Wheat Allergy and Intolerance

Every day there seems to be a story in the news, magazines or on TV about foods causing unpleasant reactions. In fact, the terms food allergy and intolerance are much misused and clearly misunderstood by the media and the general public. In particular, wheat seems to be the target of unfounded, non-scientifically based claims about it causing intolerance or sensitivity. This can create a lot of confusion and may lead people to think, wrongly, that they are 'allergic' to certain foods including wheat. As a result they cut out and eliminate foods which in fact may be an essential part of a healthy balanced diet. Such self-medication can be dangerous as it can obscure the real health problem.

True wheat allergy is extremely rare. Other adverse reactions to wheat are also uncommon (<0.1% excluding coeliac disease) but the number of people who believe they may suffer from food intolerance is rising. Wheat based foods normally contain a mixture of ingredients, any of which could cause an adverse reaction.