Gluten-free diets are on top of the list of various diets right now, and while medical professionals claim that gluten is it is safe for everyone except those who suffer from celiac disease, many other health practitioners believe gluten can be harmful to many people.

Joanna Sochan at Naturimedica is the online nutritionist Australia trusts for expert health advice on gut health and overall wellbeing. Here we will take a look at what gluten is, and different situations where it’s indicated to be avoided.

What is gluten?

Found in certain grains, such as wheat, rye, barley and spelt, gluten is a family of proteins with a chewy, glue-like property that holds food together and helps maintain its shape. The two main proteins in gluten are glutenin and gliadin, the latter being responsible for many of the adverse health effects of gluten.

While wheat is the most common source of gluten found in many products, it can be found in many types of foods, even foods that you least expect such as meat sausages, ready-made sauces, medications or sushi.

What’s the problem with gluten?

Although it seems most people can tolerate gluten without any notable effects, more and more research is now pointing towards the adverse effects of gluten on gut permeability (i.e. leaky gut) and the microbiome. The research shows that gluten activates a protein called zonulin responsible for regulating the tight junctions (connections) between the cells in gut wall.

When we ingest gluten, zonulin increases the space between the intestinal cells. This allows endotoxins (i.e. internally produced waste and debris from bacteria, yeast and digestive processes) and food antigens (i.e. molecules capable of stimulating an immune response) to pass through the intestinal wall to the circulation.

This increase in gut permeability happens to all of us when consuming gluten, although how our bodies respond to gluten is different for each person.

Many people won’t have more than a ‘normal’ white blood cell response to gluten, these cells just ‘mop up’ the debris as part of the body’s natural responses. On the other hand, others will have their immune system reacting each time they eat gluten, leading to a cascade to inflammatory responses locally and systemically.

We know that gluten causes problems for people with certain health conditions, in particular Celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Celiac disease (also spelled coeliac disease)

Affecting around 1 in 70 Australians, celiac disease is the most severe form of gluten intolerance. It’s an autoimmune disorder in which the body treats gluten as a foreign invader, the immune system attacks the gluten, as well as the lining of the gut, damaging the gut wall and causing nutrient deficiencies, anaemia and/or severe digestive issues.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH)

A form of celiac disease that triggers the immune system to attack the skin, rather than the small intestine. It causes a chronic, itchy and painful rash on the skin. If people with DH continue to eat gluten, they also may run an increased risk of developing intestinal cancer.

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS)

Unlike celiac disease and DH, NCGS is not an autoimmune condition, instead it’s an intolerance, whereby the body is unable to metabolise it. Sufferers of gluten sensitivity may experience a wide range of symptoms in a number of body systems: gastrointestinal issues including diarrhoea, gas, bloating, constipation or irritable bowel symptoms whenever they ingest gluten; nervous system, endocrine system, musculoskeletal system, skin and brain function, to name a few.

Should I avoid gluten even if I have no intolerance or sensitivity?

That depends on on your overall health status, gut health and inflammation levels in the body. Clinical data and experience indicate that there are many benefits of decreasing or avoiding gluten, especially in inflammatory disorders and autoimmune disease.

Check if you are sensitive to gluten before you limit or avoid it

Most people know if they react to gluten because of their symptoms, most commonly gut symptoms after eating it: bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, cramps or reflux. Others don’t have digestive symptoms but have neurological manifestations such as anxiety, depression, brain fog or nervousness. They usually don’t link gluten to the symptoms they experience but we know from studies that there is a direct link between the gut and the brain.

To check if you may have gluten sensitivity, consider performing an IgG food intolerance test to see which foods trigger your immune system and are inflammatory to the gut and the body.

A gluten-free diet can be used for weight loss

Have you noticed that supermarkets and health food stores are full of gluten-free foods such as cakes and treats which are often high in sugar and fat? Therefore going gluten free without closely watching the ‘gluten free’ labels often won’t help with becoming healthier or weight loss, quite the opposite.

Obesity and overweight are now classified as inflammatory conditions, therefore avoiding foods that cause inflammation in the body is an important part of any weight loss strategy. Gluten is one of these foods. Read this case study on how identifying food intolerances and eliminating inflammatory foods, including gluten helped one of my clients lose 37 kg in 9 months.

Needless to say, creating healthy habits that you can maintain for life is the key to maintaining a healthy weight.

Find out about our gut health diet

Committed to helping her clients transform their lives by becoming healthy and well naturally, Joanna Sochan is one of the leading online naturopaths in Australia and has many years’ experience creating custom nutrition and wellness plans tailored to the specific needs of each client.

If you would like to start your journey to improved health and wellbeing or would like expert advice on the blastocystis hominis diets and whether it’s right for you, book an online consultation now.

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