What's The Deal With Wheat?

A close look at the recent escalation of intolerance towards this staple.

- Ishi Khosla

Wheat is listed among the top eight food allergens. A wheat allergy is an adverse reaction to one of the hundreds of proteins found in wheat and can be fatal. But less than one per cent of the world’s total population is actually allergic to wheat. What is more common is a sensitivity or intolerance to a protein called gluten which is found in grains such as wheat, oats, barley and rye.

Gluten is composed of two main elements—gliadin and glutenin— and is responsible for the elasticity of dough. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition in which gluten causes chronic inflammation of the gut, which leads to malabsorption of nutrients. The symptoms can be diverse, ranging from diarrhoea to growth problems.

However, only 50 per cent cases may present typical symptoms. More common symptoms include weight loss, lethargy, osteoporosis, mouth ulcers and mental health issues like depression, anxiety and irritability.