Over half of Brits believe wheat allergy is a common illness, says report

22nd January 2010, 9:23am

Over half of the British population believes that wheat allergy is a common illness, according to a new report by the University of Portsmouth and commissioned by the Flour Advisory Bureau.

Research shows that up to 20% of adults think they suffer from a food allergy or food intolerance. However evidence suggests that the real prevalence of food allergy and intolerance in adults is less than 2%.

Those living alone and those aged 35-44 were most likely to report an allergy or intolerance. But the report highlights that confirmed wheat allergy is less common than other food allergies such as peanuts and other nuts, eggs and milk.

Dr Carina Venter, senior allergy dietician at The David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre on the Isle of Wight, said: "Our concern is that people are self-diagnosing allergies which is very unreliable and could even mask a different illness which would remain undiagnosed and untreated."

Dr Heather Mackenzie from the School of Health Sciences & Social Work at the University of Portsmouth, added: "We know that only 1.4 - 1.8% of UK adults are allergic to any food and that wheat allergies are less prevalent so it's a concern that many people are avoiding wheat unnecessarily which may have an adverse impact on their nutritional intake and quality of life."

Wheat is found in many foods including bread, pastry, pasta, noodles and biscuits and wheat-based products form a key part of our diet with 76.4% of the UK population eating bread once a day or more. For the small proportion of the population who suffer genuine food allergies the affects can be serious.

Related Articles:

• 17 Aug 2010 - The European Safety Bureau launches Allergy Awareness Course
• 04 Dec 2008 - Scientists develop food allergy treatment
• 04 Dec 2008 - Scientists develop food allergy treatment
• 23 Sep 2008 - FSA conducts food allergy research
• 16 Jan 2008 - Coeliac UK welcomes FSA allergy guidance

Click here to submit a comment!

smilinggreenmom

23 January 2010 at 3:20pm

Our son has food allergies to several things and we have had to learn a lot about this. I just wanted to say though to those who suffer from wheat intolerance, that Kamut Khorasan Wheat can be tolerated by some who otherwise cannot eat "modern wheat". I hope this helps!

Have your say!

To comment on this article, simply enter your name and email and send us your views. Please note that your comment will appear publicly below this article once it has been processed. For enquiries please email info@eatoutmagazine.co.uk.