What does gluten do your body that many people say that it should be removed esp for autoimmune conditions even non-celiac disease? How does gluten become an allergen?
In: Biology
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and some other grains. It’s what gives bread its stretchiness. For the overwhelming majority of individuals gluten is beneficial. Studies show potential benefits including lowered risk of heart disease.
In a small number of individuals (less than 1%) with Celiac Disease, the body misperceives gluten as a dangerous substance and triggers an immune response. This can cause damage to the digestive system, especially if an affected person continues to consume gluten. Stopping gluten consumption can reverse some of the damage. Since wheat is the primary source of gluten avoiding it becomes very important.
Some people may be sensitive to gluten but not at the level of Celiac disease.
A few other conditions such as wheat allergy, which isn’t specific to gluten, can also cause trouble and of course be also helped by avoiding wheat as well.
The reality is that for most people gluten is fine but some people falsely believe they are sensitive to gluten. Either they have some actual problem but don’t know the cause and are looking for anything to explain it or they are just following the latest fad.
“People say gluten should be removed” because they don’t even know what gluten *is* but just repeating whatever they heard online is easy.
Unless you have a gluten allergy as diagnosed by a doctor (almost no one does), gluten is perfectly fine. “Health fads” are as dumb as Pet Rocks.
My wife has coeliacs disease, so I can describe what happens to her. Just a few weeks ago she got glutened by a restaurant that should know better.
Within ten minutes she became very gassy, as shown by burping. She then begins to bloat and her tummy swells half again its normal size. Then for approximately a week she will have discomfort in her gut and have very loose stools and flatulance.
That’s the outside. On the inside her immune system is reacting crazy and actually damaging her gut (intestines) by trying to attack the gluten. The above is the result of that.
You’ll also want to research glyphosate (roundup) as it gets used on wheat to ‘dry it down’ just before harvest. Basically to uniformly kill the wheat so harvest is easier and faster. This leaves more chemical residue on the grain than say corn or dry beans where glyphosate is used to kill weeds during the spring/summer and will more likely be mostly washed off by rain well before harvest.
Glyphosate acts as an antibiotic/antifungal chemical in the gut, killing off many beneficial organisms in the digestive tract.
.
[Gluten is hard to digest for everyone, so removing it from your diet can feel good even if you don’t have celiac disease.](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/what-is-gluten-and-what-does-it-do#:~:text=Protease%20is%20the%20enzyme%20that,response%20or%20other%20unpleasant%20symptoms)
Latest Answers