiac disease, you need to see a list of symptoms for each, but you also need to understand the context and mechanism of those symptoms as well. Discover the fundamental difference between a wheat allergy and celiac disease and learn more about what causes the symptoms of a wheat allergy.
One of the first steps in testing for gluten intolerance should include a blood test to look for raised antibodies and other biomarkers to determine if the patient has celiac disease. Keep in mind a negative blood test doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have a gluten intolerance of some kind. There are many things to consider both before and after testing.
In an allergic reaction, your immune system over-reacts to a foreign substance the human body usually ignores. In an autoimmune disease, your immune system reacts to normal cells or tissues that it usually ignores or accepts. This is why a peanut allergy can trigger a severe reaction via anaphylactic shock while celiac disease can do damage without any evident, tangible reaction after eating gluten.
You are not alone if you are confused by the vocabulary used in the gluten intolerance discussion. There are over a dozen different terms used interchangeably to represent three different conditions, and most people don’t even realize that there are three distinct conditions under the gluten intolerance umbrella. Having a better understanding of the terminology can help empower you on your quest for better health.
The term gluten allergy is deceptive and somewhat meaningless, but I will try to provide a gluten allergy definition that will help people better understand the conditions typically related to this term. If you are familiar with my approach or my site you may know I have a problem with a couple of terms used when referring to this sensitive and complicated issue.
