Here’s a fascinating study. It’s most likely that you yourself, or you probably know someone, who suffers from Gluten sensitivity, GI sensitivity, autoimmune disorder, or Celiac Disease (CD). There are specialized diets to address this specifically. The most common being, the Gluten Free Diet (GFD), which cuts out wheat. What if someone is continuing to have symptoms even after going on a GFD? This study came to the conclusion that you may actually still be ingesting foods that are cross-reactive to gluten. But let’s start with the basics. What is gluten, and what is it found in?
Gluten is found in wheat products. What is wheat? Wheat is grass seed. And seeds have a mechanism of protecting themself, that allows them to go undigested, and to be transplanted when coming out of the body. These seeds are known to be anti-nutrients (cause you to not absorb nutrients like you should, so malabsorption → malnutrition), and can contain compounds like lectins and phytates, which can cause digestive issues. The seeds are commonly hybridized (GMOs), can have herbicides implanted into the genetic code, and are sprayed heavily with herbicides, like RoundUp, which is Glyhposate, which is a known potent toxin, even a anti-biotic because it kills everything (both good and bad bacteria). It can also create anti-biotic resistance. 2 So is it as easy as avoiding gluten, or wheat products? In reviewing this study, it would seem that consuming a GFD may not be enough.
Getting to the root of the issue, CD is commonly known to experience maladies in the thyroid, joints, heart, skin, pancreas, bone, liver, reproductive organs, and the nervous system. Although the reason yet is not fully understood, it is hypothesized that consuming these similar in molecular structure foods, can be the cause. Here is the exciting part that may explain why. “In earlier studies, it was established that antibodies against transglutaminase generated in the intestine can bind to extraintestinal tissues such as those of the liver, pancreas, lymph nodes, muscle, heart and brain”. 1 So these antibodies escape the gut (because of LGS-or Leaky Gut Syndrome), get into the blood stream, then attach to organs. This is what causes us to not feel good, or to have side effects after consuming these foods.
In the image below, we see exactly what tissues are affected by consuming some of these cross-reactive foods.
A taller bar indicates a stronger immune reaction against the tissue. a-gliadin are proteins found in wheat and other cereals/grass. We can conclude that CD is a systemic autoimmune disorder, rather than just a localized gut disease.
Lets take a look at some of these other food culprits, and see what kind of response they elicit. Here are immune reactions to the foods they tested (a-giladin are proteins found in wheat and other cereals/grass):
As shown above, milk/casein (and similar containing ingredients) products are so similar to gluten, that they should be considered gluten-containing as they are cross-reactive, and illicit similar reactions in the body.
How do cross-reactive antibodies cause havoc on our system? It would seem that it can alter the intestinal barrier integrity (i.e. a diagnosis of LGS). It causes holes in the gut. Our intestinal lining (the epithelium) is only one cell thick. 3 And that lining prevents toxins and other things getting in that should not. But once as this lining is compromised, this is when allergies, intolerances, inflammation, etc. start to develop.
The table below shows the quantity of antibodies formed against some foods. The higher the OD value, the stronger the binding of the antibody. The higher the Inhibition %, the stronger evidence there is of cross-reactivity. For the p value, anything less than 0.05 is statistically significant.
One of the difficult things about being on a GFD is cross-contamination. Gluten is very common, unfortunately, even in more than just food. It can also be found in Play-Doh and medications. Even after their due diligence, this study encountered this themselves.
The reason I wanted to delve into this particular study is to see if coffee needs to be avoided while on a GFD, and if it would interfere with healing of the gut. When the study did look at coffee, and it’s immune response, a negative correlation showed. Dissapointingly, the authors found that rather than the coffee itself, there was a response to cow’s milk used in the coffee, and that trace amounts of gluten may have been contained in the coffee used in the study.
As the authors discovered, claiming something is “gluten free” may not be exactly true. In many countries, up to 0.3% of gluten proteins may be allowed in a certified gluten-free product. As the authors summarize, “Allowing up to 0.3% of proteins from glutein-containing grains in other foods is not immunologically rational because gliadin-specific memory T cells may react to micrograms of proteins and produce proinflammatory cytokines that can contribute to gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal symptoms.” 1 Shoppers need to be more critical of the products they intend to purchase, looking to see how and where they are produced. Many times manufacturers will mention if the product has been produced in a facility where cross-contamination can occur.
Interestingly, when on a GFD, the response has been generally poor. Up to 30% of the patients still exhibited symptoms. In fact, to fully heal and restore the gut, only 8% of individuals truly had restored gut functionality. So what’s going on here?
It was observed that those on the GFD were also consuming dairy, which can prevent the gut from healing. As stated before, we saw how it can illicit negative feedback from the body.
What side effects may occur from consuming these inflammatory foods? They can include “autoimmune injury to the gut, skin, brain, joints, liver, thyroid, bone, reproductive organs and other parts of the body”. 1 Remember, you are what you eat.
If one is adhering to the traditional GFD, you may need to take it to the next level, and consider cutting out these other foods (i.e. dairy, yeast, corn, oats, millet and rice). As dairy and gluten are the most common allergens, this is the best place to start, and proceed from there, seeing how one responds and feels. Every one is different, and has different food allergens, and sensitivities. You will need to work with a qualified provider. I am big advocate of food allergy sensitivities and intolerance testing (usually done by blood work). Eating these foods, causes inflammation, which leads to your body asking for help by the way of eczema, arthritis, and more. You just need to stop and listen to it.
1 https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=26626
3 https://www.aimspress.com/article/id/3370
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