Gluten-free. Everyone, including your goofy uncle is doing it. Could it just be a trend?
One thing that is apparent is that gluten issue continue to be on the rise, with studies showing a 5-fold increase of Celiac Disease since 1974, with another study showing 30-50% of people carry the Celiac gene.
Fun fact: People carrying the gluten sensitivity genes are much more common than those carrying the Celiac Disease gene. Gluten is a structural protein found in many grains, wheat being the major one. Other grains containing gluten are: barley, pumpernickel, rye, spelt, kamut. Gluten is also found in medications, supplements and cosmetics like skin and hair products (lip balms, etc). It is made up of 2 proteins known as gliadin and glutenin. Separately, these are found in about 80% of all grains.
When ingested, gluten causes an autoimmune reaction destroying the hair-like projections, known as villi, of the intestines. Villi are extremely important for nutrient absorption. Inflammation and destruction of the villi result in malabsorption. A downright allergy (autoimmune) to gluten is known as Celiac Disease. It is a gut mediated immune reaction. And, most commonly thought of an illness of the colon. Symptoms of Celiac are variable, but often include: abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and weight loss. Often, many of our patients with digestive issues have already seen the gastroenterologist and have been tested for Celiac with negative blood tests.
Gluten sensitivity is estimated to be 6 times more prevalent than Celiac Disease. Most common symptoms of gluten sensitivity are abdominal pain, eczema, rash, headache, ‘foggy mind’ (clarity), fatigue, diarrhea, depression, anemia and numbness (most to least common). Note, that many of these symptoms occur out of the intestinal tract.
The third type of patient coming to our clinic has an actual allergy to wheat, known as wheat allergy. This is a reaction based on and mediated by histamine. It has a systemic effect, affecting areas outside of the digestive system.
All of these conditions are triggered by gluten, and improvement when following a gluten-free diet and lifestyle.
The topic of gluten issues doesn’t have as much to do with it being a trend as it does as having an increased level of awareness. People have become more aware of gluten playing a significant factor when it comes to health.
So, why are people reacting to gluten in such a way? Many reasons have been thought to be the cause of gluten issues: poor prenatal dietary habits, genetic predisposition and susceptibility, immune and chronic stress, changes to the strains of wheat (containing higher gluten content), environmental exposures (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides), modern day processing methods and digestive enzyme / acid deficiencies.
Whether you have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or not, taking gluten out of the equation in addition to complementary support can improve your digestion, energy, brain function and pain for the better!