I previously wrote an article called “Is Gluten Sensitivity Real” which critiqued a spate of news reports suggesting that nonceliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) doesn’t exist. These news stories referred to a study indicating that some people who believed they were reacting to gluten were actually reacting to a class of poorly absorbed carbohydrates (which include wheat, among many other foods) called FODMAPs.
You can read the full article above for details, but the takeaway was that the study those stories were based on in no way disproved the existence of NCGS, nor did it overturn the large body of evidence that links it to a variety of health problems ranging from type 1 diabetes, to allergies, to schizophrenia, to autism spectrum disorders. There is little doubt among those who are familiar with the scientific literature that NCGS is a real condition.
Yet despite this, we continue to see headlines in the media like this:
- Time for Some Grains of Truth About Gluten
- Eat More Gluten: The Diet Fad Must Die
- Why We’re Wasting Billions on Gluten-Free Food
These stories—and many other like them—argue that nonceliac gluten intolerance is rare, and that people who eliminate gluten from their diet are just silly fad followers. In this article, however, I’m going to present three reasons why NCGS is not only a bonafide condition, but may in fact be a much more serious problem than celiac disease.
#1: Celiac Disease Is Far Easier to Diagnose Than NCGS
According to some estimates, for every diagnosed case of celiac disease (CD), there are 6.4 undiagnosed cases that remain undiagnosed—the majority of which are atypical or “silent” forms with no damage to the gut. (1) This silent form of CD is far from harmless; it is associated with a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of death. (2)
I believe that patients with NCGS are even more likely than patients with CD to go undiagnosed. Most gastroenterologists today know how to screen for celiac disease. They will typically test for antibodies to antibodies to alpha gliadin, transglutaminase-2, deamidated gliadin, and endomysium, and if positive do a biopsy to determine if tissue damage is present.
However, we now know that people can (and do) react to several other components of wheat above and beyond alpha gliadin, the component that is implicated in CD. These include other epitopes of gliadin (beta, gamma, omega), glutenin, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), gluteomorphin, and deamidated gliadin. What’s more, people can react to other types of tissue transglutaminase, including type 3—primarily found in the skin—and type 6—primarily found in the brain. (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Why the “gluten intolerance haters” are wrong.#gluten #glutenintolerance
So, imagine a scenario where the patient is reacting to deamidated gliadin, glutenin, gluteomorphin, and either transglutaminase-3 or -6, but not reacting to alpha gliadin or transglutaminase-2—which are the antibodies used to screen for CD by most doctors. They will remain undiagnosed, and may continue to eat gluten for the rest of their lives, putting themselves at serious risk for autoimmune and other diseases.
This is not a hypothetical situation. In fact, I see cases like this all the time in my practice. Here is a screenshot from a recent test I ran on a patient. I use a much more thorough test for wheat and gluten intolerance called Array 3 from Cyrex Laboratories. Unlike other tests, it measures antibodies not only to alpha gliadin and transglutaminase-2, but also many of the other components of the wheat protein I mentioned above, as well as transglutaminase-3 and 6.
This patient is not reacting to alpha gliadin or transglutaminase-2. Had they been tested by their conventional doctor, they would have been told that they do not have celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
However, as you can see, she is reacting quite significantly to several different components of wheat, including:
- Native and deamidated gliadin and gluteomorphin, which are compounds produced during the digestion of wheat.
- Glutenin, which is the other major fraction of the wheat protein, along with gliadin.
- Gliadin-transglutaminase complex, which indicates that the patient is experiencing an autoimmune reaction to wheat.
- Transglutaminase-3, which is expressed primarily in the skin, and to a lesser extent in the brain and placenta.
- Transglutaminase-6, which is expressed in the brain and nervous system.
When this patient consumes wheat or other gluten-containing foods, she may not experience the classic digestive symptoms associated with CD or NCGS, because she is not producing antibodies to transglutaminase-2 (which is mostly expressed in the gut). Instead, her intolerance of wheat could manifest in skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, and in neurological or brain-related conditions like depression, peripheral neuropathy, or ADHD. (9, 10)
Worst of all, if this patient had not had this test, and had continued to eat wheat and gluten for the rest of her life, it’s likely that she would have been at much higher risk for the long list of serious conditions that are associated with gluten intolerance, such as multiple sclerosis, ataxia, diabetes, and even Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease). (11, 12, 13, 14)
Unfortunately, this patient is not the exception—she is the rule. I’ve seen so many test results just like this, where the patient would have been misdiagnosed as not having gluten intolerance had they gone to a conventional doctor.
This presents another obvious problem, of course: if very few health care providers are doing the correct testing for gluten intolerance (like the panel from Cyrex above), then how can we possibly know what the true prevalence of NCGS is? We can’t—but given everything I’ve written above, we can certainly suspect that it’s much higher than currently believed.
According to Cyrex Labs, 1 in 4 people that take the Array 3 panel test positive for some form of wheat or gluten intolerance. Granted, this is not a representative sample, since most people that take the Cyrex panel are dealing with chronic illness of some kind.
Even with the limitations of current testing, however, some researchers have speculated that NCGS may affect as many as 1 in 10 people. (15) I suspect this is accurate, if not conservative.
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#2: Current Cultural Attitudes toward NCGS Mean More People Will Remain Undiagnosed
And for reasons that I do not fully understand, they do so with an almost religious fervor.
The “gluten intolerance haters” seemed to emerge in force after a paper published by Gibson et al. in 2013 made the rounds in the media. This study found that a group of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were not sensitive to gluten, but instead were reacting to a group of poorly absorbed carbohydrates called FODMAPs. (16) Aside from the fact that this study did not in any way disprove the existence of NCGS, from a practical perspective the study findings would not have changed the behavior of most people with IBS who identified as being gluten intolerant, since wheat and many other gluten-containing grains are FODMAPs and should thus be avoided by these patients.
More importantly, however, in the last two years since the Gibson paper new studies have been published that directly contradict Gibson’s findings and strongly suggest that patients with IBS do, in fact, react adversely to gluten—and not just FODMAPs.
For example, a new double-blind, randomized trial out of Iran was specifically designed to determine whether a group of IBS patients reacted to gluten specifically, or simply improved for other reasons on a gluten-free diet. (17) Here’s how it worked:
- 80 patients followed an “almost-gluten-free” diet (dietary compliance was considered optimal if consumption of gluten was below 100 mg/day, the equivalent of roughly 1/8 tsp of wheat four).
- After six weeks, the 72 patients that complied with the diet and experienced significant improvement were then randomized into two groups: Group A, and Group B.
- Group A (35 patients) was given a 100 g packet containing a gluten meal (free of FODMAPs). Group B (37 patients) was given a placebo packet (100 g) containing rice flour, corn starch, and glucose.
- Patients in both groups consumed the powders for six weeks, while both groups continued on gluten-free diets.
After six weeks of the diet symptoms were controlled in only 26% of the gluten group, compared with 84% of the placebo group. In the gluten-containing group, all symptoms—especially bloating and abdominal pain—increased significantly one week after starting the gluten.
The authors point out that it is important to properly identify gluten intolerance and distinguish it from FODMAP intolerance because some recent research suggests that long-term low FODMAP diets may have adverse effects on the gut microbiome. One study found that a low FODMAP diet compared with a habitual diet reduced the proportion and concentration of Bifidobacteria, one of the most beneficial species of bacteria in the colon. (18) (Authors note: I will be exploring this issue in more detail in a future article.)
But I would add another equally serious consequence of misdiagnosing gluten intolerance as FODMAP intolerance, which is the increase in risk for numerous and sometimes serious diseases that occurs when someone with NCGS continues to consume gluten.
#3: Many Doctors and Patients Aren’t Serious Enough about NCGS Treatment
This last point is a natural consequence of the first two. If detecting NCGS in conventional medical settings is unlikely, and there is a strong cultural backlash against it, where does that leave the millions of people that are likely suffering from NCGS without even knowing it?
Even if they do suspect that they are gluten intolerant, they might be dissuaded from pursuing a strict gluten-free diet by their friends, social media contacts, or even their doctor, all of whom are likely uninformed on this subject and do not understand the deficiencies in conventional testing or the complexity of the topic.
Based on the research I’ve reviewed in this article, and several others I linked to here, we should be more aggressive—not less—in diagnosing and treating gluten intolerance.
We need greater access to test panels like Cyrex Labs Array 3, which is the only commercial test outside of a research setting that screens for antibodies to many of the proteomes in wheat, instead of just testing for alpha gliadin. We need better training for doctors on how to recognize the myriad of symptoms and conditions associated with gluten intolerance, so they don’t make the common mistake of assuming that the patient isn’t gluten intolerant if they don’t have digestive problems. And we need some prominent journalists to educate themselves, step forward, and take responsibility for treating this as the serious, potentially life-threatening problem that it is.
Even without access to tests like Array 3, an elimination/provocation trial where gluten is removed completely from the diet for 60 days and then reintroduced is still considered to be an accurate method of assessing gluten intolerance. Doctors should be much more proactive about recommending this to patients, and despite the claims of some mainstream nutritionists and dietitians to the contrary, there is no risk to removing gluten from the diet. (19) If anything, people on a gluten-free diet are more likely to increase their intake of essential nutrients, especially if they replace breads and other flour products with whole foods (rather than with gluten-free flour alternatives).
This may explain why up to 30 percent of CD patients continue to have symptoms or clinical signs after adopting a gluten-free diet. (21) For this reason, I recommend a completely grain- and dairy-free diet during the gluten challenge period.
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I have been gluten free since 1992. In 1991 I decided I would try a vegetarian diet and for 6 mo. I ate so much wheat. I was living in P.R. at the time and I did not know about other grains. By the time I left P.R. at the end of 1991 I had so much cystic acne and constipation. When I got back to the states I went to see a dermatologist who wanted to put me on antibiotics for 6 weeks. I said ,”No thank you”, and I went to a health food store. The woman there took me off of several foods and my skin was clean in a month! When she re-introduced wheat that is when the acne and constipation came back. Other symptoms that I get if I eat gluten( accidentally )are brain fog , tiredness , irritability and maybe sensitivity to sound. My mother in law has also noticed the whites of my eyes get yellowish. if I sleep 10-12 hrs. I know I have probably consumed gluten somewhere, usually a restaurant. Is there any research linking gluten intolerance and Alzheimers?
Can gluten intolerances cause malabsorption of fat? Long story short, I have had abdominal pain, cramping, tenderness for almost a year. I’ve had every test know to the GI world (including gluten testing- negative, an mrcp and EUS to look at the pancreas and biliary system, an EGD, tuns of bloodwork and stool testing. The only thing that has come back abnormal was a 72 hour fecal fat test which showed mild malabsorption of 9g/day). My GI said that celiac causes malabsorption but not gluten sensitivity (and not to mention he does not believe in gluten sensitivity). Should I cut out gluten to see if it helps? Maybe i need digestive enzymes? Help!?
I had a lifetime of health problems since birth including infrequent seizures, recurrent tonsillitis, UTI’s, anxiety and depression, near constant constipation. In my early 30s I began getting chronic sinusitis and vertigo. In a few years I began getting strange autoimmune symptoms and losing the ability to find nouns and my doctor said we would wait and see if it was MS.
Quite by accident, I went on a low carb diet and for the first 10 days cut out all non-veg carb and dairy. I could breathe clearly for the first time in years. I felt such relief. I think I was on a quick downhill slide that I was able to slow down. No one had ever suggested to me that what I was eating made any difference. I was always called a “health food” eater and ate organic and lots of veggies, but it wasn’t enough. Very grateful for your articles and all the stories in the comments. It helps me to navigate my way back to health.
Thanks so much for this article. I really hope your call for a higher profile journalist to take this on is met. The community of folks that are gluten intolerant need your support as the world does indeed seem more hostile/disbelieving of us and it’s at the risk of our health when so many cynics are in the food preparation business.
I have been unknowingly exposed so many times that I’m at a point where I’m not comfortable eating something anyone else prepares, because recovery is just too slow. My symptoms are largely brain-related and I can’t handle the days of brain-fog, fatigue, insomnia and constipation that follow gluten exposure. I have sub-clinical Hashimotos Disease, so if I can support my system and avoid the food triggers I may be able to avoid a lifelong dependence on drugs.
Thank you for the article. I was diagnosed in 2010 with Anemia. In November of 2014 I was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease and since have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hoshimotos and hypothyroidism. After several Dr’s and not a lot of relief, I turned to friends and family for insight. To my surprise a few of my Facebook “friends” had similar or the same autoimmune disorders. They ALL found that they felt better and some even are completely off of medication being gluten free. It’s been very challenging for me. I’m Italian and LOVE bread and pasta. I definitely see and feel a difference for me since going GF though and am on my way to getting my life back. Thanks for info 🙂
Chris,
Is the only way to get the Cyrex Array 3 test to convince my doctor to sign up through Cyrex and order it for me? This will be a tough sell for many conventional doctors.
Any advice? Thanks!
Unfortunately, yes. But I am working on it from another angle, which is starting a training program in functional medicine for doctors and other health care providers to educate them on topics like this. There are already similar programs and hopefully in time we can turn the tide.
Thanks to telemedicine you don’t need to look too far to find a provider who believes in practical medicine. I have plenty of patients from out of state.
Great article, Chris!
I had my own experience with this as a patient before I became a health advocate for others. I’ve been gluten free for 5 years now (along with other eliminations) and it’s been one of the main factors that returned my health after 16 years of illness!
I know for sure there are tons of false negatives when it comes to lab work, that keeps people on an unhealthy and unsustainable path.
https://thehealthandhappinessguide.com/falsenegativelabtesting/
Marcie Peters, America’s Whole-Life Coach
http://www.thehealthandhappinessguide.com
I am food-stamp poor due to crushing chronic conditions over the past 15 years. I have done my best to follow paleo/ancesteral/funtional medicine approaches, but FM is not accessible for the 47% that don’t have great insurance or disposable income, and Pyrex is crazy expensive. So my question is what are the bare-bones tests I could try to get? Array 3? I have done elimination diets, SCD, AIP, SIBO/SIYO….
You can get Pyrex cheap at thrift stores..you are making obstacles where there are solutions
It’s great to share a cost saving tip – less great to chide someone who sounds like they are in distress. We don’t know their situation. Or maybe it was not intended how it sounded. But yeah – thrift stores, Salvation Army, plenty of places to find cheaper safer food containers.
I believe it was a typo & the writer meant Cyrex. And btw your post is extremely insensitive and mean. I, too, am struggling financially due to over 20 years of chronic health problems & autoimmune diseases & working 3 jobs just to keep a roof over my head, a reliable car to be able to go to work & food on the table. I’m exhausted, & have sunk a lot of money into conventional medicine over the years with no relief & try my best to follow the autoimmune protocol, though just can’t 100%. I was taken for over $100.00 I paid in desperation by a functional medicine doc who promised to create a treatment protocol for me but reneged on that, instead only meeting with me for a 30 minute consult in which I provided a history. It was money I really didn’t have but agreed to pay because I am in dire straits & in need of help. He told me my treatment overall costs would be over $7,000.00. People are “food-stamp” poor who need help but I don’t see anyone in the functional medicine or the Paleo community stepping up to help suffering people. I read and research constantly, but that only goes so far. I can’t get well enough to sustain working full-time much less 3 jobs & after getting better initially, have worsened again. What I do see are a lot of “buy this” & “spend your money on this” requests though; a lot of selling. A non-profit would be a good idea for the Paleo & functional medicine community to establish. We are in need & the conventional medical community treats us as if we’re crazy & provide little to no help. In spite of my compromised memory & brain-fog, I do have some useful business talents, one of which is my 3rd job & I have reached out to some in the Paleo community to barter my business services to be able to obtain knowledge materials or products & have been met with virtual crickets. A little compassion by commenters as well as the Paleo community would be nice for those of us severely beat up for decades by the medical community, friends and family.
Hi Chris, I self-dx’d after reading Wheat Belly, lost 25lbs and felt great for about 3 years. Started with stomach issues again so cut out dairy for the last 4 weeks. Feeling much better and noticed lower back pain that I’ve had for my whole adult life is very much improved! (Didn’t expect that!) Sad to hear coffee and chocolate could be causing problems too, but if it helps, I’ll also give them up.
I feel my Mom had gluten sensitivity all her life. She was dx’d with Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia when she was 60yo, eventually died from it 13 yrs later. There is research now possibly linking the two.
Some support from family, but they are still skeptical. I know how my body feels and I will never go back to eating gluten ( and now dairy too). Thank you for sharing all your wonderful knowledge and research!
I am self-diagnosed. I suspected it for a long time, and after reading Wheat Belly, I successfully went off gluten. The bloating and stomachaches were gone, 4 pounds melted away, and cravings for breads and pastries diminished considerably. I tell people who ask that wheat and gluten seem to drive carb cravings for me. I have relapsed briefly or tested myself on a very few occasions, and ensuing symptoms always reconfirmed that gluten and wheat are not for me. It hasn’t seemed to bother anybody in my life and I haven’t taken grief for it. I don’t eat GF bread products very often, though I do cook occasionally with my own homemade GF flour blend, but commercial GF products are way too sugary and starchy for me, not to mention expensive.
I am a nurse & have done lots of reading on this. First, I have hypothyroidism not very responsive to meds & my physician has been adjusting my dose every 6 months for the last 3 years with still poor blood levels. I’m self diagnosed based on the reading I’ve done as intolerant related to my gut issues, appendicitis attack & skin issues. Going GF has cleared up my skin & helped me reduce my acid reflex med from daily to every 3-4 days. I fit all 3 of your reasons above. My daughter had similar issues including the appendicitis attack, but she is not hypothyroid yet. Talking her into going GF has cleared her up as well. I’m hoping she can avoid the hypothyroidism. Time will tell.
Thank you, Chris, for all your work and shedding much light on the truth of NCGI.I went gluten free about 3 years ago as I had a lot of GI tract discomforts, painful gas and boating especially. I also, around the same time, was developing strange symptoms like weakness, joint pain, brain fog, numbness in my limbs, and more. After pursuing answers, I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder called Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, which I have been managing via a grain free diet (I also eliminated dairy for at least 2 months to conclude that the occasional piece of grass-fed cheese doesn’t seem to bother me). The huge bonus to going grain-free is that I’ve finally weaned myself completely off of the 2 antidepressants I had been on for 12 years! Grain Brain by David Perlmutter is a great book.
I’m an aspiring nutritionist so I routinely geek out on the mechanisms of food intolerances. I have definitely been challenged by friends and family, and get the occasional eye roll from some people. On Facebook, I’ve been know to refer to your articles, as well as those of some of the other leaders in functional medicine, to respond to challenges in this.
It’s as if the topic of gluten is right up there with politics and religion!
🙂
I discovered I couldn’t eat gluten when I first started to go into menopause. I had been tested for gluten allergies before and always came up negative. As I started menopause, I started waking up in the middle of the night with an elevated pulse. Dead sleep, wake up in a sweat and pulse would be 120 bpm. This was very, very frightening. Cardiologist ruled out any heart issues — my dad has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and that test came negative. I was told there was no connection between my menopause (and defintely not any food sensitivities) and my cardiac symptoms by both my cardiologist and my GYN. I started to self-diagnose because I wanted to know if there were other factors that set me off and I discovered that alcohol was a trigger as well as gluten. If I had a bowl of regular pasta for dinner at night I would wake up with a racing pulse. Did a food diary and kept track of what I ate and as I decreased my wheat intake and stopped drinking alcohol my symptoms improved. Now, several years later, while I don’t have as severe of a reaction, a day or two of sliding and eating wheat will still result in an elevated pulse and anxiety. Did the Reset for 45 days and felt brilliant. Backslid into old habits and now it’s time to do another reset. Thanks for all you do.
Interesting to hear a somewhat similar story! I became allergic to wheat, barley, rye and oats (even so-called gluten free brands) around menopause. I clearly recall the day when gluten became a suspect. I had been fine all day, during a class break (was in a TCM master’s program), I picked up a banana muffin, ate half as class re-started and was suddenly flushing red and hot with profuse sweating. The answer to my (internal) question, “what just happened?” was–the muffin. Over time, I discovered it wasn’t just wheat, but also the other gluten grains, oats, and even some millet and other grains. I still don’t know why I became allergic, but once I listened to my body, my hot flashes and night sweats went away except for times when I am inadvertently glutened. It turns out that I am hypersensitive to very minute amounts.
Sue what do you mean by Reset? I often have a very fast heartbeat at night too, now quit sugar for 4 months already but never linked it to gluten!
The reset as in reference to the juicing movie? I can’t remember the name of it. No food at all but for fresh juice for days at a time. I eat very little sugar, and am beginning to wonder if there is a connection between that and some bouts of extreme fatigue.
Does the Cyrrex lab require you to have consumed gluten in the recent past before taking it? I believe my conventional doctors have mentioned that even if someone removed gluten on their own and felt better for it, if they want to be tested, they have to add it back in for a month or so before the test.
Yes. We (and the lab) recommend that patients consume a serving of gluten-containing food for 5-7 days, wait at least 21-25 days, and then take the test.
If a patient has gluten intolerance, and already knows it, the potential pain and discomfort from doing this prep isn’t always worth the confirmation.
I have found that I am intolerant to most starches. My symptoms included constipation and gas, pain. Fuzzy headed thinking and excessive sleepiness. Depression. Inability to make decisions. I have fibromyalgia and Myofascial pain syndrome with multiple tripper points. Weirdly most of my symptoms occur when my belly flares too. I have been on varying degrees of a ketogenic or Atkins diet since December and have noticed that my mind is clear and my belly feels reasonably well only when I follow this type of diet. If I eat certain foods(corn I think) I will have what looks like a rosacea flare on my face. I am currently on 10 days of xifaxan now to see if some of my symptoms are related to bacterial overgrowth. I did a test cheat meal and only had one hive spot come up on my face. I didn’t go home and pass out after the meal as per my norm, although I felt fuzzy headed and irritable. I put on 3 pounds of fluid over the next 3 days. I am not sure if that was coincidental. My doctor wants me to take the test to see if I have celiac but I don’t want to go off my Atkins to do it, nor risk the side effects.
This reintroduction of gluten is why I’ve never engaged in further testing after coming up negative for the wheat allergy. Here’s what I know. Since giving up gluten more than 3 years ago:
– I’m off thyroid meds and back to normal function.
– I’m off Pepcid AC and Tums for “every meal heartburn.”
– The arm I couldn’t raise for two years is just fine.
– Most of my joint pain is gone.
– I no longer get headaches from drinking red wine.
– The migraines I had my entire life (age 4-42) are completely gone.
Unless I eat gluten. Then I have a vicious 5-8 day migraine.
Therefore I don’t. I will remain ignorant of whether I have some form of celiac until they can test without gluten consumption.
So if u buy a wheat product that is gluten free are there still some compounds in there that show up on cyrex test?
There are no wheat products that are gluten-free. Wheat contains gluten in its protein structure. There are grain products that are wheat and/or gluten-free. These would not be expected to trigger antibody production to any of the proteins on the Cyrex panel.
Hi Chris,
One question here….I take this product which says is gluten free, but also says it has wheat grass and juices included as well. Could you take a look and comment? Thanks in advance.
https://www.vitacost.com/healthforce-nutritionals-greener-grasses-alkalizer-10-oz?csrc=GPF-PA-Vitamins%20%26%20Supplements-650786000222&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=650786000222&gclid=CNuzz5TAlMQCFQ4vaQodEmIAHg
I’m gluten intolerant. Don’t know if I have celiac, though. My doctor didn’t know much about celiac, so originally she just suggested a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, because I was sick for a long time and she couldn’t figure out what’s wrong with me. The diet helped, then I tried to reintroduce gluten and dairy separately. I didn’t react to dairy at all, but reacted really badly to gluten, so I’m gluten free since then and my health improved soooo much. Sometimes I get glutened accidentally and it makes me really sick, so I don’t want to do a gluten challenge in order to test for celiac properly, it’s just not worth for me to suffer so much for an official diagnosis, if the only treatment is gluten free diet anyway.
Several years ago I started having severe joint pain to the point where it was painful to walk. I also got hives when I ate gluten but not every time. I slowly realized that it was gluten causing these symptoms and about a month after I stopped eating it, it didn’t hurt to walk or exercise and I felt like I could walk for miles and miles. I had no joint pain, just a fluidity throughout my whole body I thought I’d never experience again. It felt like a miracle. Now I eat a ketogenic diet similar to the Wahl’s Protocol and after about a month, the rest of my joint pain cleared up. I didn’t even realize it was still there until it wasn’t.
I also have so much energy. My ADHD symptoms have shifted a lot and my mood is much more stable. I am so grateful I figured all this out now!
Kris, thank you so much for the work that you do! I am self-diagnosed gluten intolerant at the suggestion of my physician. During a teeth cleaning, the hygienist noticed a condition she called Lichan Planis. I mention this to my doctor and he suggested I try eliminating gluten without even looking inside my mouth. I was a little skeptical to say the very least. But after a few months I no longer had eczema or the chronic constipation that had plagued me for years! I was a convert and went off gluten again immediately. It hasn’t helped with the Lichan Planis 100% but has explained so many of the other autoimmune disorders that I have also self diagnosed thru the information that you share in your emails. I am currently struggling with a gluten contamination and will be really thankful when I right myself again.
I agree whole heartedly with your comment about substitution, foe me most are dissappointing.
I do want to give kudos to Trader Joe’s! They have a lot of tasty gluten free products and are not gouging customers like some others.
Please keep up your very informative work.
Paradise and The Garden of Eden existed here on earth before our fall from grace, the advent of agriculture,
Wheat, The forbidden fruit. Did you really believe that it was an apple?
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;
🙂
LOLOL
Dead serious.
This is a great article, thank you. Most people are entirely unaware of any of the science/research into gluten, or the mechanisms that are being discovered that are beginning to explain the pathways of the problems, and why it is so difficult to diagnose. They’re just proud to know the word “Nocebo”, which is their pseudo-intellectual way to call GF people “idiots” without understanding anything.
My favorite hypotheses for why gliadin causes problems: gliadin fragments not only resemble transglutiminase (TG) enzymes, but supplant TG action by folding proteins into fibers (amyloids). This leaves excess TG in the system, along with amyloid fibers that cause inflammation, and can collect anywhere in the body and cause further damage.
In some people, the adaptive immune system reacts to either the gliadin fragments, or the excess TG remnants; which is now generally recognized as Celiac’s, but is now also linked to many T1 Diabetes cases. In most people, there is no adaptive immune response – just chronic inflammation, disruption of the natural TG rebuilding processes, and build-up of waste amyloids as plaques, which is why gluten has been linked to so many chronic and age-related illnesses, like arthritis, atherosclerosis, T2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, etc…
All this theory needs for full confirmation is demonstration that the different gliadin-peptide fragments that result from digestion also produce amyloids in-vivo, as it has already been demonstrated ex-vivo. Fasano’s studies have already described the pathway of how gliadin fragment macromolecules can pass through the intestinal membrane, which otherwise shouldn’t be.
Whether anyone’s actually researching this aspect or not, I have no idea. Probably not. Then NCGS would be real.