Foggy
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May 8, 2007 Jury Is Still Out on Gluten, the Latest Dietary Villain By KATE MURPHY Brandi Walzer, a 29-year-old cartographer in Savannah, Ga., loves bread, not to mention pizza and beer. But she tries to avoid them, because they contain gluten -- a substance she says upsets her stomach, aggravates her arthritis and touches off depression.
She is among a growing number of Americans who believe that gluten -- a protein found in wheat, barley and rye -- is responsible for a variety of ills, from skin eruptions to infertility to anxiety to gas. Though diagnostic tests have not indicated she has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten, she nonetheless says she is better off without it.
``I struggle with sticking to a gluten-free diet,'' she said, ``but when I do, I feel much better.''
There is no question that eating gluten aggravates celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients. But doctors say it is unclear whether gluten can be blamed for other problems.
Nevertheless, it has become a popular dietary villain. Gluten-free foods are popping up on grocery-store shelves and restaurant menus, including those of national chains like P. F. Chang's and Outback Steakhouse. Warnings of gluten's evils are common on alternative medicine Web sites and message boards.
``A lot of alternative practitioners like chiropractors have picked up on it and are waving around magic silver balls, crystals and such, telling people they have gluten intolerance,'' said Dr. Don W. Powell, a gastroenterologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Sloane Miller, a 35-year-old freelance editor in New York, went on a gluten-free diet six months ago on the advice of her acupuncturist, even though a blood test and a biopsy indicated that she did not have celiac disease. Long plagued with gastrointestinal distress and believing that she might have an undetectable sensitivity to gluten, Ms. Miller said giving it up was ``worth a try.''
Dr. Joseph A. Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who specializes in diagnosing and treating celiac disease, says such advice may be misguided. ``There's this `go blame gluten' thing going on,'' he said. ``It's difficult to sort out science from the belief.''
To be sure, whole wheat and other cereal grains that contain gluten can be hard to digest. The bran and germ components tend to pass through the alimentary canal intact, which is why they are often prescribed as a sort of natural broom to relieve constipation -- and why they can also cause gas and diarrhea.
Processed and refined wheat products can cause a spike in blood sugar, followed by a drop, that can also make people feel ill. ``If you stop eating the beloved Twinkie or fast foods because they contain wheat, then sure you're going to feel better,'' Dr. Murray said. Indeed, many people go on a gluten-free diet not to cure some ill but to lose weight by cutting down on carbohydrates.
Gluten is relatively new to the human diet, as wheat cultivation began only some 10,000 years ago. Now it is ubiquitous, not only in processed foods (including salad dressings, ice cream and peanut butter) but even in the adhesives on envelopes as well as in lipsticks and lotions. ``It's very hard to get away from gluten,'' said Dr. Powell of the University of Texas.
Gluten is also making headlines now, because some Chinese suppliers are accused of slipping the industrial chemical melamine into wheat gluten that was added to American pet food, resulting in a product recall. But there is no indication that the contaminated gluten got into the human food supply.
While gluten allergies that provoke an immune response like hives or respiratory problems are rare, celiac disease is more common than once thought. The prevalence in North America was previously estimated at about 1 in 3,000, but several studies published in the last three years indicate that it is closer to 1 in 100 -- and 1 in 22 for those with risk factors like having an immediate relative with celiac disease.
Though no one knows for sure, the revised numbers can probably be attributed to increasing incidence as well as better screening tools. ``Chances are now that people actually know someone who has it,'' said Dr. Peter H. R. Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
With increased awareness, he said, more people have begun to suspect that they have celiac disease or some milder form of gluten intolerance and decide to eliminate wheat, barley and rye from their diet without proper diagnosis. Ms. Walzer, for example, gave up gluten a year and half ago upon learning she had symptoms similar to those of a co-worker with celiac disease.
Though no test for celiac disease is definitive, the most powerful indicator is a blood test widely used for three years that measures levels of antitissue transglutaminase, or anti-tTG, the antibodies to an enzyme the body secretes when gluten irritates or damages the small intestine.
People with celiac disease have high levels of anti-tTG, suggesting that the body is attacking its own secretions. This autoimmune response leads to destruction of the lining of the small intestine and consequent malabsorption of nutrients. (The test will not be accurate if someone has already stopped eating gluten.) The blood test is usually followed by a duodenal biopsy before a diagnosis of celiac disease is made. The final proof is reversal of symptoms on a gluten-free diet.
Earlier blood tests and a DNA test were far less predictive, and celiac disease has been difficult to identify, especially because its symptoms vary widely. Ann Austin McCormick, a 64-year-old retired elementary school principal in Crosslake, Minn., said she had chronic diarrhea and anemia before she got a diagnosis of celiac disease five years ago. Colin Leslie, a 15-year-old high school student in Rye, N.Y., said he suffered from severe joint pain and headaches before receiving a diagnosis in 2005.
Still others have no symptoms at all -- merely a latent form of the disease that may become apparent only after a stressful physiological or psychological event like a serious illness or death of a spouse.
Researchers in the United States, Italy and Great Britain have hypothesized that the incidence of celiac disease is on the rise worldwide because wheat has become so prevalent in the Western diet that humans are actually overdosing on it. While debatable, this view could also account for cases like those of Ms. Walzer and Ms. Miller, who believe they have subclinical gluten sensitivity.
Currently, the only treatment for celiac disease or a more subjective gluten sensitivity is to avoid eating anything containing gluten. Sensing an opportunity, several companies, including Alba Therapeutics and Alvine Pharmaceuticals Inc., are working to find drugs to inhibit the destructive autoimmune response to gluten that is characteristic of celiac disease.
And dietary supplement makers are in a race to develop enzyme formulations that will help people digest gluten, just as lactase pills and drops were developed in the 1980s to help people digest lactose in dairy products.
But with supermarkets brimming with gluten-free breads, cereals, cakes and cookies and restaurants serving gluten-free pastas, pizzas and beer, it has become far less difficult to stay on a gluten-free diet.
``It's easy to go gluten-free,'' Ms. Miller said. ``I don't miss it at all.''
Posts: 2451 | From Lyme Central | Registered: Aug 2001
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It's hardly "easy" to go gluten free! And, supermarkets are NOT "brimming" with gluten free products! Safeway doesn't even carry any gluten free breads at all. The only place to find the bread is Trader Joes and Whole Foods, and these breads are more expensive than normal breads. All other products like cookies and such are all much more expensive, and still very limited.
It's actually a very difficult diet. Gluten is hidden in just about all processed foods.
Be grateful if you do not have this allergy/disease!
Posts: 364 | From California | Registered: Sep 2005
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It's hardly "easy" to go gluten free! And, supermarkets are NOT "brimming" with gluten free products!
and these breads are more expensive than normal breads. All other products like cookies and such are all much more expensive, and still very limited.
It's actually a very difficult diet. Gluten is hidden in just about all processed foods.
Be grateful if you do not have this allergy/disease!
anneke, i could not agree more with you! EXPENSIVE $$$ is unbelievable.
i got our local Fareway store to get some gluten items in; 1 load/ HALF size of regular was $4.50 !!!
1/2 gallon of soy milk was $4.00
spaghetti was the worst starchest thing hubby/i ever tasted in our lives!
yes, count your blessing you do NOT have gluten intolerance AND CASEIN-ALLERGIC TO ALL COW'S MILK, CHEESES, EGG WHITES, AND GARLIC!
fyi, i went to our diabetic education center tonight where hospital head chef gave a demo on preparing nutrucious, sp, foods in 20-30 minute time having everything cut up earlier before demo.
we had a delicous chicken stir fry w/5-7 veggies, lettuce salad w/other greens, a sauce to go over it, boughten shortcake w/fresh fruits, juice left over from sauce for salad and bit of cool whip! delicous! $11.00 paid for what he bought; $3.50 per plate.
afterwards, i asked him about getting recipees for me: NO wheat rye, cow's milk, cheeses, egg whites, and garlic in them!
yes, he'd work on something for me, and had offered to help others as well. he had been 300 lbs; down to 240 now.
if i get some in future, i'll post on here!
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Vanilla
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I eat gluten free and I really do not find it that difficult.
I would rather eat gluten free then end up back in the hospital being fed by an IV because my colon is too inflammed to take in even water.
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northstar
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Member # 7911
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It's actually a very difficult diet.
Yes, have you ever tried to eat that rice spaghetti? I thought I was going to have to go to the ER to unglue my teeth!
Northstar
Posts: 1331 | From hither and yonder | Registered: Sep 2005
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joalo
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Yes, It is a very difficult diet! I've been gluten free for a little over two years now.
I have found plenty of things I can make and eat at home but I also feel I am now stuck at home.
I get violently ill when I accidently ingest any amount gluten so hubby goes on wonderful (business) trips and I stay home.
I hate it! I'm always stuck at home...
-------------------- Sick since January 1985. Misdiagnosed for 20 years. Tested CDC positive October 2005. Treating since April 2006. Posts: 3228 | From Somewhere west of the Mississippi | Registered: Aug 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
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Some people with celiac can't even use the same toaster as a mate. Brown rice bread (Trader Joe's) is not bad, but few breads are worth toasting anyway.
Wheat is actually in a lot of shampoos. In less that a minute whatever we put on our skin can be absorbed. Be sure shampoos and even bath gels and soaps - and lotions - are wheat/gluten free. This can have an effect on some people.
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Gluten can have horrible effects on the brain. (And, I think for many, not just celiacs.)
I think it is one topic that has not been thoroughly discussed among food writers that this is not just a GI problem. And, not all celiac tests are accurate or done correctly. One must be on a high amount of gluten for weeks before testing.
There are some genetic tests that are helpful. After the GI biopsy was done incorrectly, I did show a 96% likely hood of being celiac - but I hear that 4% chance (that I may not be) calling to me now and then.
For me, it's experience. I've been gluten-free for a decade. On the odd occasion that I think it's rubbish, if I eat a slice of bread, by the 3rd day after that a huge seizure will have hit.
The effects of gluten in the brain can take months to recover from - and that's in medical literature. Months. So that keeps me away from it.
Fewer seizures are just one reward. And the pain is so much less off gluten that is wonderful. Less puffiness, too. Less brain fog.
From reading about this for years, I believe that gluten can be a problem for many people, even those without celiac.
For others, it may help to not have it every day - or only organic. Wheat is relatively new to the planet. It was not on the original menu.
For anyone on any kind of lyme protocol, gluten can really glue up the works and confuse what is herx and what might be - at least in part - gluten.
there are some wonderful gluten-free pastas and many ways to make this easier.
Tinkyada is one brand. Trader Joe's also has an organic brown rice Penne. VERY nice - in small amounts, though. It's still not as complex a carb as real brown rice or quinoa would be.
Ao many of the gluten-free products are still just junk food with tons of sugar and bad fats, so beware. And be aware that gluten is hidden in many things - soy sauce is just one.
Wheat free tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos are great substitutes.
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[ 26. August 2008, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Been gluten free for a while now, so we only shop at Wholefoods and Trader Joe's...plenty of gluten free products. My ttg antibody levels were indeed elevated, I don't think this is something I would commit to without a positive test - pizza tastes too good.
-------------------- Why me? Well, why not me??? Posts: 411 | From San Francisco, CA | Registered: Mar 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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There is a brown rice pizza crust that some pizzerias are using.
And, it's available at some stores (frozen) or through the gluten-free sites.
posted
My 13 year old son's gluten intolerance was discovered after he had unrelenting nausea following treatment for Lyme in 2002. Long story short--He and I have been gluten free since then and my daughter has also been gluten free for a few years.
My son and I also learned a few years ago we have delayed food allergies to many foods including, dairy, egg, soy, legumes, etc. More recently we learned he still has Lyme and I may have Lyme. I think the food intolerance is linked to a TBD.
Back to the gluten free diet. It can be expensive but we do most of our own cooking/baking and do not rely on prepared gluten free breads and muffins. Those are very expensive.
--Judy
Posts: 67 | From Maryland | Registered: Jun 2003
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For your GF pizza pleasure Easier than I thought making homemade crust could be! If you like a thin crust, really stretch it out.
WHEAT-FREE Gluten-Free Pizza Crust VE, GF, SF Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups rice flour (or mix of other GF flours) 1/4 oz gluten-free quick-rise yeast 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp xanthan gum 3 tbs olive oil 1 1/2 cups warm water; divided -- (120-130 degrees F.) 1 tbs honey cornmeal, (optional) 1 cup prepared pizza sauce Directions: Combine flour, yeast, salt and xanthan gum in large bowl. Stir in 1 cup water, olive oil and honey. Use hands to work dough (dough will be soft and crumbly). Add just enough of the remaining 1/4 cup water to hold mixture together. Knead dough in bowl 5 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Lightly grease 12-inch pizza pan or rectangular cookie sheet; sprinkle with cornmeal, if desired. Flatten dough into round disk; press dough into pan. Add sauce, and desired toppings. Bake in 425 F. oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until crust is brown and cheese is melted. (Timing varies according to amount and number of toppings.) Use a sharp knife or pizza wheel to cut into wedges.
For Keebler & others- Edited to add: Kneading is easy for this dough -the rice flour is soft, unlike conventional bread dough.
[ 26. August 2008, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: susiecv ]
Posts: 249 | From finger lakes, ny | Registered: Jul 2006
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Some of the doctors quoted made me roll my eyes. There's no scientific evidence, they say. The fact that people experience the difference between eating it and not eating it means nothing at all to them. I don't need scientific verification to know gluten has a bad effect on me. I've run across a number of people who didn't believe it was really a problem. Some have slipped me wheat-containing products to show me, and I had a lot of problems without knowing where they came from . . .
Enough of a rant. All in all a good article. Thank you!
-------------------- Just because it' s not nice doesn' t mean it' s not miraculous. --Terry Pratchett Posts: 121 | From Nazareth, PA | Registered: May 2008
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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susiecv -
thanks for that recipe. I can't knead, but I might be able to talk a friend into making this for me.
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nwisser -
about the doctors you describe: "There's no scientific evidence, they say."
It is really sad how many really bad doctors there are. I figure my reactions ARE scientific proof.
And other researchers know this stuff is not so tame but it seems many doctors need to have the exact same reaction every time in every person. Somehow they cannot account for variances.
ditto about hidden / surprise gluten. As soon as the symptoms hit, I KNEW they had lied to be about keeping wheat out of this or that recipe. I find it nearly abusive that people have actually lied to me, then saying, well . . . if you just didn't know . . . .
And the same for nutrasweet/aspartame/Equal. I've had MAJOR problems from that, not knowing at all . . . and then "lights out!" It not always that someone is trying to hide the facts, but they just might forget when they say what's in it.
I am very cautious about eating ANYTHING anyone else had made.
posted
I came up gluyrn intolerant. After a parasite test by Diagnos-Techs. My SigA was 84! normal is like 30. I have never had any symptoms from gluten that I know of. No one in my family is gluten intolerant.
My gastro told me it is normal to be really gluten intolerant if you have parasites. He says All of his patients that have been gluten intolerant have had numerous parasites.
Gastrointestinal problems can cause many serious issues. He says this is the main problem with people with "gluten intolerance's" Its not gluten. Have any of you been checked for parasites or have been checked for any signs of intestinal problems? GI problems have been linked to such serious problems such as autism and schizophrenia.
-------------------- Current taking: Bactrim DS 3x Daily, Doxy 400mg 1x Daily, Rifampin 450mg (ramping up to 600mg) 1x Daily, Compounded Nystatin 150MU Caps 1x Daily, Plus supplements to come later. Posts: 60 | From California | Registered: Apr 2007
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It seems to me that I saw somewhere that having Lyme can make some people gluten intolerant. Of course if you have Lyme, then you probably have parasites, I guess.
-------------------- Just because it' s not nice doesn' t mean it' s not miraculous. --Terry Pratchett Posts: 121 | From Nazareth, PA | Registered: May 2008
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