Fit to Print Volume 23 Issue 2: June 2014 | Page 10

E AT S M A R T !

By Rachel Ezelius, RD

Going Gluten-Free
It’s No Cake Walk

D

o you have symptoms like gas and
bloating, changes in bowel
movements, abdominal pain,
diarrhea, weight fluctuation, fatigue,
and/or weakness? You may have thought
about going gluten free (GF), and you
aren't alone. In a recent survey, glutenfree living seems to appeal to at least
30% of the population despite the lack of
scientific studies to clarify the benefits
or negative effects (if any) of a gluten
free diet. About 1 in 133 people are
diagnosed with celiac disease, which is
only about 0.75% of the population.
However, a study using stored blood
saved from thousands of Air Force
recruits in the 1960s, found celiac
disease has had a 400% increase in the
last 60 years. A GF diet is essential for
people with gluten allergies or celiac
disease (CD), a condition, which causes
intestinal damage when gluten is eaten.
But going gluten free should be done
with careful consideration and under a
doctor's care. Often symptoms like
weight loss, iron deficiency, or family
history of autoimmune diseases are signs
of possible celiac disease. Get tested.
Don't self diagnose. A positive result
would require a life long commitment to
a gluten free diet. But people may also
find themselves going gluten free when
diagnosed with non-celiac gluten
sensitivity (NCGS.) According to the
National Foundation of Celiac Awareness,
as many as 18 million Americans have
some non-celiac sensitivity to gluten. A
person with NCGS will test negative for
CD, but symptoms resolve when gluten is
removed from the diet. Often symptoms
of NCGS include IBS, memory loss,
fatigue, joint and muscle pain,
dermatitis and/or anemia.

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In the 1940s a Dutch pediatrician,
Willem Dicke found the connection
between the Dutch famine of 1944
(during which flour was sparse) and an
improvement in patient's malnutrition,
stunted growth, cancer, neurological
and psychiatric illness. Since then new
research is emerging. The New England
Journal of Medicine linked over 50
disorders to gluten, such as arthritis,
lupus, depression, irritable bowel
syndrome, autism and MS to name a
few. Currently, scientists are looking
into the connection between
untreated CD, NCGS and Hashimoto
leading to a compromised immune
system resulting in thyroid disease.
We know that gluten creates an
inflammatory response in the body.
The gut is naturally permeable to
small molecules in order to absorb
vital nutrients. In sensitive people,
gluten can cause the gut cells to
release zonulin (a protein that breaks
apart the tight junctions in the
intestinal lining.) Once these tight
junctions get broken apart, things like
toxins, microbes, and undigested food
particles escape the intestines and
enter into the bloodstream. The
immune system marks these as
"foreign invaders" and this leads to
inflammation. Inflammation has been
linked to insulin resistance. Insulin
resistance is when more insulin is
produced to regulate blood sugars in
the body. Insulin is a fat storage
hormone, thus an overproduction of
insulin leads to more fat being stored.
Many people also find their skin
improves when they ditch gluten.
Remember carbohydrates are not
synonymous with gluten. Gluten is
specific to a type of protein, but one
you won't find in meat or eggs. Instead
gluten makes up 80% of the protein
found in wheat, rye, spelt,
contaminated oats and barley and
anything "malted". Saying goodbye to
gluten can be hard. Anything with
white, wheat, marble and rye are off
limits. Most dressings, condiments and
sauces must be removed. The majority
of our favorite foods like bagels,
muffins, croissants, buns, scones,
pasta, crackers, cakes, cookies,
cereal, beer, pizza, etc are off the
shopping list. Going gluten free means
Summer 2 M