Gluten And Gut Health Effects: Is Gluten Bad For Gut Health

How gluten and gut health are related has been a trending topic for many years, which is not surprising with the rise in cases of gut inflammation and irritable bowel diseases.

Many industrialised crop breeding systems have bred for responsiveness to commercial fertilizers or pesticides for a maximum yield. This is perhaps without considering the result on the consumer end, with higher yielding crops not having higher nutrient contents in many cases. This sort of industrialized breeding has led to many staple food crops being elevated in gluten.

Gluten is a protein, or a group of proteins made by plants. Naturally gluten is used by plants as a storage protein. While plant protein is encouraged as a supporting and essential part of our diet, many who are into wellness are asking whether gluten is bad for gut health because of its links with gut inflammation. This is because of its indigestibility and potential to cause autoimmune responses.

Here the links between gluten and gut health will be summarised and briefly answering the question as to why gluten is bad for gut health.

Gluten And The Gut

We’ve introduced gluten as a protein or group of larger plant proteins, with gluten levels rising in modern food crops due to breeding. Some plants that have higher growth responses to modern industrialised breeding techniques just seem to have higher gluten counts too. The main protein in gluten responsible for responses is thought to be gliadin, which is not readily digested by our body.

As gluten is a protein, not made by the body, it can cause an immune system response in the body. When gluten passes into the gastrointestinal tract or gut it can cause an immune system response in some people. This can then be called a gluten intolerance if the response is at a certain level. One method to detect a sensitivity to gluten is an elevated antibody count.

Some people consider gluten to be an anti-nutritional compound. These are plant molecules that are produced to stop animals eating them. Some anti-nutritional compounds, such as tannins, that you find in rich teas or wines contain tannins. Tannins bind to protein and can stop them being absorbed. This is why your tongue and teeth may turn black or deep red if you are a wine drinker.

Is Gluten Bad For Gut Health

Gluten and gut health are very much related through nutrient absorption, with many studies showing that gluten prevents optimal nutrient intake. Generally anti-nutritional compounds are plant produced molecules that prevent optimal nutrient absorption. This is a classic defence response. Interestingly, gluten could be considered as an anti-nutritional compound because of this response it may have on nutrient absorption within the gut.

How Gluten Changes Our Gut

How gluten does this is through an inflammatory disruption and breakdown in intestinal cells that digest or absorb nutrients within our gut. When gluten is digested, products are released that disrupt the intestinal villi. These are really important for the digestion and absorption of nutrients from our food. Systemic disruption in nutrient intake can lead to gradual deficiencies in various essential nutrients, antioxidants, key minerals and vitamins.

This is one reason why individuals who are gluten intolerant are susceptible to other diseases, especially diseases from nutrient deficiencies. Sufferers of gluten intolerance can be deficient in essential nutrients such as vitamin B12 which can lead to symptoms such as fatigue. In many cases, when individuals begin a gluten free diet, deficiencies in this key vitamin seem to disappear. However, some have to supplement to restore normal levels in the body.

Just a minor irritation and inflammation of the lining of the intestines can lead to IBS symptoms. Studies have shown that gluten digestion products can actually enter specific intestinal cells and initiate an autoimmune and additional inflammation response.

This is also how gut diseases like Celiac and Crohn’s disease develop, where less nutrients are then available from your diet. It has been estimated that around 30% of the global population is of genetic risk for Celiac disease.

Gluten And Gut Microbes

In terms of whether gluten is bad for gut health, gluten containing diets have been shown to negatively influence our gut microbiota and vice versa. This means that pathogenic gut microbes can assist gluten intolerance and worsen inflammatory responses too. Pathogens in the gut disrupt intestinal membranes and trigger their own immune responses in the gut. This is why the gluten and gut microbes connect in regards to gut health. It is another main consequence of gluten for our gut health and overall wellbeing.

Alternatively, healthy gut bacteria such as Bifidobacteria can reverse gluten-induced increased gut permeability. They do this through activating anti-inflammatory responses in the gut. Patients with Celiac disease seem to have a reduced abundance of healthy gut bacteria, with gluten thought to contribute to the instability of gut bacteria.

Symptoms Of Gluten Intolerance

Clearly some individuals are far more susceptible to gluten intolerance than others. Whether everyone is slightly affected by gluten when eating gluten containing foods is very much a possibility.

Recently, it has been estimated that there has been a near 8% rise in gluten sensitivity worldwide. Many of these individuals have to then go gluten free. Options like sourdough bread offer an alternative to traditional breads with higher gluten levels. Gluten sensitivity sufferers also have to improve levels of antioxidants, identify gut friendly foods and reduce overall systemic inflammation to aid their disease symptoms.

Symptoms of a gluten sensitivity are extensive and in severe cases there are very apparent. They may include diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain and headaches. An onset of gluten sensitivity symptoms does appear very rapidly and many symptoms are shared with IBS sufferers.

Summary

Gluten and gut health are very much related. This is why gluten and gluten free foods have been a trending topic for many years, considering the rise in cases of gut inflammation and irritable bowel diseases.

Gluten is a plant protein. It is found in high amounts in some modern industrial crops because of the way they have been bred. Crops high in gluten have been selected for yield responsiveness to commercial fertilizers or pesticides. This is perhaps not considering end product effects on consumers. Whether gluten affects all consumers of gluten containing crops is something that is certainly possible.

Researchers have linked gluten and gut health because of its effects on systemic gut health. If you want to know why gluten is bad for gut health, you just have to look at the effects it can have on villi health.

Our gut villi are responsible for nutrient absorption, including trace minerals and vitamins. Chronic inflammation to the gut villi can lead to nutrient deficiencies, such as those seen in Celiac or Crohn’s disease. These are perhaps the main reasons why gluten is bad for gut health and our overall wellbeing. This has also led to gluten being considered for categorisation as an anti-nutrient.

Severe reasons to gluten can lead to autoimmune responses and symptoms including diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain or headaches. People who are very gluten sensitive then also have to go gluten free to manage their health.

In short, gluten intolerance can vary between people or circumstances with gluten most likely negatively influencing the gut health and wellbeing of most people eating gluten rich crops.

For more interesting articles, see the main articles page.