Corn Intolerance But Not Allergy?

[graindamage]

Hello,

I tested negative for corn allergies by my allergy specialist. The test was the type where I laid on my stomach and they proceeded to jab sharp objects into parts of my back. Within a few minutes, they could look at the reactions on my back to see if I had a specific allergy.

Wheat and corn were among the allergins I was tested for, and only did I test positive for dust mites. You can see from my signature, that I have a gluten intolerance.

I've been gluten-free since July 3rd, and during that time, I've noticed that my stomach hurts alot after eating a LOT of corn products. I sat down and ate 2 ears of corn on the cob and within an hour or more, my stomach hurt a lot, but it was shortly after going gluten-free, and my body may still have been reacting to the gluten I had on July 2nd.

The same thing happened to me when I ate an entire bag of Tings (they are gluten-free, but they have other products that contain Gluten in them). So there could be cross contamination there. The company says that: "All of our snacks except for Stealth Chips, CHAOS, Honey Wheat Pretzels and Pirate's Pretzels are Gluten Free (There is a Gluten and Wheat free version of the Chaos). Since gluten is used on other snacks at the plant, we do not put it [gluten free] on our bags. They run our snacks first, thoroughly clean the machines between runs, and train all the employees on allergen control to reduce the possibility of cross contamination. However, we cannot 100% guarantee that there can never be a cross-contamination."

I plan to challenge myself this week to see if I get the same symptoms.

I now know that it's possible to have a gluten sensitivity and have it not appear in a skin test, but I wasn't sure it was possible with corn.

Any thoughts from anyone on this topic?

-Scott

[jerseyangel]

Hi Scott-- The skin tests you had were for true allergies. What you are describing with the corn is an intolerance. I have the same situation in that I have Celiac Disease--but I am not allergic to any foods I've been skin tested for, including wheat. However, I am intollerant to a number of foods causing GI upset and other symptoms. It is not uncommon for a Celiac or someone who is gluten intolerant to have other intolerances--most common are soy, dairy and corn (which is also a grain). I hope that helps

[tarnalberry]

Allergies (like the ones tested for my the skin test you had), are IgE mediated reactions. Intolerances are IgG (and IgA) mediated reactions. The skin tests do not show intolerances; they are different beasts all together, and you can have either one or both or neither.

[graindamage]

Allergies (like the ones tested for my the skin test you had), are IgE mediated reactions. Intolerances are IgG (and IgA) mediated reactions. The skin tests do not show intolerances; they are different beasts all together, and you can have either one or both or neither.

Thank you, that's very informative.

Do you know if there is a test for corn intolerance similar to what I did for Wheat at Enterolab? I didn't see any tests on their website for corn.