3 Important Reasons Why You Should Avoid Gluten

Windowpane test in pizza dough

Not long ago, gluten was mentioned in a lot of media and got a lot of attention. Interest in gluten seems to be lower now, but that doesn´t mean you should ignore gluten.

Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Therefore it helps the dough keep together, and a very good way to see what gluten does is the windowpane test for pizza dough. Gluten is mainly present in food that is made out of wheat, but it is also present in food products made out of rye, barley, and kamut. This is not an extensive list; if you are sensitive or allergic to gluten, you should always carefully check the food products you eat and even some products you use. Non-food products that contain gluten can be craft materials (including glue), medication, supplements (including vitamin supplements), drugstore items, and animal food. Always check labels carefully.

1. Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a serious auto-immune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. Celiac disease is hereditary, meaning that it runs in families. People with a first-degree relative with celiac disease (parent, child, sibling) have a 1 in 10 risk of developing celiac disease.

One of the problems with celiac disease is that it can develop at any age after people start eating foods or medicines that contain gluten. If left untreated, celiac disease can lead to additional serious health problems. The later the age of diagnosis of celiac disease, the greater the chance of developing another auto-immune disorder. (Ventura, Magazzu, & Greco, 1999)

When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their body starts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine that promotes nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be adequately absorbed into the body.

Common symptoms are diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss. More specific symptoms are iron deficiency anemia and central and peripheral nervous system disorders; these are all consequences of the malabsorption of nutrients. These are just the most common, there are a lot more symptoms, and celiac disease can lead to a myriad of symptoms and other conditions.

There is another condition that is very similar to celiac disease; it is non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This condition is very similar to celiac disease, and only clinical testing can distinguish between these two disorders.

There’s no cure for celiac disease, but following a strict gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and promote intestinal healing for most people.

2. Gluten Allergy

Celiac disease is not an allergy but an auto-immune disease. People with celiac disease have an auto-immune reaction involving IgA antibodies when gluten is ingested. An allergy is different and involves a different branch of the immune system. The allergic component is, in this case, against one of the components of wheat. It doesn´t necessarily have to be gluten; it also can be an allergic reaction to many different components of the wheat plant. People allergic to wheat sometimes also experience gastrointestinal symptoms and rashes, but they also experience more typical allergy symptoms, like a runny nose.

Symptoms of true wheat allergy include nasal congestion, itchy eyes, itchy rashes, swelling of lips, tongue or face, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and difficulty with breathing.

The most dangerous potential symptom of wheat allergy is anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening systemic allergic reaction. People experiencing anaphylaxis from wheat allergy may find themselves coughing, wheezing, or having difficulty swallowing; their hearts may beat rapidly or slow down, and they may have a large drop in blood pressure. This is a life-threatening condition.

As with celiac disease, this allergy can develop at any age as long as people are exposed to wheat.

As with celiac disease, even ingesting small amounts of gluten, like crumbs from a cutting board or toaster, can trigger a reaction. So also with preparing food, there has to be taken great care that nothing comes in touch with gluten. (for example, the knife with which bread was cut cannot be used for something that a celiac disease patient or someone with an allergy will eat.)

3. Wheat Germ Agglutinin

Wheat gluten and wheat lectin (wheat germ agglutinin, WGA) can cause dysfunction and disease in humans. They contribute to the manifestation of chronic inflammation and auto-immune diseases by increasing intestinal permeability and initiating a pro-inflammatory immune response.

WGA can alter the integrity of the intestinal wall and increase its permeability to both mannitol and dextran. In a healthy intestinal wall, only 0,1% of WGA ends up in our circulation, and this is because of transcellular transport. When the intestine wall is inflamed, it loses its integrity, and more WGA is leaked into our circulation. WGA stimulates the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL1, IL6, and IL8) and thus has an effect on the immune system. (Dalla Pellegrina, Perbellini, Scupoli , & et al., 2009)

This way, WGA can cause an immune response, and this leads to an inflammatory reaction in the intestinal wall. This reaction can be brought to the peripheral lymph nodes, giving rise to a general inflammatory response. In addition, wheat also contains lectins, and these bind to the epithelium in the gut, they damage intestinal cells, which leads to reduced resorption of nutrients. (Sharma, Bhatia, Chunduri, & et al., 2020)

If the source for gluten and WGA remains, immune cells are constantly activated, making an ignition reaction self-sufficient and chronic. Factors in diet can be a high omega 6: omega 3 ratio, a high intake of sugars and components such as wheat and grains. The WGA causes chronic inflammation of the intestinal wall, which makes that the intestinal wall starts to leak through WGA. This leaking through of WGA and subsequent spreading of WGA in our circulation is related to diabetes mellitus type 1, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, asthma, chronic fatigue, depression, schizophrenia, and certain cancer types. These are all good reasons to stop having gluten and WGA in your diet. Another positive effect of refraining from eating grains is that it reduces glucose intolerance. (de Punder & Pruimboom, 2013)

Conclusion

There is every reason to avoid gluten in your diet. Even if you do not have complaints at this moment, it is not a guarantee you will not develop them later. Celiac disease and wheat allergy can develop throughout people’s life. The damaging effects of WGA or another reason to avoid gluten in your diet. WGA can cause a lot of conditions, often related to auto-immune disorders. Another positive effect is that when you refrain from eating grains, you can reduce glucose intolerance. Below are references and a link to find more about a gluten-free diet.

Interesting links:

It Makes Perfect Sense That We Do Not Need Carbs

Why We Eat Meat

Celiac Disease Foundation

Very useful website about celiac disease, info about the disease, but also info about how to have a gluten-free diet, and recipes.

References

Dalla Pellegrina, C., Perbellini, O., Scupoli , M., & et al. (2009). Effects of wheat germ agglutinin on human gastrointestinal epithelium: insights from an experimental model of immune/epithelial cell interaction. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol., 237(2), 146–153. doi:doi:10.1016/j.taap.2009.03.012

de Punder, K., & Pruimboom, L. (2013). The dietary intake of wheat and other cereal grains and their role in inflammation. Nutrients, 5(3), 771–787. doi:10.3390/nu5030771

Sharma, N., Bhatia, S., Chunduri, V., & et al. (2020). Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease and Other Gluten Related Disorders in Wheat and Strategies for Mitigating Them. Front Nutr., 7(7), 6. doi:doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.00006

Ventura, A., Magazzu, G., & Greco, L. (1999). Duration of exposure to gluten and risk for auto-immune disorders in patients with celiac disease. SIGEP Study Group for Autoimmune Disorders in Celiac Disease. Gastroenterology, 117(2), 297–303. doi:10.1053/gast.1999.0029900297.

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