The Nature of Wheat Allergy

Reactions to food happen all the time. These reactions vary from mild to severe, which may be the result from your body's negative response to certain foods or coming from a real food allergy. Any food can cause bodily reactions but some of the most common allergy causes are milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and wheat.

Some people have allergic reactions to wheat. This is due to their highly sensitive immune system. The primary function of the immune system is to search and destroy foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria. This mechanism protects us from diseases. People with hypersensitive immune system mistook the protein from wheat as an "invader" or a dangerous substance, which then mounts an attack. The blood produces more than normal levels of antibodies to repel the allergen, in turn, producing reactions in the body.

Reactions in the body may originate is different areas. Usually, allergic reactions due to wheat start in the digestive tract, where the allergen first makes a contact. For others, reactions can initially occur in the skin, lungs, or blood vessels. Depending on the severity of the reaction and state of your immune systems, symptoms can happen within minutes to a couple of hours after making contact with the allergen or after ingesting wheat.