Causes and Overview of a Wheat Intolerance

Wheat intolerance is a condition wherein your body has difficulty in digesting wheat. It isn't the same as an allergy to wheat, where your body's autoimmune responses produce allergy symptoms. Wheat intolerance is a chemical reaction, and this type of intolerance is actually more common than allergies, although you don't hear about it as often.

In intolerance or more commonly in allergy, often called Celiac diseases, there is a defect in an enzyme, which results in your body not being able to digest wheat gluten. The tissue toxicity that results can produce swift cell turnover, damage parts of the small bowel, and increase epithelial lymphocytes.

Although not widely heard about, Celiac disease affects about one of every 133 people living in the United States. It results from a genetic predisposition and from environmental factors. The exact mechanism that causes wheat intolerance is not known. There is a strong association between this disease and the antigen haplotypes DQw2 and DR3. The disease could also be caused by your body's autoimmune system malfunctioning. This disease affects twice as many women as men, and is frequently seen among relatives, especially brothers and sisters. Wheat intolerance primarily affects Caucasians and those whose ancestry traces to Europe.

Gluten is a protein that occurs in oats, rye, barley and wheat. When any of these grains is milled, that process releases the gluten, and this gives flours their elasticity and strength. You will notice the difference if you buy gluten-free bread; the texture is not the same.

When most people eat gluten, the stomach breaks it down, and then it goes through the small intestine. There, projections known as "villi" absorb nutrients from the gluten. These villi cover a large area, in which nutrients are absorbed from food.

When someone with a wheat allergy or intolerance eats food containing gluten, their body creates an immune response to what it perceives as an invader. The intestinal lining will become inflamed, and the villi will flatten, instead of covering their normal large area. The vital nutrients are thus not able to be absorbed, and over time, this can lead to loss of weight and malnutrition.

Symptoms, Diagnosis and Mis-diagnosis

The signs and symptoms of wheat intolerance include those listed below. You should note that these symptoms usually refer to those noted by a patient, but some are not noticed until a physician checks for them. Some of the symptoms are:

Watery or itchy eyes
Unexplained runny nose
Unexplained cough
Lethargy and tiredness
Swollen tongue or throat
Irritable Bowel Syndrome effects
Sneezing
Skin rashes
Psoriasis
Palpitations
Nausea or vomiting
Muscle and joint aches and pains
Feeling faint or dizzy
Eczema
Diarrhea
Mood swings or depression
Chest pain
Bloated stomach
Arthritis

Besides these symptoms, there are various medical conditions and diseases that can be associated with celiac disease, and some are found with wheat intolerance or allergy:

Autoimmune disorders like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
Osteoporosis
Unexplained miscarriage or infertility
Thyroid disease
Type 1 diabetes
Skin disorders, including dermatitis
Lactose intolerance
Anemia