What Really Happens In Your Body When You Eat Gluten

April 4, 2013 - PRLog -- When most people think of gluten, they think of celiac disease, a serious autoimmune condition in which the body attacks it’s own tissues when you are exposed to gluten and it’s close relatives (gliadian and glutenin). However, there is evidence that even if you don’t have celiac disease, gluten can be very irritating to the gut lining as well. So what exactly is the mechanism that makes gluten damage the intestinal wall?

When gluten is consumed, it causes an immune response in which the body releases a protein, zonulin, which appears to increase intestinal permeability (loosening the tight junctions of the intestinal wall allowing for larger molecules to pass through the intestines into the blood stream). The gluten molecules then pass through the intestinal barrier causing an inflammatory response and also causing the release of tissue transglutaminase (an enzyme released by the damaged cells that modify the gluten molecules). The immune system responds by signaling killer T cells to directly attack the enterocytes (cells that make up the intestinal wall). Starting to sound like a Star Wars film, but hang in there, it's important!


In the figure above, you can see a normal, undamaged intestinal lining on the left hand side. The finger-like projections are called villi and help increase the surface area of the intestines that allows more room for absorption of nutrients. After eating gluten (if you have a sensitivity to it), the villi become chronically inflamed and damaged. They become flat, decreasing their surface area, so that they are unable to carry out their normal function of breaking food down and bringing nutrients across the intestinal wall to the bloodstream, where they are then delivered throughout the body.

Are some people more susceptible to gluten intolerance? The short answer is, yes. The classic signs are chronic indigestion, bloating and diarrhea. So far however, I have not found person who didn’t feel better when eliminating gluten from their diet, but that’s not to say they are not out there. Gluten intolerance/ sensitivity, unlike celiac disease, is harder to detect. If only a small segment of the intestinal lining is damaged, symptoms may be fairly mild and/or irregular. You may have some gas, upset stomach or diarrhea and may not attribute those symptoms to gluten but rather some other food in your diet or you may just think it's normal.

In any case, whether you have celiac disease or just a sensitivity to gluten, you will have disruptions in nutrient absorption which can have very serious health effects. For instance, poor iron absorption in the small intestine can cause anemia. Low folate levels can cause neurological issues. By consuming gluten and eliciting an inflammatory response and poor nutrient absorption you can produce symptoms such as: osteoporosis, joint pain, chronic fatigue, short stature, skin lesions, epilepsy, dementia, schizophrenia, seizure, and other auto-immune conditions.

You could get a test to see if you have a sensitivity to gluten or you could do a little self-experimenting. Eliminate gluten from your diet for at least 4 weeks and see how you look, feel and perform.You really need to commit to 4 weeks because eating gluten could have effects that last up to 3 weeks.

For more detail and to geek out a little bit on the science check out the work by Alessio Fassano at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine who is an expert on celiac disease, gut permeability and leaky gut syndrome. Plus, check out http://www.healthandfitness360.com for more health and fitness information.