Wheat and Gluten Intolerances on the Rise
As most of you have probably read, wheat and gluten intolerances, as well as celiac disease is on the rise:
“The prevalence of celiac and gluten intolerance has increased significantly over the last 50 years. A 2009 study published in Gastroenterology showed that celiac disease has increased from one in 650 people to one in 120 people over the last 50 years.”
Why is it rising?
According to Amy Myers, MD (posted on HuffPost Healthy Living where the above quote was taken):
This Is Your Gut on Gluten
We’re no longer eating the wheat that our parents ate. In order to have the drought-resistant, bug-resistant and faster growing wheat that we have today, we’ve hybridized the grain. It’s estimated that 5 percent of the proteins found in hybridized wheat are new proteins that were not found in either of the original wheat plants. These “new proteins” are part of the problem that has lead to increased systemic inflammation, widespread gluten intolerance and higher rates of celiac.
Today’s wheat has also been deamidated, which allows it to be water soluble and capable of being mixed into virtually every kind of packaged food. This deamidation has been shown to produce a large immune response in many people.
She goes on to explain what happens to gluten sensitive people when they eat glutenized foods:
In people who have no issues with gluten, the proteins are absorbed. In those with gluten sensitivity, the GALT identifies gliadin as a dangerous substance and produces antibodies to attack it. In celiacs, these antibodies don’t just attack the gliadin, they attack the tTG as well, which is what originally broke down the gluten into its two parts….
When the antibodies your body produced to defend itself against gliadin attack your tTG, these microvilli (hair-like fingers, existing in your intestines to absorb nutrients) can atrophy and erode, decreasing your ability to absorb nutrients and allowing the walls of your intestines to become leaky. This can manifest itself in digestive symptoms, including bloating, constipation, diarrhea, weight loss, fat malabsorption and malnutrition, such as iron deficiency or anemia, low vitamin D or even osteoporosis.
Excellent article with many references to back up her statements.
Check out Amy Myers, M.D. website for more information on healthy practices
Leave a Reply