Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you’ve probably heard the term “gluten-free” thrown around quite a few times.
Well you’re in luck, because in this post I am going to explain what gluten is, and find out whether this actually matters for the general population (you and me) or whether it is just another form of nonsense and hype.
What is Gluten?
Alright, let’s start by explaining what exactly Gluten is.
Well, gluten is a protein, composed of two different amino acid sequences called Gliadin and Glutenin.
Gluten is found naturally in certain types of grains, and by far the largest source of gluten in the modern diet is from wheat. Other grains related to wheat also contain it, including rye, barley, spelt, kamut, emmer, einkorn and triticale.
There is one special feature that makes it very popular for baking and as a food additive.
This is the fact that it can form a sticky “cross-linking network”.
Actually, the name gluten is derived from this “glue”-like feature, and you will know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever held wet dough in your hands.
When gluten forms these cross-links, it can bind water and air, allowing bread products to rise during baking.
This protein is often used to give foods a certain stability and texture, and may be found in products like Ketchup and Ice Cream (among others).
Therefore, if you want to avoid gluten then you better start reading ingredient labels.
Other grains, such as oats, do not contain gluten in their natural forms, although they are often contaminated with small amounts of it.
Why should you care?
I’m going to guess that you’ve heard of celiac disease at some point. Let me clarify what that is.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when gluten in the diet causes a massive reaction by the immune system, which can lead to a degenerated intestinal lining, impaired nutrient absorption, diarrhea, weight loss, gas, fatigue and many other symptoms.
Basically, the body’s immune system attacks the intestine. Pretty bad stuff. Celiac disease is believed to affect about 1% of the population. Not that common.
However, there is a broader term known as “Gluten Sensitivity“, which encompasses the various symptoms that susceptible individuals experience when consuming gluten. Gluten sensitivity may affect 6-12% of the population. Pretty common.
But what if you don’t have either celiac disease (phew) or gluten sensitivity?
Should you still give a crap about gluten?
Well, unfortunately, I’m going to have to answer that question with a “yes”, because a few scientific studies do in fact show that otherwise healthy people may have adverse reactions to gluten.
In one study, 15 people (that didn’t have celiac disease) were placed on a diet supplemented with 40g of gluten for 6 weeks, and examined before and after.
The gluten supplemented diet caused degeneration of the lining of the small bowel, which is responsible for nutrient absorption in the digestive tract. There was also an increased concentration of lymphocytes (immune system cells).
This study suggests that gluten may cause harmful structural changes in the digestive tract of people that do not have celiac disease.
The second study is a lot more interesting. It is a randomized controlled trial (the gold standard) with 34 non-celiac individuals. Half the group ate a gluten free diet, the other half didn’t.
It turned out that the gluten group experienced worse symptoms of pain, bloating, stool consistency and tiredness. These individuals didn’t show markers for celiac disease, indicating that gluten may cause symptoms in people that are otherwise in good health.
A third study I found indicates that out of 6 healthy individuals tested, 5 of them had an immune reaction in the intestine to gluten.
Conclusion
Do you often feel tired?
Do you ever have problems with digestion?
These are pretty common.
If you have experienced these symptoms before but never associated them with any particular food and your doctor doesn’t have a clue, then you owe it to yourself to check whether you are gluten sensitive or not.
The simplest and most effective way to do that is to go completely gluten free (no cheating) for 30 days, then reintroduce gluten to your diet and see if you experience any adverse effects.
If you do, then perhaps gluten is something you should avoid.
Good stuff Kris. I generally avoid/minimize gluten. I don’t think I’ve tried a 100 percent gluten free month. Gonna give it a try – starting right now (but counting from tomorrow cause I ate some bread today).
Lets not forget that Gliadin and Glutenin are also found in some nuts and some of the digestion products are opioids.
I have found I am gluten sensitive and my life has improved majorly since avoiding breads and cereals. I am not too strict on it I just avoid these two foods. I advise everyone to try it for a bit just to see if there is anything you can cure by going gluten free
I work with a woman that has Celiac disease so I know a lot about it. I might try a gluten free diet just to see how I feel. I do feel tired a lot of the time. Plus, Adam from TheFitnessChronicle has got me thinking seriously about the anti-fungal diet which calls for strict limits on carbs and sugar.
Thanks,
Raza
Another great post Kris!
We really shouldn’t be surprised to find out that an enormous number of people could be sensitive to gluten when we consider it’s prevalence in our modern diet.
All it takes is to have a bowl of cereal for brekkie (assuming it’s one of the preponderance of wheat based ones), sandwich for lunch and pasta for tea and you’ve had three meals with high gluten levels in each. Do this 5 or more times each week and your body will be getting pretty sick of this food (literally and figuratively).
This type of eating habit is way outside the normal diet of every other species of animal, and our variety and seasonality of food is deplorable. But it does make big companies a massive amount of money…..
Keep up the good work,
George Super Boot Camps
30 years ago my sister was diagnosed Coeliac. Back then no one had ever heard of it. There was very little gluten free foods available to purchase to eat.
Nowadays it feels like every second person on the planet is Coeliac.
Great post Kris,
I work with a guy who gets really sick when he eats food with Gluten. Tell you the truth I never really gave it much thought until he started talking to me about.
I know you can get a lot of Gluten free food now, even though it is a little more expensive, I think it is well worth the investment in your health
Bryan
Great information. I have tried gluten free at times, but have failed badly! This gives me new insight into gluten and its affects on the body. I’ll have to make new grocery lists, now! Thanks for this great article Kris.
Exellent article – keep up the good work.
I’m not qualified to discuss the biochemistry of it, but my digestive system lets me know that it’s not happy when I eat grains.
Our own bodies are definitely the best indicators of what is or is not good for us :)
Just a few comments to clarify things:
Gluten is not a protein. It is a group of proteins. Gliadins and glutenins are part of what would form gluten when these proteins are mixed with water. Gluten DOES NOT exist naturally in grains. WHat exits naturally is gliadins and glutenins. Gluten is formed when mixing (and water) is performed on wheat flours. Gluten Does not cause health problem, gliadins do. THE REAL PROBLEM IS GLIADIN NOT GLUTEN. of course if you eat bread you are eating gluten (whihc contains gliadins).
For the most part, I’ve eliminated grains from my diet, and like the people in the second study, my body is less bloat, my stool has never looked better (TMI), and I feel like I have a bit more energy these days.
Giving up gluten is something everyone should try for at least a week or two to see how the body responds.
Thanks for a great summary Kristjan. I have been gluten free for almost 4 years now, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease 2008 in USA. It was quite hard to begin with, to learn about all the different food items that contain gluten, not only food items but also make-up, shampoo etc.
In 2011 I moved back to Iceland and it´s not easy to get gluten free food at restaurants, in stores but we are getting there.
Thanks again
Hronn Stefansdottir
Great article :)
My girlfriend is often constipating and I asked her what she have been having in her diet. She told me bread and scones were like their staple food back at home and now she can’t seem to avoid them, she many a times crave for gluten food products. This article really helped alot in regard to her condition.
Thank you so much. :)