Food for Thought

Researchers Reveal Two Possible Causes of "Gluten Sensitivity" -- And Neither Is Gluten

According to the findings of a recent study, gluten-sensitivity may be triggered by something other than gluten.

This study was published in "Gastroenterology," and it was conducted by researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway and Monash University in Australia.

According to reports, 13% of people believe themselves to be gluten-sensitive as a result of the symptoms they experience, such as bloating after eating foods like bread and pasta, but only 1% of them actually have celiac disease, which can lead to a severe autoimmune reaction to gluten that is characterized by symptoms like diarrhea and indigestion.

Researchers have found that people are actually sensitive to a sugar chain called "fructans," and not gluten.

Peter Gibson from  Monash University’s told "New Scientist":

“Gluten was originally assumed to be the culprit because of celiac disease, and the fact that people felt better when they stopped eating wheat. Now it seems like that initial assumption was wrong.”

Gluten sensitivity can be a controversial subject, but researchers have found that non-celiacs show no difference in symptoms between foods that do and foods that don’t contain gluten.

They asked 59 non-celiacs who followed a gluten-free diet to eat special cereal bars, one daily. The first one contained gluten, the second fructans, and the third none of them, but participants didn’t know which bar was which.

They were divided into three groups, and they ate the bars one week, made a week-break, and then continued.

The findings indicated that the fructans bar led to 15% more bloating cases than the control bar, as well as 13% more gastrointestinal symptoms.

Also, the gluten bar led to the same results as the control bar. Therefore, this means that gluten sensitivity might be often misdiagnosed, and the real cause is actually the presence of fructans.

This may make foods low in fructans and high in gluten popular, such as soy sauce.

The gluten controversy might also be caused by the use of the herbicide called "Roundup," which is rich in glyphosate, a harmful ingredient, which is deadly to wheat and barley. The prolonged exposure to this causes inflammation and adverse effects like obesity, depression, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infertility, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Furthermore, people with celiac disease should become aware of the possibility to treat and avoid its symptoms, which are over 200 in number, by changing their dietary habits, and following a healthier lifestyle.