How Does Gluten Affect Your Health?
Gluten sensitivity is quite a popular topic of discussion today. With its relationship to acne, allergies, osteoporosis, and other conditions, it shouldn’t be a surprise there’s so much interest in gluten. But what precisely is gluten? In what ways can it have effects on your health? And why does it matter anyway? These are some of the questions we’ll tackle now.
First off, I’ll define what gluten is and is not. Gluten is a substance (technically a protein) that is found in certain grains. Gluten isn’t a bacteria, virus, or some kind of artificial food additive. It is a naturally occuring part of the grains in which it is found, and these grains are called “gluten grains”.
Gluten occurs naturally in only three grains: rye, wheat, and barley. Whenever you eat any amount of any of those grains, you are eating gluten. Don’t forget that this includes flours made from these grains, as well as anything made from these grains, such as beer, pretzels, and bread.
Gluten causes health problems when susceptible individuals eat it, it damages the lining of the intestine and causes the immune system to become imbalanced. This then causes of whole host of other health conditions, including anemia, autoimmune diseases, nutrient deficiencies, and more.
Some confusion has arisen over whether oats should be considered gluten grains. The short answer is: maybe. Oats do contain a substance similar to gluten, but it is different than the gluten in wheat, barley, and rye. This substance in oats doesn’t cause the same health problems for most people. The real issue has to do with contamination. You see, oats are typically grown next to gluten grains, and are transported and processed on the same machines as gluten grains. This often means that traces of wheat, barley, or rye gluten can be found in oats. Look for labels stating “gluten-free” on your oats to be sure they truly are gluten free.
Surprisingly, gluten can show up where you least expect it. Fried foods often contain gluten because the foods are dipped in a batter that contains gluten-containing flour before frying. Soy sauce usually contains wheat. Look for tamari instead, it is usually gluten-free. Lastly, gluten can be used as a food additive in foods such as candies, to provide texture and consistency.
Gluten grains became a staple of our diet around 10,000 years ago, when the first agricultural societies experimented with relying on cereal grains for sustenance. Our dependence on cereal grains, including gluten-containing grains, has become a global phenomenon.
One interesting factoid is that the geographical areas that have had gluten in their diets for the longest period of time, also tend to have the lowest incidence of gluten allergy (celiac disease). This means that it likely takes many generations for our bodies to adapt to eating this gluten as a food. Because many of our genomes aren’t fully adapted to eating gluten is likely responsible for the large percentage of the population that are sensitive to gluten.
If you now or in the past have suffered from anemia, autoimmune diseases, frequent stomach or bowel problems, arthritis, or skin conditions, you should consider that perhaps you too have a sensitivity to gluten.
To find out if gluten may be causing your health condition, visit your Portland Chiropractor for an evaluation. You should look for a Portland Chiropractor knowledgeable about gluten-related conditions and begin your road to recovery.
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