The Rise of Gluten Intolerance and the "Risks" with a Gluten-Free Diet

Below is an interesting article from the HeraldOnline.com on the growing number of people being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance or dietary disorder.

Unfortunately this article ignores non-celiac gluten intolerance that is a measurable antibody-mediated immune system activation, rather than just difficulty in digesting gluten. And they refer to lactose intolerance but ignore antibody-mediated dairy allergies.

Additionally, doctors very often tell patients not to avoid gluten unless they have a positive diagnosis for celiac. They say that doing so is needlessly risky - nutrients will be missed, the testing isn't valid unless the patient has been eating gluten, etc. These are valid points.

But if you feel that taking gluten out of your diet improves your health, you don't need a doctor to tell you you have celiac. Additionally celiac is only one form of immune response to gluten and is very likely to be only a small fraction of the total group of people who should not eat gluten.

Since very few doctors will test for or even acknowledge non-celiac gluten intolerance (immune response) it is entirely appropriate for people to try a gluten free diet and see what happens if they are patient, in-tune with their health, and conscious of the need to eat a healthy diet.

From the HeraldOnline.com:

Is it our imagination, or are gluten intolerance, and dietary disorders in general, increasingly in the news? Does this mean they're on the rise?

The answers are yes and yes, according to experts.

"It is indeed well documented that all autoimmune (and allergic) disorders are on the rise worldwide, but limited to developed areas," said Stefano Guandalini, founder and medical director of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. "In general, it is safe to say the rates about double every 20 years or so."

There are various theories as to why, but the most prevalent is the "hygiene theory" -- in other words, as a society we're just too clean. As a result, the immune system, largely controlled by the gut, receives inadequate stimulation, Guandalini said.

With autoimmune disorders, which include gluten intolerance and type 1 diabetes (but not allergies), the body attacks itself rather than the invasive substance, causing permanent damage if allowed to continue.

Unfortunately, with all the attention given gluten intolerance -- a plethora of new cookbooks, gluten-free items on restaurant menus, new gluten-free food products -- some people are adopting a gluten-free diet on their own.

This is always a bad idea, said both Guandalini and Carol M. Shilson, executive director of the center and a celiac disease sufferer herself.

"There's no scientific evidence that it's better for you if you don't have celiac disease," Shilson said.

The problem is, even in healthy people, gluten -- a protein found in wheat, rye and barley (and possibly oats) -- is not an easy substance for the body to digest. If you eliminate it from your diet for any amount of time, "it's very hard to go back to a regular diet."

That makes going gluten free a bad idea even for people with symptoms who suspect they are gluten-intolerant.

-----------
Original article posted HERE
Image thanks to Withoutadornment via Wordpress