What are gluten related disorders?
Wheat is one of the most widely consumed food grains in the world and much of the wheat produced is used and consumed in a variety of foods such as bread, baked goods, pasta etc. In addition, the functional properties of gluten means that it can be used as an ingredient in food processing so it may occur in less obvious foods as well e.g. soy sauce etc.Gluten is the main structural protein found in wheat and other cereals such as rye and barley. It is possible that the introduction of gluten-containing grains (approx 10,000 years ago) represented an evolutionary challenge that created the conditions for the occurence of diseases/conditions related to gluten exposure. The two most common of these are wheat allergy and coeliac disease.
As well as coeliac disease and wheat allergy, there are cases of gluten reactions which are not an allergy or an autoimmune condition- these are known as gluten sensitivity. These conditions, as well as others, can be classified as 'gluten-related disorders'.
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Wheat Allergy and Wheat Intolerance
