Super Fitness Health BlogGluten sensitivity and coeliac disease
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein composite present in items of food processed from wheat and similar cereals, including barley and rye. It is used on an international scale, both in items of food made directly from sources containing gluten and as an additive to items of food otherwise low in protein.
Uses
Added gluten
One of the main purposes of gluten in items of food is to supply elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to preserve its shape, and oftentimes giving the eventual product a chewy texture. A higher level of refinement of gluten leads to chewier products (such as pizza and bagels), while less refinement yields tender baked goods, such as pastry products. Generally speaking, bread flours are high in gluten, while pastry flours tend to have a lower gluten content.
On top of being added to ordinary flour dough, for the reasons described above, gluten also has the following uses:
• Gluten (especially wheat gluten) is often inserted into imitation meats. When cooked in broth, gluten absorbs a bit of the surrounding liquid, and therefore taste, and becomes firm to the bite. As such, it is often used in vegetarian and vegan meals as a meat substitute.
• Numerous processed foods contain “hidden” gluten. For example, frozen potato products are sometimes coated with a dusting of wheat flour. Some brands of baking powder also contain wheat flour. Plus, wheat-based thickeners are often found in refined foods such as gravies, soups, sauces, and pie fillings. Even soy sauce contains wheat!
Labelling
The Codex Alimentarius group of international standards for food labelling regulates the labeling of products as “gluten free”. It is worth noting that the applicable standard is stated not to apply to foods which contain gluten in their normal form.
What this means in practice, is that there will often be hidden gluten in foods. This has the potential to present a considerable difficulty (and health hazard) for people who suffer with gluten sensitivities – see further below.
In the United States, gluten is regularly not listed on labels, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified gluten as “generally recognised as safe” (GRAS) – however, this is currently under review. In the United Kingdom, currently only cereals need to be labelled, while labelling of other products is voluntary.
To be certain that you are avoiding hidden gluten, look for the following ingredients on product labels: modified food starch, unidentified starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), texturized vegetable protein (TVP), binders, fillers, excipients, extenders and malt.
Adverse reactions
The word gluten originated from the Latin word for “glue”, which already gives an indication of the possible problems with its ingestion.
Fairly recently, understanding and recognition of gluten sensitivities has grown. This is largely due to the fact that the number of known cases has grown rather starkly.
For example, it is believed that coeliac (also spelled “celiac”) disease is one of the most widespread chronic health disorders in Western countries, yet one of the most under-diagnosed. Until about 10 years ago, medical schools taught that coeliac disease was relatively rare and only affected about 1 in 2,500 people. It was also thought to be a disease that primarily affected children and young people. Latest studies and advances in diagnosis suggest that at least 3 million Americans, or about 1 in 133 people, have coeliac disease, but only 1 in 4,700 is believed to ever be diagnosed.
It is important to recognise that gluten intolerance is not a food allergy. In reality, it is a physical condition in the gut. In simple terms, undigested gluten proteins (prevalent in wheat and other grains) rest in the intestines and are treated by the body like an invader, aggravating the gut and flattening the microvilli along the small intestine wall. Without the microvilli, there is less surface area with which to absorb nutrients from foodstuffs. This can lead sufferers to experience symptoms of malabsorption, including chronic fatigue, neurological disorders, nutrient deficiencies, anaemia, nausea, skin rashes, depression and more. Many people also react to a similar protein found in oats.
If gluten is omitted from the diet, the gut often heals and the symptoms disappear. Depending on the level and degree of the intolerance (which can range anywhere from a gluten sensitivity to full-blown coeliac disease), it may even be feasible to at some point re-introduce properly prepared grains (sourdough that has fermented for up to a month, sprouted grains, etc) into the eating regimen – but this is not guaranteed! In many cases, the inability to digest gluten is genetic.
Coeliac / celiac disease
Current statistics in the UK indicate that about 1 in every 100 people lives with coeliac disease (also known as sprue).
Broadly speaking, it involves an abnormal immune reaction to partially digested gliadin (a glycoprotein found in wheat and several other cereals, of which gluten is a composite). It is also worth noting that wheat allergy and coeliac disease are different disorders.
Symptoms range from mild to severe bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, cramps, fatigue, aches, flu-like symptoms, and/or mood swings. Due to the fact that the symptoms are rather general, coeliac disease is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, lupus, MS, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel, or Crohn’s disease, just to name a few.
Supplementation
It can often be a challenge for people suffering with gluten sensitivities to find, not only suitable foods, but suitable dietary supplements. Specialist Supplements Ltd has gone out of its way to create organic products, health foods, food form supplements, meal replacements and protein powders that are not only gluten free wherever possible, but also wheat, sugar, yeast and dairy free. Check out our ranges now!
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