Food allergies vs. intolerance

Did you ever meet someone you just didn’t click with? You don’t necessarily dislike the person, you just don’t really feel any spark? We’ve all been there. Now contrast that to someone who really gets under your skin and annoys the heck out of you.

That, my friend, is the difference between an intolerance and an allergy. The latter evokes a response. In our previous post, we talked about how gluten sensitivity is an intolerance—someone with this condition has a hard time breaking down gluten. So let’s now talk a bit about a genuine allergy—wheat allergy.

Celiac Disease is not super common. Depending on which medical research you review, it affects anywhere from 1 – 3% of the US population. Wheat allergies are often lumped into these figures, so there’s not a lot of solid data on how common it is, but it’s probably more rare than Celiac Disease.

That said, people with true allergies to wheat do exist. People allergic to wheat can experience reactions ranging from mild digestive discomfort to a full blown rash and runny nose. Even though wheat allergies are often lumped into the same category as gluten intolerance, it’s important to realize that people allergic to wheat may not have any issue with gluten in and of itself. Symptoms of wheat allergies include the following:

  Diarrhea

• Hives and/or itchy rashes
• Itchy, red, watery eyes
• Nasal congestion
• Nausea, vomiting and/or abdominal pain

 In severe circumstances, people suffering from wheat allergies can also experience difficulty breathing and / or swelling of the lips and tongue. In the most severe cases, people who consume wheat can go into anaphylactic shock—a potentially life-threatening reaction where people can’t breathe and their hearts flutter. 

Remember, true wheat allergies are really rare, and we’re not sharing this information to scare anyone. We just want to help educate and inform, and we hope we’ve done that. If you are concerned you might have a wheat allergy, you should absolutely visit your doctor for a consultation.

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About Sorbeo: We have one simple mission: Help people live healthier, pain-free lives when it comes to digestive health, and our goal is to help people live healthier, pain-free lives when it comes to digestive health. Our community includes people who suffer from a range of ailments including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn's Disease, Celiac Disease and food issues like gluten sensitivity. We also serve people suffering from Chronic Fatigue, Autoimmune Deficiencies and even Fibromyalgia. Of course, our doors are always open to general health enthusiasts as well. 

If you or a loved one suffers from any of these conditions, or if you’re just curious to learn more about our clinically formulated digestiveenzyme, check out our web site for more information.