Gluten: Friend or Foe?
“Gluten-Free” is a common term we all keep hearing these days.
In this article, we explore what is gluten and what are the problems associated with it.
What is Gluten
“Gluten” is a protein found mainly in grains (such as wheat, rye, and barley). It acts as a glue that holds the food together.
Problems associated with gluten
Dr. Tom’o Brian who has 30 years of experience researching celiac disease and gluten sensitivity explains that the human body cannot digest gluten completely. The digestive enzyme “Proteases” in our body helps with the breakdown of gluten, however, it cannot break down gluten completely.
Our intestines are lined with a very thin membrane which allows the body to absorb nutrition from digested food.
Eating gluten-containing foods has been shown to produce tears in this membrane (even in healthy individuals) within 5 minutes of food ingestion.
These tears heal fast. However, constant tearing of this membrane day in and day out over a number of years can lead to a point where the membrane is not able to heal properly. This produces holes in the membrane due to which unwanted molecules from the food can pass into the blood. This membrane destruction (also called Gut Permeability) can also be caused by factors such as toxins in food and the environment, gut infections, the use of antibiotics, etc.
When undigested gluten particles pass into the blood, the body produces an immune reaction toward the gluten protein.
The inflammation and immune reaction can also take place in individuals having a strong gut membrane but a “subclinical” sensitivity to “Gliadin” which is a component of Gluten.
This inflammation and immune reaction can result in the following issues:
Brian Fog: The inflammation produced due to gluten protein results in a common symptom known as brain fog (inability to focus, complete tasks, and memory issues).
Joint Pain: Constant low-level inflammation produced by gluten ingestion can result in joint pain.
Skin Issues: Skin is the mirror of the gut. This means that inflammation in the gut manifests itself as skin issues such as acne and eczema.
Depression/Addiction: Gluteomorphines are one kind of peptide which result from partially undigested gluten. The name is similar to morphine since just like it, Gluteomorphines bind to the opiate receptors in the brain resulting in endorphins, the feel-good hormones. Stimulating these receptors multiple times a day every other day results in down-regulation of these receptors and at one point they stop working. What this leads to is that the body needs cannot get enough endorphins and needs more and more to feel good about life. This is also one of the reasons that can cause cravings for gluten-rich foods and hence addiction. Downgraded opiate receptors have been linked to autism, depression, and anxiety.
Is “Gluten” the only issue?
One interesting question is is gluten the only cause of concern in foods like wheat, rye, barley, etc.? And the answer to that is, no. Another issue that goes hand in hand is Glyphosate.
What is Glyphosate?
Glyphosate is a chemical herbicide(weed-killer) widely used by farmers on crops.
There have been debates on the harmful effects of Glyphosate in the scientific community, however, there is no consensus yet. Although, studies have shown that Glyphosate exposure causes digestive issues and makes us more susceptible to gluten sensitivity and hence celiac disease. It has been shown that glyphosate up-regulates the CXCR3 receptor and that makes us susceptible to gluten. As we know gluten damages the membrane of the small intestine, and the combination of gluten and glyphosate becomes a bigger threat to the gut.
There have been debates on the harmful effects of Glyphosate in the scientific community, however, there is no consensus yet. Although, studies have shown that Glyphosate exposure causes digestive issues and makes us more susceptible to gluten sensitivity and hence celiac disease. It has been shown that glyphosate up-regulates the CXCR3 receptor and that makes us susceptible to gluten. As we know gluten damages the membrane of the small intestine, the combination of gluten and glyphosate becomes a bigger threat for the gut.
In addition to its gut impacts, chronic exposure to glyphosate has been linked to cancers. In 2020, Dewayne Johnson who is a school groundkeeper won a $289 million lawsuit against Monsanto after he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of cancer) due to repeated exposure to the product Roundup. (Monsanto is the company that sells the product Roundup which has the glyphosate as its main ingredient)
Reducing gluten-containing food also helps in reducing exposure to glyphosate as wheat is a common crop sprayed with it and making sure every grain product you eat is organic would be difficult.
Conclusion
After all the research on the effects of gluten, should everyone go gluten-free?
Well, for starters, I think that would be tough. Not to mention that all gluten alternatives are not to be touted as healthy, as they could be made via starch (potato or tapioca) or soy protein, which can have their own negative effects.
Personally, I would stick with naturally gluten-free grains such as Amaranth and Quinoa and limited quantities of bread such as sourdough bread which is fermented and thus the bacteria breaks down the gluten.
When eating out or for occasional cheat meals, products containing gluten-breaking enzymes such as “Gluten Guardian” by BioOptimizers can help digest the gluten.
Another priority should be to heal and make the gut stronger via specific compounds such as colostrum, and probiotics.
References
- https://daveasprey.com/61-gluten-sensitivity-celiacs-bulletproofing-your-gut-with-dr-tom-obryan-podcast/
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16293555
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16293555/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/ditch-the-gluten-improve-your-health
- https://bengreenfieldlife.com/article/digestion-articles/how-to-fix-your-gut/
- https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/what-is-gliadin/
- https://www.beyondceliac.org/gluten-free-diet/common-food-safety-questions/food-safety-what-is-glyphosate-and-what-does-it-have-to-do-with-celiac-disease
- https://www.consumerreports.org/organic-foods/reduce-exposure-to-glyphosate-by-eating-organic/
- https://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/toxic-tort-law/monsanto-roundup-lawsuit/where-is-glyphosate-banned-/