A number of different types of cereal can cause reactions in people who are sensitive. Intolerance or allergy to wheat is more common in the UK than allergy to rye, barley, oats, maize/corn and rice.
Allergy to rice is common in Japan and other parts of the world where rice makes up a major part of the diet. For more information on this, see the section on rice allergy.
For people who are sensitive to maize (also known as corn), avoiding it can be very difficult, because ingredients made from maize are commonly used in a wide variety of food products such as biscuits, cereal products, cake mixes, ice cream cones and some batters. If you are allergic to maize, ask a health professional for advice.
Coeliac disease is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat and a number of other cereals including rye and barley. See the section on coeliac disease for more information. Coeliac disease is different to wheat allergy. See the section on wheat allergy for more information.
Sometimes people can react to more than one type of cereal.
