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Reasons to Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet

A gluten-free diet is a way of life for the person with celiac disease, a digestive disorders due to severe gluten sensitivity or dermatitis herpetiformis, a skin condition directly linked with gluten sensitivity. No one needs to tell them to stay completely off of gluten, the protein component in many grains. But what about people with joint pain, brain fog, loss of balance or other neurologic and auto-immune disorders? All of these have been linked with gluten consumption.¹

Today conservative estimates say, 1 out of every 133 healthy adults in the United States² has celiac disease and digestive problems upon eating gluten. A variety of factors, including genetic inheritance, infections, liver function and even a summer birthday can influence gluten sensitivity.³

The word gluten appears in 7425 Medline indexed articles. Medline, a database of medical journals also lists 456 articles with "Gluten-Free’ in the title. The first one appeared in 1952 in the Lancet. Fifty percent of the articles have appeared since 1995 with more than 10% in the last two years. Today these articles appear in places like Clinical Endocrinology, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Annals of Internal Medicine, Neurology, Archives of Dermatology, Biological Psychiatry, The British Journal of Dermatology, British Medical Journal, Diabetic Medicine, Family Practice, Nursing Times, Osteoporosis International, Radiology, Annals of Rheumatic Disease, The Journal of Rheumatology and more.

According to the recent medical literature, people with the following conditions may benefit notably from a gluten-free diet: celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis⁴,⁵, rheumatoid arthritis⁶,⁷, Sjogren's⁸, Multiple sclerosis⁹, Parkinson’s disease¹⁰, depression¹¹, Neuromyelitis (nervous system inflammation) and peripheral neuropathies¹², seizures¹³, Autism¹⁴,¹⁵, obsessive-compulsive behavior¹⁶, Tourette’s and tics¹⁷, Schizophrenia¹⁸, Ataxia (loss of balance)¹⁹,²⁰,²¹ including late-onset Friedreich ataxia, Down’s syndrome²², cognitive problems (brain fog)²³, osteoporosis ²⁴,²⁵, Type 1 & 2 diabetes ²⁶,²⁷,²⁸, anemia²⁹ and more.³⁰

Gluten-Free Diet

A gluten-free diet means not eating foods that contain wheat (including duram, spelt, triticale, and kamut), oats, rye, and barley. The foods and products made from these grains are also not allowed. In other words, a person with gluten sensitivity should not eat most grain, pasta, cereal, and many processed foods. Despite these restrictions, people with celiac disease can eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods, including gluten-free bread and pasta. For example, people can use potato, rice, soy, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, or bean flour instead of wheat flour³¹.

Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) For the Gluten Sensitive

In addition to dietary changes, people with gluten related symptoms can look to Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) for help with shifting physical pain and loss of function. IMT practitioners are seeing evidence of what could potentially be called a gluten-sensitivity epidemic. Physical indicators of a problem digesting and processing gluten include, positive myofascial mapping, an IMT diagnostic procedure assessing the connective tissue at the ileocecal valve or the first part of the large intestine near the right hip. There is also evidence of an allergy related circadian rhythms in the large intestine.³²

Other indicators are zinc, manganese and chlorophyll deficiencies.³³ There is considerable evidence in the medical literature linking nutritional deficiencies, gluten sensitivity and other disease processes, including skeletal muscle and smooth muscle weakness seen in neurologic and autoimmune disorders.

A recent study noted, "a screening for celiac disease should be carried out in adult patients with iron deficiency anemia. Recovery from anemia occurs between 6 and 12 months on a gluten-free diet alone as a consequence of normalization of histological alterations of the intestinal mucosa."³⁴

Nature, a well respected scientific journal reports on another study comparing the chemistry of gluten to that of opium like chemicals. "Opiate receptor-active peptide fragments (exorphins) have been identified recently in casein and gluten hydrolysates, and morphine has been found in bovine and human milk."³⁵

 

References

1. Hadjivassiliou, M., M. Maki, et al. (2006). "Autoantibody targeting of brain and intestinal transglutaminase in gluten ataxia." Neurology 66(3): 373-7.

2. University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program, (2006) from www.celiacdisease.net/Portals/1/Celiac%20Statistics%20and%20Facts.pdf

3. Ivarsson, A. (2005). "The Swedish epidemic of coeliac disease explored using an epidemiological approach--some lessons to be learnt." Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 19(3): 425-40.

4. Hadjivassiliou, M., Kandler, R. H., Chattopadhyay, A. K., Davies-Jones, A. G., Jarratt, J. A., Sanders, D. S., et al. (2006). Dietary treatment of gluten neuropathy. Muscle Nerve, 34(6), 762-766. [Full Text]  http://jnnp.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/74/9/1221

5. Hadjivassiliou, M., M. Maki, et al. (2006). "Autoantibody targeting of brain and intestinal transglutaminase in gluten ataxia." Neurology 66(3): 373-7.

6. Hafstrom, I., B. Ringertz, et al. (2001). "A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens." Rheumatology (Oxford) 40(10): 1175-9 [Full text]  http://171.66.120.158/cgi/content/abstract/40/10/1175

7. Sokjer, M., T. Jonsson, et al. (1995). "Selective increase of IgA rheumatoid factor in patients with gluten sensitivity." Acta Derm Venereol 75(2): 130-2.

8. Teppo, A. M. and C. P. Maury (1984). "Antibodies to gliadin, gluten and reticulin glycoprotein in rheumatic diseases: elevated levels in Sjogren's syndrome." Clin Exp Immunol 57(1): 73-8.

9. Ferro, M. T., D. Franciotta, et al. (2008). "A case of multiple sclerosis with atypical onset associated with autoimmune hepatitis and silent coeliac disease." Neurol Sci 29(1): 29-31.

10. Ihara, M., F. Makino, et al. (2006). "Gluten sensitivity in Japanese patients with adult-onset cerebellar ataxia." Intern Med 45(3): 135-40. [Full Text] www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/45/3/45_135/_article

11. Pynnonen, P. A., E. T. Isometsa, et al. (2005). "Gluten-free diet may alleviate depressive and behavioural symptoms in adolescents with coeliac disease: a prospective follow-up case-series study." BMC Psychiatry 5(1): 14 [Full Text]  http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/5/14

12. Jacob, S., M. Zarei, et al. (2005). "Gluten sensitivity and neuromyelitis optica: two case reports." J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 76(7): 1028-30. [Full Text] http://jnnp.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/76/7/1028

13. Jacob, S., M. Zarei, et al. (2005). "Gluten sensitivity and neuromyelitis optica: two case reports." J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 76(7): 1028-30. [Full Text] http://jnnp.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/76/7/1028

14. Elder, J. H., M. Shankar, et al. (2006). "The gluten-free, casein-free diet in autism: results of a preliminary double blind clinical trial." J Autism Dev Disord 36(3): 413-20.

15. Kidd, P. M. (2002). "Autism, an extreme challenge to integrative medicine. Part 2: medical management." Altern Med Rev 7(6): 472-99. [Full Text] www.findarticles.com

16. Wills, A., R. Dale, et al. (2005). "Gluten Ataxia and Post-Streptococcal Central Nervous System Syndromes: Emerging Immune-mediated Disorders of the Central Nervous System?" Curr Treat Options Neurol 7(3): 183-189.

17. Wills, A., R. Dale, et al. (2005). "Gluten Ataxia and Post-Streptococcal Central Nervous System Syndromes: Emerging Immune-mediated Disorders of the Central Nervous System?" Curr Treat Options Neurol 7(3): 183-189.

18. Kalaydjian, A. E., W. Eaton, et al. (2006). "The gluten connection: the association between schizophrenia and celiac disease." Acta Psychiatr Scand 113(2): 82-90.

19. Anheim, M., B. Degos, et al. (2006). "[Ataxia associated with gluten sensitivity, myth or reality?]." Rev Neurol (Paris) 162(2): 214-21.

20. Hadjivassiliou, M., M. Maki, et al. (2006). "Autoantibody targeting of brain and intestinal transglutaminase in gluten ataxia." Neurology 66(3): 373-7.

21. Ihara, M., F. Makino, et al. (2006). "Gluten sensitivity in Japanese patients with adult-onset cerebellar ataxia." Intern Med 45(3): 135-40. [Full Text] www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/45/3/45_135/_article 

22. Kanavin, O., H. Scott, et al. (1988). "Immunological studies of patients with Down's syndrome. Measurements of autoantibodies and serum antibodies to dietary antigens in relation to zinc levels."Acta Med Scand 224(5): 473-7.

23. Ihara, M., F. Makino, et al. (2006). "Gluten sensitivity in Japanese patients with adult-onset cerebellar ataxia." Intern Med 45(3): 135-40. [Full Text] www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/45/3/45_135/_article

24. Fiore, C. E., P. Pennisi, et al. (2006). "Altered osteoprotegerin / RANKL ratio and low bone mineral density in celiac patients on long-term treatment with gluten-free diet." Horm Metab Res 38(6): 417-22.

25. Pazianas, M., G. P. Butcher, et al. (2005). "Calcium absorption and bone mineral density in celiacs after long term treatment with gluten-free diet and adequate calcium intake." Osteoporos Int 16(1): 56-63.

26. Verbeke, S., S. Cruchet, et al. (2004). "[Risk markers for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and duration of exposure to gluten in celiac patients]." Rev Med Chil 132(8): 979-84.

27. Pastore, M. R., E. Bazzigaluppi, et al. (2003). "Six months of gluten-free diet do not influence autoantibody titers, but improve insulin secretion in subjects at high risk for type 1 diabetes." J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88(1): 162-5 [Full Text] http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/1/162

28. Hansen, D., B. Brock-Jacobsen, et al. (2006). "Clinical benefit of a gluten-free diet in type 1 diabetic children with screening-detected celiac disease: a population-based screening study with 2 years' follow-up." Diabetes Care 29(11): 2452-6

29. Annibale, B., C. Severi, et al. (2001). "Efficacy of gluten-free diet alone on recovery from iron deficiency anemia in adult celiac patients." Am J Gastroenterol 96(1): 132-7.

30. Woodward, A. B. (2007). "All in your head." Living Without Winter

31. NIH (2006) [Full Text] http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm

32. Weiselfish-Giammatteo, S. and T. Giammatteo (2002). Elimination Diet A New Health Care Tool. Bloomfield, CT, ANA Publishing. [Available] www.CenterIMT.com

33. Solomons, N. W., I. H. Rosenberg, et al. (1976). "Zinc nutrition in celiac sprue." Am J Clin Nutr 29(4): 371-5 [Full Text] http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/29/4/371

34. Annibale, B., C. Severi, et al. (2001). "Efficacy of gluten-free diet alone on recovery from iron deficiency anemia in adult celiac patients." Am J Gastroenterol 96(1): 132-7. [PubMed Abstract]

35. Boublik, J. H., M. J. Quinn, et al. (1983). "Coffee contains potent opiate receptor binding activity." Nature 301(5897): 246-8. [Full Text] www.nature.com/nature/journal/v301/n5897/abs/301246a0.html