celiac disease v. wheat allergy v. gluten intolerance
June 16, 2009
The Gluten Free Lab consists of three women living fabulous lives. One has celiac disease. One is allergic to wheat. One eats wheat unabashedly but admittedly grows lethargic and bloated after eating a bowl of straight pasta. We totally get that not everybody can handle wheat. We also get that there are some subtle nuances of how our bodies are affected by wheat & thought that might be a good topic to share.
There are three basic divisions in the body’s intolerance of wheat & gluten. Most severe is celiac disease. This is a permanent intolerance of the gluten protein that, when gluten is ingested, causes the body to attack itself. Imagine this: You swallow a bite of pizza (here comes the gluten!). As the proteins in the pizza are broken down and the gluten is absorbed into the intestines, the gluten protein does damage to your intestinal wall. The damage caused by the gluten then allows it into your bloodstream where those same gluten proteins are attacked as foreign agents. This leads to further damage of the intestinal villi (the little hairs in your intestines that help you absorb nutrients) and, all of a sudden, the body is at a disadvantage and has a hard time absorbing necessary nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and calories. Before our very own HP was diagnosed with celiac disease, she was put on a strict diet of Saltine crackers and Cream of Wheat while doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Ironic that those very “mild” foods were the very thing causing her to starve to death. It was the overload of gluten proteins that prevented her body from absorbing any nutritional value from her food.
Not as severe as celiac disease is a wheat allergy. In a wheat allergy, the body has a reaction to the consumption of gluten, ranging from skin & mouth rashes, to inflamed lungs sometimes resulting in wheezing, inflamed lips, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Somehow, a wheat allergy affects a different branch of the immune system, NOT the same branch as celiac disease.
Last is the milder case – but no less serious! – of gluten intolerance, which has nothing to do with the immune system. Rather, the body has a difficult time digesting gluten proteins and causes symptoms such as bloating, gas, abdominal pain and/or diarrhea. These symptoms generally pass as the food does. Gluten intolerance is akin to lactose intolerance, or the body’s difficulty in processing dairy.
Why does it even matter from which of these afflictions you suffer? Wheat is wheat, and you’re not supposed to eat it, right? Well, sort of. It really matters most for those who have celiac disease, because those folks are in danger of other health problems since the ingestion of gluten may cause them to develop some nutritional deficiencies. Common health issues include thyroid disease, type I diabetes, joint disease, liver disease, anemia and osteoporosis. Yikes! But never fear. Eat well. Eat healthy. You’re not missing a single thing.
Filed under: the science of it
