Many people complain of reactions to wheat, but most of these are not actually wheat-allergic – they are either wheat intolerant or may have coeliac disease.
Many people think the terms food allergy and food intolerance mean the same thing; however, they do not. Food intolerance is a reaction that does not involve the immune system. A food allergy is a reaction that involves the immune system (see “What is an allergy?”). The difference is important because food allergy can range from mild reactions to severe, life threatening (anaphylactic) reactions and can occur even with tiny doses. Food intolerances are not life threatening and the person may be able to eat small amounts of the food, but have symptoms on eating larger amounts.