You can develop itchy skin for a number of reasons when it comes to food. It could be a simple food allergy, a skin allergy or something more serious, such as celiac disease. If you notice that your skin becomes itchy every time you come into contact with grains or any other type of food product, let your doctor know right away. You may need an allergy test to determine why you experience itchy skin when you touch grains.
Food Allergy
Certain foods, such as wheat, nuts, soy, eggs, milk and shellfish can trigger an exaggerated immune response that causes an allergic reaction. When these types of foods cause a food allergy, it typically occurs while you are a child and not when you reach adulthood, according to National Institutes of Health online medical encyclopedia Medline Plus. Children tend to outgrow some food allergies, such as allergies to soy, milk, wheat and eggs, by the time they reach 5 years of age. Other allergies, such as shellfish and nuts, tend to last a lifetime. Food allergies can cause abdominal pain, nausea, swelling of the face, lips and tongue, shortness of breath and itchy skin, mouth, throat and eyes.
Skin Allergy
Sometimes you can have a reaction to certain foods just by touching them. Grains can have this type of reaction against your skin. This type of reaction is known as contact dermatitis. The grains can irritate your skin and cause inflammation, which can result in a rash. The rash can range in severity from mild to severe, leaving just an itchy patch of skin with small irritated bumps, or it can leave a patch of red, irritated skin that breaks out with oozing hives as a result of scratching.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease causes damage to the small intestine and prevents you from absorbing nutrients from the foods that you eat. If you have celiac disease, you cannot tolerate gluten. Gluten is a type of protein found in rye, wheat and barley — all of which are types of grains. Symptoms of celiac disease include itchy skin, vomiting, abdominal bloating and pain, bone loss and unexplained iron-deficiency anemia. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse estimates that approximately 2 million Americans have celiac disease, which is around one in 133 people.
Considerations
Do not self-diagnose your reaction to grains. Treating yourself for the wrong condition could make your symptoms worse. Talk to your doctor, who can do professional testing to determine why you are breaking out with itchy skin. Avoid grains if you suspect they are causing a skin reaction and keep a log of when the skin reaction occurs, the appearance of the patch of itchy skin and what you were wearing and eating at the time of the reaction.
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