Don't let gluten allergy drag you down

2019.10.05

Gluten allergy is a "new" word for Chinese people, and many people have never heard of it. They are not even clear about what it is. However, this kind of allergic source which we are unfamiliar with, may damage our body and also seriously affect women's pregnancy preparation.

What is gluten?

Many people think that gluten is bran. Obviously they are mistaken. Bran is the outermost skin of the cereal fruit, namely the husk. The bran is mainly composed of cellulose, a small amount of B vitamins and fat. Gluten, on the other hand, refers to a class of protein in cereals, especially in wheat. Its main components are glutelin, gliadin (ω5-gliadin) and others. They play an important role in the quality of the wheat flour baking.

Serious consequences of the allergy

Some people have difficulty in digesting gluten, which can cause an increase in intestinal permeability thus can cause leaky gut syndrome. Moreover, the structure of gluten is complex for susceptible people. It has a variety of fragments that can cause an immune response, so it can cause abnormalities in the immune system. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is one of the representatives. Most Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients need to avoid gluten intake. The gut syndrome, which caused by gluten allergy, is a potential pathogenic factor of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Immune abnormalities will also increase the risk of developing Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Dr. Izabella Wentz, a member of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, pointed out that the permeability changes of guts caused by disturbance prevention of immune system's self-regulation are one of the key factors in the development of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

It is well known that the thyroid gland can affect our immune system. At the same time, it is also closely related to birth function of the body. If the synthesis of thyroid hormone is insufficient, it will have an adverse effect on fetal protein synthesis and differentiation of fetal neurons. Under serious conditions, it will also damage the brain and hinder the intellectual development of the fetus. And it is also easy to cause fetal malformation, low neonatal thyroid hormone and others. Therefore, women with thyroid disease, if considering of having a baby, must take oral medicines first to control thyroid stimulating hormone to well below 2.5. At the same time, they should also reduce their gluten intake to reduce the risk of thyroid disease.

Type one, celiac disease

After eating gluten food, the patient produces autoimmune antibodies that attack various organs of the body, causing relevant symptoms in the organs. For example, when autoimmune antibodies attack the intestines, they may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and oral ulcers. If they attack other organs, they may cause dermatitis herpetiformis, amenorrhea, osteoporosis, neuropathy, and so on. According to relevant statistics, the incidence of celiac disease in European countries is about 1% to 3%.

Celiac disease was once considered to be extremely rare in China. However, recent studies have shown that the true incidence of this disease is probably around 1%. People in North China are more likely to have the disease because of their genotype (among the people in North China, the HLA-DQ2 antigen frequency is 24.94%. But among the people in South China, the antigen frequency is 14.81%.) .

Related studies have shown that there is a certain correlation between celiac disease and many autoimmune diseases, including diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, sjogren syndrome, Addison's disease, autoimmune hepatitis and so on. According to statistics, 10% of patients with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease. 7% of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease also have celiac disease.

Type two, wheat sensitivity without a celiac disease

Wheat sensitivity without a celiac disease is a disease recognized by the medical community in recent years. The symptoms will also persist for a long time. The patient develops various physical symptoms (very similar to celiac disease) after eating wheat. After emptying the gluten, the symptoms will be significantly reduced or disappeared. Related studies have shown that wheat sensitivity without celiac disease is also related to many other diseases, including allergies, intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and mental distresses.

Type three, wheat allergy

In fact, there are many allergens in wheat. except for gluten, α-amylase inhibitor in wheat,lipid transfer protein and 3.Isolation of a New low-molecular-weight glutenin will also cause wheat allergy. In Japan, wheat is the third largest source of food causing food allergies among children. In China, up to 4.05% of infants and young children are allergic to wheat. Wheat allergy can cause a variety of allergic diseases, such as wheat-dependent exercise-induced allergy, occupational asthma, rhinitis, urticaria and so on, which can seriously affect the health of the patient's internal organs, respiratory tract, skin, and can even be life-threatening.

Related studies have also found that a the symptoms of the type of patients who are allergic to wheat whose will not develop if they do not exercise within 3 hours of wheat products intake. However, intense exercise will lead to allergies, even be life-threatening. Therefore, this allergic reaction is called "anaphylactic shock leaded by wheat-dependent exercise." Gluten-free diet helps a lot

A gluten-free diet is especially helpful for people with celiac disease, wheat sensitivity and wheat allergies. It can also be helpful for people with some more complex diseases. For example, clinical trials have shown that gluten-free pluses specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) is effective to most patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

In our daily diet, gluten-rich foods are mainly wheat, barley, and rye. Therefore, foods made of these raw materials all contain gluten. On the other hand, foods such as rice, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, meat, eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables are gluten-free or gluten-low.

In short, through the study of gluten, we will better understand the pathologic mechanism of some diseases, like digestive disease, autoimmune disease, and allergies. Therefore, we can solve the problem from the source. Say goodbye to allergies and get a real cure.

References:

[1] Yuan Lijuan. Risk analysis of celiac disease in Chinese Youth [D]. Nanchang University.2014: