Why is Wheat Gluten Disorder on the Rise?

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Why is Wheat Gluten Disorder on the Rise?

 

A study using frozen blood samples taken from Air Force recruits 50 years ago

has found that intolerance of wheat gluten, a debilitating digestive condition,

is four times more common today than it was in the 1950’s.

The findings contradict the conventional wisdom that the sharp increase in

diagnoses of wheat gluten intolerance has come about because of greater

awareness and detection. It now seems likely that dramatic changes in the

American diet have played a role.

The disease occurs in people whose bodies cannot digest gluten, a protein found

in wheat, rye and barley. The undigested protein triggers the immune system to

attack the lining of the small intestine, causing diarrhea, nausea and abdominal

pain.

The researchers who conducted the study also found that the recruits who had the

undiagnosed digestive disorder, called celiac disease, had a four-fold increase

in their risk of death.

 

According to statistics from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, an

average of one out of every 133 otherwise healthy people in the United States

suffers from the digestive disease known as celiac disease (CD).

Previous studies have found that this number may be as high as 1 in 33 in

at-risk populations.

Unfortunately, despite its rapidly increasing prevalence, it still takes an

average of four years to reach a diagnosis if you’re symptomatic. This delay

in proper diagnosis can dramatically increase your risk of developing other

diseases such as autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis, and

even cancer.

For example, if you’re diagnosed with celiac disease after the age of 20, your

chances of developing an autoimmune condition skyrocket from the average 3.5

percent to 34 percent. 

Additionally, according to this latest study, undiagnosed CD was associated with

a nearly four-fold increased risk of premature death.

What Causes Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease, also more casually referred to as wheat- or gluten intolerance,

occurs when your body cannot digest gluten, a protein most commonly found in

wheat, rye and barley. However, it’s very important to realize that these are

not the only culprits that can cause severe problems. Other grains such as oats

and spelt also contain gluten, and gluten can be found in countless processed

foods without being labeled as such.

" Gluten " comes from the Greek word for glue, and its adhesive properties hold

bread and cake together. But those same properties interfere with the breakdown

and absorption of nutrients, including the nutrients from other foods in the

same meal.

The result is a glued-together constipating lump in your gut rather than a

nutritious, easily digested meal.

The undigested gluten then triggers your immune system to attack the lining of

your small intestine, which can cause symptoms like diarrhea or constipation,

nausea, and abdominal pain.

In more recent years it’s been shown that the condition can also cause a much

wider array of symptoms that are not gastrointestinal in nature, further

complicating proper diagnosis.

Over time, your small intestine becomes increasingly damaged and less able to

absorb nutrients such as iron and calcium. This in turn can lead to anemia,

osteoporosis and other health problems. 

The rapid increase in celiac disease and milder forms of gluten intolerance is

no surprise considering the modern Western diet, which consists in large part of

grain carbohydrates.

Additionally, modern wheat is very different from the wheat your ancestors ate.

The proportion of gluten protein in wheat has increased enormously as a result

of hybridization.

Until the 19th century, wheat was also usually mixed with other grains, beans

and nuts; pure wheat flour has been milled into refined white flour only during

the last 200 years.

The resulting high-gluten, refined grain diet most of you have eaten since

infancy was simply not part of the diet of previous generations.

The Many Symptoms of Gluten-Intolerance

In addition to nausea, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain, celiac disease

may manifest clinically with an array of non-gastrointestinal symptoms, such as:

Osteoporosis or osteopenia

Tooth enamel defects

Vitamin K deficiency

Central and peripheral nervous system disease

Dementia, and impairments in mental functioning that could cause or aggravate

autism, Asperger’s syndrome, ADD or schizophrenia

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH), a skin condition that causes intense itching and

blistering

Anemia of various types

Infertility, and earlier menopause

Organ disorders

Weight loss or gain

Depression

Fatigue

How to Treat Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease

The treatment for celiac disease or gluten intolerance is a gluten-free diet,

which means abstaining from grains and any food that contains gluten. A blood

test can verify whether or not you actually have the condition.

Typically, avoiding gluten for a week or two is enough to see significant

improvement.

However, in my experience, about 75-80 percent of ALL people benefit from

avoiding grains, even whole sprouted grains, whether you have a gluten

intolerance or not. This is because, typically, grains rapidly break down to

sugar, which causes rises in insulin that exacerbate health problems such as:

Overweight

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Type 2 diabetes

Cancer

The only consistent exceptions would be those whose nutritional type is a carb

type and you don’t suffer symptoms of intolerance. However, it’s still

important to realize that there is a major difference between vegetable carbs

and grain carbs, even though they’re both referenced as " carbs. " Unlike

vegetables, grains convert to sugar, which is not something anyone needs in

their diet in high amounts.

The rising prevalence of celiac disease is clear evidence that we’re simply

not designed to consume such vast amounts of starch- and sugar-rich foods so

many now indulge in.

In short, most people are consuming far too much bread, cereal, pasta, corn (a

grain, not a vegetable), rice, potatoes and Little Debbie snack cakes, with very

grave health consequences.

Yes, this even includes organic stone ground whole grains. Obviously these are

healthier for you for a large number of reasons, but ultimately they cause the

same problems through two mechanisms. Reaction to the protein gliadin in the

wheat, and adverse impact on insulin metabolism. 

The fact is that two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight or obese, and

one in four Americans is diabetic or pre-diabetic. These are clear signs that

our diets have strayed too far from the norm of what your body actually needs.

Fortunately there are communities in the US where overweight people are the

minority. I spent ten days in Aspen, Colorado in early July and my guess is that

less than 5 percent of the population is overweight.  Of course many European

communities have levels this low, but it is very uncommon in the US.

Hidden Sources of Gluten

In order to combat gluten intolerance, it’s not enough to simply avoid grains.

You must also pay attention to the quality of all the other foods you eat.

Remember, 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food is for processed

foods. When you choose foods like this, not only are you bound to experience

physical complications in one way or another, but if you have celiac disease

it’s even more imperative you avoid processed foods due to hidden gluten.

Unfortunately, food manufacturers are not required by law to identify all

possible sources of gluten on their product labels, so reading the label may not

be enough.

Gluten may still be hiding in processed foods like ready-made soups, soy sauce,

candies, cold cuts, and various low- and no-fat products, just to name a few,

under labels such as:

Malts

Starches

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)

Texturized vegetable protein (TVP)

Natural flavoring

Celiac.com has a long list of label ingredients that typically contain hidden

gluten.

For helpful tips and guidelines on how to approach food companies for more

detailed information about their ingredients, see The Gluten Solution site. They

also offer more detailed information about the current state of gluten-free

labeling legislation.

That said, your best bet is to stick to a diet of fresh, whole foods (preferably

organic whenever possible). Not only will you keep your celiac disease under

control, but you will also experience numerous other benefits such as increased

energy, enhanced mood, and a lower risk of chronic illness.

If you want more information about celiac disease, the following web sites are

good places to start:

www.celiaccenter.org

www.celiac.com

UK Web site for sufferers of celiac disease: www.coeliac.co.uk

Sources:

  Minneapolis Star Tribune July 1, 2009

  Gastroenterology July 2009; 137(1):88-93

 

Love, Gabby. :0)

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