An intricate array of symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to vomiting, underweight, difficulty concentrating, in extreme cases infertility or miscarriage. Lack of an unambiguous diagnosis, referral from one doctor to another. Or is it a gluten allergy?Gluten is a substance formed from two plant proteins: glutein and gliadin, and at the same time the most allergenic food ingredient after milk, it affects 10-25% of people with food allergies. It is present in grains of all varieties of wheat, barley, rye and oats. Consuming meals with the content of these cereals is harmful to the health of people who are allergic to it. Millet and buckwheat flours and groats as well as amaranth and rice are allowed.
Allergy and gluten-free dietGluten allergy is sometimes called hypersensitivity. The symptoms are confusingly similar to celiac disease, but it is a separate condition that should not be confused. Gluten sensitivity is associated with an overactive immune system. It is necessary to introduce a gluten-free diet, which is used in allergy sufferers for some time and then to be challenged with gluten, as it may subside or weaken. However, celiac disease does not pass and the diet in this disease is maintained throughout life, it allows you to regain health and well-being, prevent the development of, for example, asthma or intestinal lymphoma. At the same time, people on a diet should take vitamins and minerals – especially iron and calcium, whose absorption is limited in these ailments.Typical symptomsAn allergic reaction can be immediate and late. The first condition is the occurrence of at least one of the following symptoms within an hour of eating gluten, such as: diarrhoea, vomiting, urticaria, skin lesions of atopic dermatitis, watery runny nose, bronchial spasms, and even anaphylactic shock. They are conditioned by gluten-specific IgE antibodies. Later symptoms, not related to this class of antibodies, most often include diarrhea or atopic dermatitis, which manifests itself within a few hours, up to two days after eating the forbidden grains.DiagnosisThe good news is that people with a gluten allergy, unlike those with celiac disease, do not have a damaged lining of the small intestine. The simplest diagnostics can be carried out at home by excluding gluten from food, and then observing whether the symptoms have subsided. Anti-gliadin and anti-endomysial antibody tests do not guarantee absolute certainty, but they increase the probability of confirming an allergy. It is important to perform them as early as possible, because the confirmation of antibodies becomes more difficult with age. A section of the small intestine should also be examined to exclude celiac disease. It is estimated that every fifth person may be a carrier of a virus that causes gluten allergy, which threatens pregnant women and people infected with adenovirus 12E1A.
How do you live, doctor?Eliminating gluten from the diet seemingly seems to be doomed to slow starvation. Nothing could be further from the truth, there are simple substitutes. Wheat noodles in your favorite broth or spaghetti will successfully replace rice or corn noodles. Traditional oatmeal for breakfast can be replaced with millet, rice or buckwheat flakes, and semolina with corn, rice or amaranth porridge. Cornmeal works well in pancakes. We can coat the meat in millet flakes and corn flakes, the latter should be chosen with the symbol of the crossed ear. An apple thrown into the meat sauce will not only thicken it, but also give it a unique taste. In addition, it is worth remembering that gluten-free products are available in stationary and online stores, including flour, cookies, wafers and even bread.