Diagnosis and therapy for Wheat Sensitivity

What causes Wheat Sensitivity?

The significant increase in Wheat Intolerance is due to the fact that people are more mindful today. Indviduals who listens to their bodies and questions their condition, perceive more symptoms.

There is another plausible theory to explain more frequent complaints. According to this theory, humans cannot cope with today's Central European diet. The quantity of cereal products which are consumed in a normal diet are simply too high. In particular, wheat is consumed in large quantities. In the diet of our ancestors, cereals emerged only about 10,000 years ago, so it is a food of relatively recent date. Secondly, today's crop varieties - pest-resistant, extremely high-yielding and protein-rich - could cause some people ailments.

Elements of cultivated wheat may be a problem

Amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATI) are suspected. They are natural insect repellents and there are large quantities of them in wheat cultivated today. They are the second most common protein class in cereals.

Scientific studies suggest that the increasing share of ATI in food is associated with an increase in cases of Wheat Sensitivity. Gastroenterologists assume that the ATI from wheat provokes a reaction in the innate immune systems of those with Wheat Sensitivity. The mechanisms of the innate immune system may lead to the spread of inflammations which then causes discomfort.

Perhaps FODMAPs are also responsible for the symptoms of Wheat Sensitivity

On the other hand, the authors of the medical guideline also believe it’s possible that so-called FODMAPs trigger the symptoms. The abbreviation FODMAP stands for carbohydrates that cannot be absorbed by the body, namely "fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols". These carbohydrates occur naturally in food. The sugar fructose and lactose, for example, belong to these FODMAPs, as do longer-chain indigestible carbohydrates found in beans or onions. Some studies suggest that a certain percentage of the population reacts to these specific carbohydrates with the symptoms described above. In these cases, the term Wheat Sensitivity would be misleading, since neither the wheat nor the frequently-demonized gluten trigger are the problems.

Diagnosing Wheat Sensitivity

To date, the diagnosis of Wheat Sensitivity has been a diagnosis of exclusion.
It is certain that Wheat Sensitivity is neither an allergic reaction (as in the case of Wheat Allergy) nor an autoimmune disease (as in Celiac Disease).

Accordingly, Wheat Sensitivity is diagnosed in individuals with symptoms similar to Celiac Disease sufferers and Wheat Allergy sufferers, but for whom

can be ruled out.

Therapy for Wheat Sensitivity

Experts recommend individuals diagnosed with Wheat Sensitivity follow a gluten-free diet. The probable cause of the inflammatory reaction of the body is a certain component of the wheat, ATI. ATI occur only in gluten-containing grains. Therefore, a gluten-free diet, like that of people with Celiac Disease, should also prevent the symptoms of Wheat Sensitivity. Studies have already shown that those affected feel better with a gluten-free diet. Gluten is contained in native grain varieties such as wheat, rye and barley.

Please see also:

What is Wheat Sensitivity?