Once water and amylase are removed from the wheat grain, the insoluble protein component known as gluten remains. It has a high percentage of protein-based compounds (75-85%). It is a common ingredient in many foods and wheat-based drinks.
It is not uncommon to hear about someone deliberately reducing gluten to improve their skin health and general well-being these days. Of course, eating gluten can lead to health problems, but does that mean we should remove it completely from our diet ?
Celiac disease, one of the consequences of gluten consumption
It has been suggested that eating too many foods containing gluten is the source of various diseases. The best known is celiac disease. Gluten intolerance is the problem here.
This disease will progressively eat away at the lining of the small intestine. This specific destruction of villi follows malabsorption of nutrients. This then causes severe abdominal pain and nutritional deficiencies.
Iron deficiency, folic acid and calcium deficiencies can lead to exhaustion, weight loss, chronic diarrhea, and other symptoms in the person affected. Children with this disease will develop more slowly than their healthy peers. You can contact the French Association of gluten intolerant people (afdiag) if you start feeling any of these symptoms.
Next, you can get advice on how to end the problem. However, at this stage, you must refrain from consuming gluten; this will prevent bone demineralization and intestinal cancer.
Other notable diseases
Some have a severe reaction to gluten. The immune system shows no noticeable reaction to this protective subset. If you suffer from celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, your body will have a worse reaction just after eating gluten.
This is different from celiac disease, when there is at least some degree of tolerance. Inflammatory problems, heartburn, immune system issues, nausea, water retention and other symptoms are associated with non-celiac gluten hypersensitivity.
Gluten can also trigger dermatitis herpetiformis, which manifests as severe skin lesions and the development of tiny vesicles. In addition to celiac disease, there is also gluten ataxia, which is an autoimmune disease like celiac disease but which affects the nervous system.
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What to do in the face of so many different diseases?
If you experience the symptoms above, you must immediately stop eating any food containing gluten for at least five weeks. If your symptoms improve or disappear, you are on the path to healing.
You should continue in this direction. In order to avoid other nutritional deficiencies, you must however turn to an expert trained in the field. It is true that one must maintain a good nutritional balance. When little progress is made, it is time to consult an expert for new ideas and a different approach.
What non-celiac people would lose if they adopt a gluten-free diet
A gluten-free diet may not be well received by the body if you are not already dealing with one of the diseases mentioned above. It is important to remember that going gluten-free can lead to nutritional imbalances if you are not properly guided throughout the process. Medical advice is required for any gluten-free diet.
Consuming a large amount of pasta without gluten, for example, may expose you to a risk of type 2 diabetes and other diseases associated with nutritional deficiencies. In addition, those who follow this diet run a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
