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.
You still hurt when you eat. Your tongue swells, your throat tightens and the tell-tale churn and burn of the same old acid reflux welcomes you to yet another painful meal. “But all the tests were negative,” you might think. Or you might plead, “But I’m confident I’ve cut gluten from my life, and this
More evidence suggests an autoimmune reaction to gluten may be the underlying cause of an idiopathic condition: chronic urticaria. In a study published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (Volume 16, Issue 5, p428), Italian scientists found a strong correlation between children suffering from celiac disease and chronic urticaria. They also discovered that a strict gluten-free
Delineating whether you are suffering from wheat allergy symptoms or gluten allergy symptoms or celiac disease will be up to your doctor, but this celiac disease symptoms checklist should at least help you understand if celiac disease is a real possibility and then help your doctor better understand why you should be tested. Once you know your condition, you can improve your health and quality of life with the proper treatment.
Despite what you may have read on many inaccurate or vague websites, gluten is not a protein itself and it is possible to have a poor response to gluten and yet still test negative for celiac disease. Understanding what gluten is, where it is found, how it can cause damage within the body and how to avoid it is an important step in mastering the gluten-free lifestyle.
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.
If you go to your primary care physician and discuss your concern about a possible gluten intolerance, he or she will likely recommend starting with simple blood work. This blood work tests for the anti-gliadin antibody in your blood. Raised levels of this antibody indicate celiac disease. Gliadin is the prolamin protein in gluten that
Because many people confuse a food intolerance with a food allergy, the perception is that food allergies are more common than they are. About 5% of children and 4% of teens and adults suffer from a real food allergy. The most common food allergies are caused by eight seemingly simple foods. Sadly, these eight foods can cause a severe and immediate reaction for people who are allergic to them.
