Gluten Intolerance

What is gluten? Do you digest gluten? Is it bad for you? Well, Have you ever heard of the term “gluten-free”? Today, many people have chosen to go gluten-free because they know it’s better for their body and diet, but why is it better? Well, there is more than one answer to that.

First, let’s start with a brief introduction to gluten. Gluten is made up of proteins, which is one of the 4 major building blocks of life (you can learn that in biology class). Gluten is mainly found in rye, barley, and wheat. Foods that contain gluten are bread, cereals, pasta, crackers, beer, and most baked pastries. Rice, tapioca, quinoa, flax, buckwheat, millet, etc. do not contain gluten, yet many times people mistake those as gluten products. Gluten does not contain any nutrients, and gluten cannot be digested in the human body, it just passes through.

Although gluten is something that humans have been eating in their diet for over centuries, some people have a harder time ingesting it, and that is normal. This could be because they are sensitive to gluten, have a wheat allergy, or have a genetic disease that makes gluten feel unpleasant in their stomach. A common genetic disease that affects your digestion of gluten is celiac disease. Celiac disease, also known as coeliac disease in the U.K, is an autoimmune disorder that attacks the tissues in the body when consuming gluten. Some symptoms of celiac disease include weight loss, bloating, pain in the stomach, itchy skin, and other adverse symptoms. According to Ansley Hill, a certified nutritionist that specializes in diets, only 1% of the population in the world has celiac disease. That’s not much of the population, but Hill also claims that people who are sensitive to gluten do not always have celiac disease. Non-celiac gluten sensibility is a type of sensitivity to gluten. It is a diagnosis for people who test negative for celiac disease, but have the same negative symptoms when consuming gluten. Other times, people with wheat allergies are also diagnosed as gluten intolerant. However, gluten is not necessarily unhealthy for everyone. Buying gluten-free products also comes with a cost. Robert H. Shmerling, associate professor of medicine at Harvard University, shares that “Gluten-free foods are commonly less fortified with folic acid, iron, and other nutrients than regular, gluten-containing foods. And gluten-free foods tend to have less fiber and more sugar and fat” (Smerling). This means that many gluten-free products end up providing fewer nutrients and fiber which is less healthy for the human body.

Now you know that gluten is a protein, gluten cannot be digested, and some people are better off with gluten and some without.

References

Bjarnadottir, Adda. “What is Gluten, and Why is it Bad For Some People.” Healthline. 14 May. 2021. www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318606#_noHeaderPrefixedContent. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.

“Celiac Disease.” Mayo Clinic. www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20352220. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.

Hill, Ansley. “What is Gluten? Definition, Foods, and Side Effects.” Healthline. 19 Dec. 2021. www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-gluten. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.

Shmerling H, Robert. “Ditch the Gluten, Improve Your Health? Publishing Harvard Medical School. 12 Apr. 2017. www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/ditch-the-gluten-improve-your-health. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.