6 Ways Gluten Plays into Food Sensitivity
We all know the type of food you eat plays a huge roll in how your body reacts. For a lot of healthy Americans, gluten is brutal on their stomachs. Below you’ll learn how gluten can affect you in different ways coming from different sources.
Gluten – Gluten directly impacts intestinal integrity through zonulin production. Zonulin is a protein that causes directly causes leaky gut.
Antibodies – Gluten contributes to antibody formation. Antibodies can cause the secretion of inflammatory chemicals leading to tissue damage. Additionally, through a process called molecular mimicry, antibodies can cross react with the tissues of the body causing autoimmune disease. Lab tests measuring these antibodies are typically not associated with gluten because most doctors are not trained adequately to identify the connection.
Medications – Many medications commonly contain gluten leading to a direct effect. However, many chronic health conditions caused by gluten sensitivity are misdiagnosed leading to medicine prescriptions that are not only unnecessary but can be detrimental to the gastrointestinal tract. Anti-acid medications are a common example. These medications predispose to infection and lead to abnormal bacteria presence in the gut. Over utilization of antibiotics to treat viral infection is another example.
Stress – Although not a physical stressor, gluten is a chemical stressor on the body. Chemical stress comes in many forms. One of them is vitamin and mineral deficiency. Loss of key nutrients causes a fundamental breakdown in the body’s ability to modulate the healing and repair process.
Bacteria – Gluten ingestion causes detrimental changes in intestinal flora (AKA gut dysbiosis)
Digestive chemicals – Gluten can damage the intestine, the pancreas, the liver, and the gallbladder. All of these organs play a pivotal role in the body’s ability to produce digestive chemicals and enzymes. When this mechanism is compromised, digestive processes start to break down and become ineffective.
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