It seems like every year more and more patients come in complaining of GI issues, and gluten sensitivity is getting more and more hype. What's going on?
Symptoms like gas, bloating, abdominal cramping and pain, fatigue, and decreased immune function often seem to be linked to eating gluten.
Well, first of all, it's not the poor wheat's fault! Since the early 1950s, farmers started to hybrid the plant in an attempt to continue to feed the ever-growing population. Instead of growing one crop a year of wheat plants that would reach 6 feet in height, we now can get 3 or 4 crops a year of 3-foot plants. We feed more people, and farmers make more money with an easier-to-grow crop. It's a win/win, right?
The problem is that the immune cells along our digestive tract are very, very smart. They can tell the difference between real food and food that's been messed with
. When we eat hybrid or GMO'd wheat, our gut cells send out a response that tells our immune cells there may be something wrong.
The downstream effect of this results in inflammation along the digestive tract, leaky gut syndrome and malabsorption, and the condition worsens as the inflammation spreads throughout the body like a wildfire. Remember, fire in the gut equals fire in the brain, so foggy thinking can be included in these symptoms.
For starters, let's discuss the difference between a gluten sensitivity or intolerance--which we call non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), which is not a disease, it is simply those sets of symptoms from eating gluten. Celiac disease, on the other hand, is an auto-immune disease in which the symptoms are much worse, and these patients cannot tolerate gluten at all. They must even be careful eating food that may have been made in a kitchen where gluten items were prepared. This disease is much more serious and strict avoidance of anything gluten must be adhered to.
For those suffering from NCGS (which seems to be an increasing number people every day), the solution is much easier than avoiding gluten for the rest of your life. The key is to break down the gluten protein molecule so completely in the stomach that it does not create an immune response by the gut cells.
There have been many attempts at doing this over the last 10 years, with some moderate success. One pharmacy has finally achieved the goal of complete breakdown of the gluten molecule with a product called Zygluten (which we carry in our Medicinary).
This is the perfect product for patients with NCGS who want to be able to enjoy eating out periodically or have an occasional gluten treat. I do not suggest it for daily use--avoiding gluten products as much as possible is still the best advice. Being NCGS myself, I understand how difficult and frustrating this can be, but now we now have other options!
For additional info on Celiac diesease and gluten free diets,
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Eat responsibly, and enjoy that muffin!
Dr. Susan Godman
