Individuals having bread allergy are allergic to the yeast, wheat or gluten present in the bread. Even if you have allergy to any one of the above ingredients, eating bread can trigger allergies. The symptoms of bread allergy are rashes, hives, watery eyes, and runny nose.
Reasons Behind Bread Allergy:
- Yeast: Yeast is a fungi which is used in making breads, wines and cakes. The protein present in the yeast is responsible for causing allergy
- Wheat: Wheat is among the top eight allergy-triggering foods. The proteins present in the wheat — globulin, gluten, gliadin and albumin are responsible for causing allergy
- Gluten: Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye and can cause allergy
Bread allergy can cause symptoms such as rashes, hives, itchiness, diarrhea, nausea etc. It can also progress to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction. Hence, if you have bread allergy, you should always carry epinephrine to prevent anaphylaxis.
If you have reactions to bread, apart from allergies, you might also be suffering from celiac disease — an autoimmune disorder which is an intolerance to gluten. Taking up an allergy test can help you to check if you really have an allergy.
Allergy Testing:
To know the reason behind bread allergy, you can take up allergy tests. Your allergist would conduct blood test (RAST) or skin prick test, which can help in determining allergy-triggering foods. Once, the allergy-triggering ingredients are determined, you can take steps to avoid them in your diet.
Preventing Bread Allergy:
To prevent bread allergy, you can choose gluten-free, yeast-free or wheat-free bread, depending upon the ingredients to which you are allergic to. Avoiding bread is preferable, but you can always choose alternative bread products which do not contain the allergens.
