Gluten: Foe or Fad?

Gluten refers to a collection of proteins found in grains. In wheat, gluten is composed of two main proteins — glutenin and gliadin. Glutenin dissolves in water and is responsible for the strength and elasticity of the dough made from wheat flour. Gliadin is insoluble in water gives bread its ability to rise properly during the baking process. Gluten is used to bind foods together. The name ‘Gluten’ comes from the Latin word for ‘glue’. The most abundant and obvious sources of gluten in our diet are: bread, baked goods, cereals (often including oatmeal), crackers/pretzels, pasta, beer (plus added to some liquors), ready to eat meals, soups, sauces/gravy, and seasoning blends. Gluten is also hidden as an additive in foods like salad dressings, soy sauce, marinades, processed meat, vegetarian meat substitutes, candy, and ice cream. Gluten is found in personal care products like lotions, soaps, lipsticks, medications and vitamins/supplements. Whew! So basically everywhere.

I know what you’re thinking… no worries that its everywhere because grains are part of a healthy lifestyle, right?

Our switch from a nomadic lifestyle to agricultural settlements was not that long ago in relation to total human history, evolution is slow.
The wheat today is not the same wheat used when agriculture began, it is biologically and genetically different than heirloom wheat. Starting in the 1940’s, wheat has been cross bred and modified to be a higher yielding, pest resistant, and lower cost crop. In 1970, Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to create the semi-dwarf, disease resistant, high yield wheat variety used today. The semi-dwarf wheat also has up to 50% more gluten than the heirloom wheat.
Whole grains have 3 components: the bran is the hard, outer coating, containing fiber and antioxidants, the germ is the nutrient-dense inner core, and the endosperm (making up the largest portion) contains mostly carbohydrates and protein. In the old way, the entire whole grain was used, days spent grinding away on stones. Today, refined grains use only the high calorie, high carbohydrate, low fiber, and nutrient poor endosperm. Even foods labeled ‘whole grain’ are essentially subject to the same refining process but with a little of the pulverized bran added back in. We are then mislead by labeling and marketing that we are making good ‘whole grain’ choices to combat our risk of heart disease. It used to take days of fermentation (good for the gut) to make bread rise but in processing new grains, with the additional sponginess of gluten, the nutrients are destroyed in order to make bread shelf stable. We are told its healthy even though studies show eating refined grains leads to overeating, obesity, insulin resistance/diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.  Common harvesting protocols in this country include covering the wheat field with Monsanto’s (now Bayer) RoundUp (re: glyphosate) a few days before harvest to dry the crops in order to get a larger harvest more easily. Glyphosate lasts 20 years in the soil. Part of the goal of genetic modification of grains is so the plant itself can withstand the effects of Glyphosate. The herbicide industry has always maintained that RoundUp is ‘minimally’ toxic to humans but research and the most recent victorious law suits against Bayer and Monsanto would suggest otherwise. Glyphosate causes cancer, disrupts gut flora specifically killing bacteria that make vitamin K, folate and neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, etc). Its important to note at this point that at least 70% of the immune system is in the gut. Once harvested the wheat is sprayed with a preservative called Calcium Propionate which is a toxin that has been shown to contribute negatively to attention, focus, and behavior. All in all there are at least 10 applications of chemicals as part of the standard harvesting practice.

I don’t have celiac disease so gluten and I must be coo, right?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten where the body damages the villi of the small intestine interfering in nutrient absorption, allegedly affecting around 1% of the population. It is estimated that celiac is more much more common but under diagnosed or diagnosed as something else because the symptoms can wide and varied. Interestingly around 30% of people have the gene (HLA-DQ2 or DQ8) predisposing them to Celiac disease but only 1% is affected. Why the discrepancy? Because environment/lifestyle turn genes on/off, this is called epigenetics (a fascinating topic for another article). The only treatment for celiac disease is strict lifelong avoidance of gluten.
Only a small percentage of the population has a gluten related diagnosis (blood, biopsy) but there is a large percentage that has symptoms of gluten sensitivity. These symptoms are autoimmunity, acne, weight gain, anxiety, depression, brain fog, migraines, neuropathy, fatigue, joint pain, bloating, constipation/diarrhea, abdominal pain, mouth ulcers, etc. Gluten-related disorders can manifest themselves in any tissue of the body.
Research by Alessio Fasano, MD shows that when anyone (sensitive or not) eats gluten the body responds by making zonulin, a protein that signals the tight junctions in the intestinal walls to open, this creates permeability. Now the cells in the lining of the intestines turn over every 48 hours but if we are being exposed to gluten every day the permeability doesn’t heal and it will stay ‘leaky’. Leaky gut is implicated in celiac disease, crohn’s disease and irritable bowel. But leaky gut has also been shown to play a role in autoimmune disease (Lupus, MS), chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and mental illness.
Someone can tolerate gluten/grains when they were young but then become intolerant because of a lifetime of gluten exposure causing leaky gut, plus NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc), acid reducing drugs (omeprazole, Prevacid, etc), oral contraceptives, and antibiotics all contribute to a poor gut barrier. People who do not tolerate gluten should also try eliminating other grains, even traditionally gluten free grains, and dairy because of cross reactivity and molecular mimicry creating inflammation. Gluten creates oxidative stress, produces chemicals that damage cells and increases cell destruction.

So I should get tested, right?

If you are unwilling to give up gluten I think its important to get tested. Gluten is made up of several hundred peptides and gliadin has 12 sub-fractions. Most conventional testing only looks at alpha-gliadin (one of the 12) but what if you’re reacting to one of the other portions of gluten? False negative. In my practice, I run a test from Cyrex Labs that looks at over 30 parts of gluten proteins with possible reactivity. They will also run a test for cross reactivity with other foods. I test every patient who is unwilling to give up gluten regardless of the reason they are in the appointment. I take every patient off gluten because of the volume of people who get better by eliminating it.
The benefit is high and the cost is low to just eliminating it. Gluten antibodies can circulate for up to 90 days, it makes sense to give it at least that amount of time before you decide if you feel better or not. If you’ve been eating wheat and you have leaky gut and your immune system hates it, even just 10mg of gluten (a few crumbs) can restart an inflammatory cascade. You have to be strict, at least at first. Once you’ve eliminated grains and fixed your gut then maybe your diet could open up a bit.

What about gluten-free convenience foods?

Foods that come in a bag or a box are processed even if the label says gluten free. If you look at the ingredients you will likely see potato starch, rice starch, guar gum as a flour substitute. These are highly refined starches that turn to sugar, spike insulin, and cause weight gain. Gluten free processed foods are calorie rich and nutrient poor, they don’t have the same regulations about vitamin enrichment as wheat flour.
Please, for the love, just eat real food.

If you liked this post why not give gluten/grain elimination a try and contact me for help or further testing. Comment below if gluten elimination has helped you, or even if it hasn’t helped you.

In Health