ARE YOU A GLUTTON FOR GLUTEN?

If so you may note symptoms of bloating, wind, diarrhoea, constipation, lethargy, brain fog or fatigue after eating wheat or gluten. However gluten sensitivity is often also found alongside mood disorders, automimmune diseases (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, chron’s, psoriasis, dermatitis, asthma and multiple sclerosis), headaches, dizziness, fibromyalgia and joint pain/inflammation.

Gluten is part of a protein found in malt, filler, wheat, barley, rye, thickeners, starch, sauces, couscous, beer (sob) and whisky (big sob).

For those with coeliac disease gluten triggers an immune response that damages the gut lining of the small intestine and resultantly results in malabsorption of fat, calcium, iron, folate and other nutrients which may eventually lead to weight loss, thinning hair, skin rashes, tiredness and of course skin inflammation.

Often diagnosis for coeliac disease can be ruled out with a negative blood test and bowel specimen, however it is increasingly recognised that people can still be susceptible to gluten sensitivity WITHOUT being positive for coeliac disease, in a condition commonly known as non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).

Some believe that symptoms related to NCGS may be the byproduct of FODMAP sensitivity in gluten-carrying foods, while the role of gluten-induced zonulin production (a protein that increases gut wall permeability) has also been implicated.

Although the mechanism by which NCGS causes symptoms akin to those of coeliac sufferers is still unclear, it may be worth a visit to the dietician or GP if you continue to be plagued by these symptoms alongside problematic skin.

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