Could Gluten Be Bad For You?
February 10, 2010
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and numerous other grains. When some people consume foods that contain gluten, they experience gastrointestinal symptoms that may include bloating, diarrhea, constipation, alternating diarrhea/constipation, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Other people have no GI symptoms at all. For gluten-sensitive individuals, long term exposure to gluten can lead to migraine headaches, obesity, depression, anxiety, fatigue, osteoporosis, anemia, and deficiency of vital nutrients. Some practitioners believe gluten sensitivity can be related to several ailments that are otherwise unexplained by western medicine. Some patients find that their symptoms go away once they eliminate gluten from their diet. Gluten sensitivity is not an allergy. Instead, it creates inflammation in the GI tract. Celiac Sprue is a term that is typically used to describe a reaction to gluten, which creates immediate onset of symptoms when it is consumed. Gluten sensitivity can be diagnosed with lab work and an intestinal biopsy, which is considered the “gold standard” for Celiac Sprue. Unfortunately, these tests can result in false negatives. In other words, a person can be sensitive to gluten yet still test negative. Completely eliminating gluten for 6 to 8 weeks will provide the best diagnosis. If a person finds that they feel better during this time, they should avoid gluten all together. If they have no change in symptoms, but their symptoms worsen when they reintroduce gluten, they, too, should continue to avoid it completely.
Over time, inflammation caused by gluten sensitivity wears down the villi in the small intestine. These villi line the wall of the small intestine and are composed of cells which secrete enzymes necessary for digestion, as well as cells involved with the immune system. The villi are also responsible for absorption of nutrients. Therefore, the degradation of these villi can interfere with the body's ability to utilize the nutrients a person consumes. This chronic inflammation can also lead to what some practitioners call a “leaky gut.” This allows the gap junctions in the intestine to open, and the contents in the gut cross into the blood stream. Look for my article on “leaky gut” coming soon, or use your favorite search engine to research the topic further.
Treatment for gluten sensitivity and Celiac Sprue is to completely eliminate gluten from the diet. This can be difficult, aside from the obvious sources of gluten, like wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten can be found in less obvious sources, such as soy sauce, salad dressings, imitation seafood, beer, and many more. A gluten sensitive person should only consume grain type products made from rice, millet, and buckwheat. Also, to confuse the consumer more, products labeled "wheat free" are not the same as gluten free. Some practitioners also believe that soy protein mimics the molecular make-up of wheat, so it should be avoided as well. One must read nutrition and ingredient labels very carefully to discern gluten content.
