Hives after a beer, or a reaction to malty cereals that you cannot pin down? Barley turns up in more places than you would think, from beer and malt extract to soups and barley tea. Our test checks your blood for IgE antibodies to a whole barley extract, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, with wheat, rye, oats and the other grains on the same report.
Barley is a cereal grass and a close relative of wheat and rye. Several of its proteins look a lot like wheat proteins. That includes a lipid transfer protein (LTP) and protein Z, which researchers have identified as the main allergens in beer, and hordeins, the barley version of the gluten proteins in wheat.
Because the families overlap, barley and wheat results often appear together. In a study of children with wheat allergy, about half also reacted to barley in a supervised challenge, while the other half ate it without trouble. So a shared result is common, but it does not decide on its own whether barley matters for you.
Reactions people describe after barley, malt or beer include hives, itching, flushing, swollen lips, stomach cramps and, in some cases, wheezing. They usually start within minutes to two hours.
Bakers, brewers and mill workers can also become sensitised by breathing in flour dust, which is one cause of baker's asthma. Breathing problems at work need a doctor, not a home test.
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after eating is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test.
Barley is a grass, and whole cereal extracts share proteins with grass pollen. People with hay fever in summer often show some IgE to barley and drink beer or eat barley soup without any problem.
So a positive barley result shows sensitisation. It does not tell you that you will react. Barley also contains gluten, but coeliac disease is a different condition that this IgE test does not measure. If you have reacted to barley, take your result to a doctor, who can put it next to your history and your wheat results.
The lab measures IgE to one whole barley extract, which covers the full mix of barley proteins rather than single components. Your lab report gives it a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high. Wheat is measured on the same panel through five single proteins, including omega-5 gliadin (Tri a 19), which helps a doctor see how a barley result fits with wheat.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Some people react to beer, and barley proteins that survive brewing are a known cause. Hops, yeast or other ingredients can play a part too. Our test measures IgE to barley, wheat and other grains, so you can see whether any of them show up. A doctor can put that next to your reactions.
Not necessarily. The two share proteins, and studies show some people with wheat allergy react to barley while others eat it without trouble. The test shows wheat components and barley side by side. A doctor reads them together with your history.
No. Barley contains gluten, which matters for coeliac disease, but coeliac disease is autoimmune and is diagnosed with different tests. Our test measures IgE, the allergy-type antibody, and says nothing about coeliac disease.
