Wheat Vs Gluten Intolerance

[megsylvan2]

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to be intolerant to wheat alone without being gluten intolerant?

Not sure if these two can be separated or not.

Many thanks......

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Yes, it is possible.

[megsylvan2]

  MySuicidalTurtle said:

Yes, it is possible.

Interesting. I know that I am highly reactive to wheat. How do I now find out if I also have a problem with Gluten? I don't seem to be as highly reactive to say plain bread or pizza crust. At one time, pasta seemed to bother me, but that was when my illness was in it's acute state. After going gluten-free for a couple of months and getting everything to calm down, pasta doesn't seem to bother me so much. Since I don't have a firm diagnosis from my doctor, and she has given up trying to find the cause, I want to pinpoint the exact food items that are giving me trouble. I know now for sure that I cannot tolerate egg, wheat, or honey, and I am now trying to pinpoint gluten. (Dairy bothers me too, but I believe that is a secondary problem caused by the first problem, although I am not sure.) I have to find things with gluten that do not contain egg or wheat or dairy, and I am having trouble doing so.

I had previously heard that it was possible to be intolerant of wheat and not be gluten intolerant, but I just found this description of gluten at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University: "What is gluten?

Gluten is the term for the storage proteins of wheat. The alcohol-soluble fraction, called gliadin, has been most studied, but most or all gluten proteins are likely to be toxic in celiac disease, along with similar proteins in barley (hordeins) and rye (secalins). While the proteins of barley and rye are not strictly gluten they are commonly included in the term. "

If gluten is a protein of wheat, then wouldn't wheat intolerance and gluten intolerance be one and the same? And if so, why would I have such problems with wheat (half of a triscuit induces almost immediate pain), yet not get the same reaction from say, an entire slice of pizza (apart from the lactose issue)?

Any others have more problems with wheat than they do with non-wheat breads?

Thanks your your help,

Meg

[Felidae]

I know someone who is wheat intolerant but not gluten intolerant. I think she figured it out by trying various foods.

[megsylvan2]

And I guess the second part of my question is - Does wheat intolerance alone (if there is such a thing) lead to Celiac disease, or does only gluten intolerance lead to Celiac disease?

I think the answer is that they both do, and I'm not yet convinced that these are different things. I'm wondering if your friend only experience acute reactions to wheat, but under the covers, gluten was still at work doing its damage with antibody reactions?