I bet you've
recently seen the phrase "gluten-free" on take-out menus, food
packaging, shampoo bottles, apartment listings, the tag of your shirt, or as
your friend’s lower back tattoo. Next time someone begins telling you about
their new-found freedom from gluten, here are some questions you can ask, and
the well-informed answers that your friend, being a rational individual making
educated dietary choices, and by no means just following the latest diet trend,
will tell you.
First, what is gluten? Gluten represents a protein composite composed of gliadin and glutenin. Where might you encounter gluten? Gluten is found in certain grains such as barley, rye, and wheat. Why do people suddenly care about gluten? And what has it been doing for all this time in human history? Gluten cause the dough to be elastic and food made from wheat flour, like bread and pasta to be chewy. For some people, these foods cause problems, namely wheat allergy, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Wheat allergy is an uncommon condition that occurs when a person's immune system mounts an allergic response to wheat proteins, leading to mild problems, and in rare cases, a potentially dangerous reaction called anaphylaxis. Celiac disease is an inherited disease, in which eating foods with gluten leads to inflammation and damage to the lining of the small intestine. This impairs intestinal function, leading to problems like belly pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, weight loss, skin rash, bone problems like osteoporosis, iron deficiency, small stature, infertility, fatigue, and depression. Untreated, celiac disease increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Celiac disease is present in one in every 100 to 200 persons in the U.S. The diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy when blood tests show the possibility of celiac. The most effective treatment is a gluten-free diet, which helps cure intestinal damage and improve symptoms. Some people don't have celiac disease or a wheat allergy; however, they experience symptoms when they eat foods with gluten. These people are known to have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. They experience painful gut symptoms and suffer from fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, or skin rash. A gluten-free diet specifically helps with these symptoms. So how many people actually suffer from gluten sensitivity? The rate of gluten sensitivity occurrence in the general population is unclear, but it is more common than wheat allergy and celiac disease. To diagnose gluten intolerance, we rely on the development of symptoms, the improvement when taking a gluten-free diet as well as the absence of celiac disease and wheat. Unfortunately, a tissue or blood test is considered unreliable since gluten sensitivity is caused by various factors. For instance, gluten can be responsible for the activation of the immune system in the small intestine. A lot of times people claiming gluten sensitivity are actually found to be sensitive to sugars contained in foods like wheat, called fructans, not to wheat proteins. Fructans cannot be absorbed or broken down by the human intestine; therefore, they travel to the large colon or intestine, where bacteria ferment them. This produces fatty acids and short-chain gases. Consequently, people with bowel problems experience unpleasant symptoms. The nocebo, which is the opposite of the more well-known placebo effect, can be another possible explanation behind gluten sensitivity. It is when someone believes something will cause problems, and because of that belief, such problems occur. The nocebo response may be a key reason why some people think they're sensitive to gluten, thanks to the bad reputation gluten is getting in the media.
It's clear now for all these reasons that the problems people develop when they eat grains like wheat aren't exclusively due to gluten. Therefore, a better name than non-celiac gluten sensitivity might be wheat intolerance.
First, what is gluten? Gluten represents a protein composite composed of gliadin and glutenin. Where might you encounter gluten? Gluten is found in certain grains such as barley, rye, and wheat. Why do people suddenly care about gluten? And what has it been doing for all this time in human history? Gluten cause the dough to be elastic and food made from wheat flour, like bread and pasta to be chewy. For some people, these foods cause problems, namely wheat allergy, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Wheat allergy is an uncommon condition that occurs when a person's immune system mounts an allergic response to wheat proteins, leading to mild problems, and in rare cases, a potentially dangerous reaction called anaphylaxis. Celiac disease is an inherited disease, in which eating foods with gluten leads to inflammation and damage to the lining of the small intestine. This impairs intestinal function, leading to problems like belly pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, weight loss, skin rash, bone problems like osteoporosis, iron deficiency, small stature, infertility, fatigue, and depression. Untreated, celiac disease increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Celiac disease is present in one in every 100 to 200 persons in the U.S. The diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy when blood tests show the possibility of celiac. The most effective treatment is a gluten-free diet, which helps cure intestinal damage and improve symptoms. Some people don't have celiac disease or a wheat allergy; however, they experience symptoms when they eat foods with gluten. These people are known to have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. They experience painful gut symptoms and suffer from fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, or skin rash. A gluten-free diet specifically helps with these symptoms. So how many people actually suffer from gluten sensitivity? The rate of gluten sensitivity occurrence in the general population is unclear, but it is more common than wheat allergy and celiac disease. To diagnose gluten intolerance, we rely on the development of symptoms, the improvement when taking a gluten-free diet as well as the absence of celiac disease and wheat. Unfortunately, a tissue or blood test is considered unreliable since gluten sensitivity is caused by various factors. For instance, gluten can be responsible for the activation of the immune system in the small intestine. A lot of times people claiming gluten sensitivity are actually found to be sensitive to sugars contained in foods like wheat, called fructans, not to wheat proteins. Fructans cannot be absorbed or broken down by the human intestine; therefore, they travel to the large colon or intestine, where bacteria ferment them. This produces fatty acids and short-chain gases. Consequently, people with bowel problems experience unpleasant symptoms. The nocebo, which is the opposite of the more well-known placebo effect, can be another possible explanation behind gluten sensitivity. It is when someone believes something will cause problems, and because of that belief, such problems occur. The nocebo response may be a key reason why some people think they're sensitive to gluten, thanks to the bad reputation gluten is getting in the media.
It's clear now for all these reasons that the problems people develop when they eat grains like wheat aren't exclusively due to gluten. Therefore, a better name than non-celiac gluten sensitivity might be wheat intolerance.
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