Gluten Free Vegan Living

Research is being conducted on developing a pill making it possible for celiacs and gluten intolerant folks to eat gluten.  This pill would be similar to the pills developed for lactose intolerant folks that is currently available now.

According to the Celiac.com website …

… Justin Siegel, Ingrid Swanson Pultz and colleagues think that an enzyme might be able to further break down the offending peptides in the stomach, thus permitting people with celiac disease to safely eat gluten-containing foods.

Their efforts led to the discovery of a naturally occurring enzyme that has some of the ideal properties for doing so. They then used a computer to modify the enzyme in the laboratory so that it would do the job completely.

The newly engineered enzyme, which they called KumaMax, breaks down more than 95 percent of gluten peptides associated with celiac disease in acidic conditions that mimic the stomach.

Most of the comments on the article were favorable, but one person posted a concern about the genetic engineering of the pills:

Did you notice the part that says they “used a computer to modify the enzyme in the laboratory”? This is a genetically modified enzyme, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have the potential to cause all sorts of problems/imbalances in our bodies. In fact, some people argue that GMOs are to blame for the plethora of food allergies we are seeing in the US today (BT Corn might be causing a leaky gut and allowing food particles to enter the bloodstream, in-turn causing the immune system to react to these foods). I worry that long term, using a genetically modified enzyme to treat Celiac disease could actually make matters worse for people who are already dealing with serious digestive issues. Who knows in what ways this human engineered enzyme will interact with the naturally occurring enzymes and flora in our gut, not to mention the lining of our digestive system.

This pill sounds like a wonderful breakthrough, but what about the GMO implications?

What are your thoughts?  Would you be interesting in such a pill?  Would the possible genetic engineering concern you?

Let me know your thoughts!

I am so happy to see the media taking a real interest in informing the public about Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease.  So many people are suffering from this disease, but have no idea what is wrong with them.

Without knowing it, bakeries have poisoned us over the years by adding more and more gluten to their products!  And of course, our American diet consists of so much baked goods …. it is no wonder that Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease is on the rise!

Gluten for punishment

 Celiac Disease awareness growing

 By Linda Watts, Vancouver Courier

Although eating gluten isn’t an issue for many of us, others truly suffer. According to Dr. Scott Whittaker, a gastroenterologist at St. Paul’s Hospital and professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, a small percentage of the population have the genetically-determined illness, celiac disease (CD), and another segment of the public — a larger group — have a more broadly defined condition called gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity.

Whittaker explains that when an individual with CD consumes gluten, it triggers an immune response in the body that causes an inflammatory reaction in their small intestine. This in turn damages the small intestine lining. And since that lining is the direct pathway for nutrients to enter our bloodstream, proteins, fats, calcium, iron, other minerals and vitamins may not be properly absorbed. ….

Shelley Case, a Regina-based registered dietitian who specializes in celiac disease and the gluten-free diet, says that physicians and other heath care providers are now realizing that the prevalence of CD in the North American population is much higher than initially thought. Once believed to be 1 in 10,000, research over the past decade has revealed that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

Case, who authored Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide (Case Nutrition Consulting Inc., 2010), adds that because the condition is being mistaken for other illnesses, only 5 to 10 per cent of those with CD are being diagnosed. That means at least 90 per cent of people with the disease are walking around unaware.