We are sure that you have heard of Celiac Disease and you might even know a few people who are bothered by the same! However, if you are still confused as to what we are talking about, then don’t worry because that is all we are going to talk about today!
The number of people who suffer from gluten allergy has been on the rise constantly and sometimes it can also prove to have some serious consequences! But you also have to know that it is not necessary for you to have celiac disease to suffer from some adverse effects of gluten! So to let all of you know how gluten can prove to be harmful to you, we have here a whole list that you can go through!
- Celiac Disease:
Did you know that gluten is essentially a protein found in a number of grains like wheat, rye, and barley? And gluten, in turn, consists of two other proteins, namely glutenin, and gliadin, and it is usually this gliadin that affects people and causes them to react negatively to the gluten.
Celiac Disease is essentially an auto-immune disease that affects people and it is usually hereditary. In people with Celiac Disease, when gluten is ingested, it causes the immune system of the person to mount an attack on the gluten, thinking it to be some sort of bacteria. This in turn also results in the immune system attacking the intestinal walls as well! As a result of constant gluten consumption, anyone with gluten allergy could suffer from nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, anemia and increased risk of catching more serious diseases, owing to the fact that the intestinal walls face degeneration more quickly and rapidly!
- Gluten Sensitivity:
Gluten Sensitivity is not to be confused with Celiac Disease! Gluten Sensitivity, also known as gluten intolerance, is more common when compared to celiac disease and tends to affect a larger population than the latter. However, there are no hard and fast definitions set when it comes to describing what exactly gluten sensitivity is. What we can compare it to is when your body has an adverse reaction to gluten, but celiac disease is ruled out and you face improvement when on a gluten-free diet!
In this case, your body does not end up attacking its tissues, but since the symptoms can be quite similar, we can understand how it might be confusing for you. From bloating to stomach pain and pain in the joints, these are some of the most common symptoms of gluten intolerance! Seeing that there isn’t really a way to diagnose whether one has gluten intolerance or not, the best way for you to know is by cutting out gluten from your diet completely, and then reintroducing it to see if your symptoms come back!
- Brain Disorders and Gluten:
Till now we had been talking about how bad gluten is for your gut and digestive system, but did you know that gluten can also have severe effects on the brain? Scary, isn’t it? It has been found that a lot of neurological problems could be caused or aggravated by gluten consumption, and this type of gluten-sensitivity is called gluten-sensitive idiopathic neuropathy.
Cerebellar ataxia, a neurological disorder that causes problems in talking, balancing and even in movements, has been known to be partly caused by the consumption of gluten. Sometimes, with people who have cerebellar ataxia, continued consumption of gluten could cause irreversible damage, thus affecting motor skills permanently. Even brain disorders like Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, and Autism have been known to respond quite well to gluten-free diets. So the next time you are faced with a neurological issue, and your doctors cannot seem to find a clue as to what might be triggering them, try removing gluten from your diet and see if that helps!
