Why Is Gluten Consumption Harmful for Some People?

Our ancestors might not have thought about gluten before having grains such as wheat, barley, rye, cereals, etc. Lately, you must have come across the term gluten intolerance or wheat intolerance (as wheat is the most consumed grain globally). There have been significant rise in the number of patients who are allergic to food stuffs comprising gluten. While most studies comply with the fact that gluten is safe for consumption except to those people who suffer from celiac disease, there are many scientific experts who believe that gluten is harmful for most people.

This term, though seems new, has been affecting health of many people worldwide since the last few decades. Before making any assumptions about whether foods containing gluten must be consumed or not, it is important to understand basics about gluten consumption.

What is gluten?

Most of us may not know this that gluten is a family of proteins that are abundantly available in grains, especially wheat. It is composed of two major proteins, viz., glutenin and gliadin, of which gliadin has the potential to cause major hazardous effects on our health. When you mix flour with water, it forms into a glue-like mixture, which renders the required elasticity to the dough, enabling it to rise during baking process. It makes the end product chewable, which is why you love to gorge upon delicacies made from wheat grain.

Now the question arises, when we are largely using grains as an integral part of our staple diet, then why it is harmful for some people?

Most studies have found that people who are having health issues due to consumption of gluten comprising food stuffs mainly suffer from gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, celiac disease, etc.

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Gluten Sensitivity

Even if some people are not positive to celiac disease, they may suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Though there is no perfect definition for this disorder, but patients suffering from gluten intolerance and those who clear tests of celiac disease and other allergies fall in this category. Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include depression, bloating, diarrhoea, stomach pain, etc. Many experts even suggest that there may actually not be such non-celiac gluten sensitivity and the symptoms may be due to some other nutrient composition or adulteration.

As per study conducted on 400 self-diagnosed gluten intolerance volunteers, their health was investigated after they started having a gluten-free diet. The results were quite surprising as only 26 of them suffered from celiac disease, while 27 of the remaining 374 people were found to be gluten sensitive.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Wheat Allergy

One of the most common digestive disorders faced by people who generally lead a sedentary lifestyle and consume unhealthy foodstuffs is irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms of this disorder are acidity, diarrhoea, bloating, stomach pain, cramping, etc. This condition can be resolved by making suitable amendments in the diet, lifestyle and by managing stress effectively. Some medical studies have found that those people who are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome can possibly get benefited by having a gluten-free diet.

Moreover, it has been noted that around 1 percent of the global population may be suffering from digestive issues due to gluten consumption and they may develop wheat allergy.

Celiac Disease

This disease is an autoimmune disorder and is the most critical form of gluten intolerance in which the immune system treats gluten as a potential threat to the body and thereby attacks gluten. This causes damage in the gut wall and may probably cause nutrition deficiencies, severe digestive issues, anaemia and even diminishes the body’s ability to fight diseases.

Some of the common symptoms of celiac disease is acute pain in stomach, tissue damage in small intestines, bloating, diarrhoea, headache, constipation, tiredness, weight-loss, foul smelling excreta, skin rashes, depression, etc. Since some people suffer from symptoms such as tiredness and anaemia but have no digestive disorders, it becomes difficult to judge if the person is suffering from celiac disease or not.

What are the most common symptoms of gluten intolerance?

Discomfort in digesting food and acute stomach pains are the most common signs to look for. If you are suffering from anaemia or having difficulty in gaining weight, then this may also be due to gluten intolerance. In order to know if you have celiac disease or not, you must get these two important tests done with the doctor: First, you must go for blood tests to screen for antibodies and second, you must go for biopsy from small intestine to check for damages.

Before you think of opting for a gluten free diet, it is important to consult your doctor to clear all the scepticism. In case you don’t have celiac disease, then you can opt for having gluten free diet for a few weeks to check if you are gluten sensitive. To see if your condition is improving due to quitting gluten, you must add it back to your platter and check if the symptoms return.

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How To Smartly Amend Your Routine Consumption Patterns?

Our routine platter comprises of many gluten items such as wheat, barley, bread, pasta, spelt, rye, cereals, beer, cookies, cakes, pastries, etc. Even in many processed foods, you may find traces of gluten. So start reading labels of foodstuffs you purchase. If you have celiac disease or are gluten sensitive, then starting to have gluten free diet is challenging and so start avoiding cereals and grains that contain gluten. Some grains and seeds that are naturally gluten-free are corn, millet, flax, rice, quinoa, tapioca, sorghum, oats, arrowroot, amaranth, buckwheat, etc.

Also there are various whole foods that are healthy as well as gluten-free. Some of these are vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy products, legumes, nuts, tubers, fish, seafood, meat, tubers, herbs, spices, etc.

It is true that gluten can be harmful for people who are not gluten tolerant and for large number of people, avoiding gluten is not essential. But for people who are diagnosed with such health conditions, having a gluten-free diet is not easy. Since a diet without gluten is harmless, trying it will not make you devoid of any nutritive value.