Corn Intolerance & Coeliac Disease

Corn, also known as maize, is one of the most successful cereal grasses of all time. It has been under human cultivation for over 10,000 years. While corn originates in the New World, it is grown all over the world and used for a staggering array of products. Corn is far more productive than most cereal crops and is able to sustain a higher population than relatives like wheat, rye, or rice.

Corn is used in everything imaginable. In addition to being eaten straight off the cob or as popcorn, corn is used to manufacture corn syrup, an artificial sweetener. Corn is also used to synthesize a number of compounds used in manufacturing processes, such as corn starch, which is in everything from cardboard to biodegradable containers. Corn can be extracted as dextrimaltose, dextrin, dextrose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup, glucose tablets, cereal starch, edible starch, modified starch, starch, vegetable oil and sweeteners. Eliminating hidden corn from the diet can therefore be a challenge.

Corn is used as a substitute for wheat for those suffering from Coeliac disease; those who cannot tolerate gluten. Unfortunately, a misuse of the term gluten by the corn industry has become common in recent years as it has become fairly common to call corn storage proteins corn gluten. As a result it has led to corn products being pigeon holed with all gluten products meaning that those with Coeliac disease avoid consuming it. However as far as it is known corn does not cause harm to Coeliac patients.

For those known to be suffering from corn allergy or intolerance there are obvious alternatives such as wheat, rye and rice that can be eaten. If you are unsure however it is recommended that you take a food intolerance test in order to determine which of the alternatives are suitable before you embark on any dietary changes.

The simple to use blood test only requires a few drops of blood from the finger that can be collected in the comfort of your own home. Once the sample is collected you send it to the laboratory and where it undergoes extensive analysis. Once analysed it can help you to identify a multitude of food groups which your body reacts to including wheat, corn, dairy, oats, and more. By eliminating the problematic foods you can then begin to control some of your symptoms thereby helping to make you feel much better.