What Makes Gluten So Bad? | Health Resources

With all the talk about going gluten free, it probably makes you wonder just what's so horrible about gluten. There is no simple answer to the question "why is gluten bad?" By itself, gluten is neither good nor evil. It is simply a naturally occurring complex protein found in all forms of wheat and certain other grains such as rye, barley and oats. (To be precise, true "gluten" is found only in wheat, while the other grains noted here contain proteins with that are very similar in their molecular composition).

For most people, foods containing gluten do not trigger any appreciable long-term health consequences. If you fall in this camp, you are not genetically predisposed to "fight" the presence of gluten in your system. On the other hand, if you are gluten sensitive, gluten intolerant or have clinically diagnosed Celiac disease, your body reacts to the presence of gluten much differently.

Why Is Gluten Bad For You?

If you have been diagnosed with Celiac disease or have any other gluten-related medical condition, consuming items that contain gluten can cause a multitude of serious and lasting health problems. The most common ailments associated with these conditions center around the digestive system and include intestinal ulcers and lesions, bloating, gas, diarrhea (or constipation) and abdominal pain. Other well-documented physical problems associated with gluten consumption include significant weight loss, chronic fatigue, iron-deficiency anemia, osteoporosis (thinning or brittle bones), migraine headaches and mood disorders such as depression and irritability.

How Does Gluten Trigger Such Serious Health Problems?

To better understand how gluten can trigger such serious health problems, it is important to understand that this process is an immune-related phenomena rather than a simple food allergy. Food allergies can be outgrown at any point over the course of your lifetime, but that is not the case with gluten-related disorders. For that reason, answering the question "why is gluten bad?" requires a closer look at the immune response in those affected by it.

Gluten is complex protein made up of a number of smaller components, including the simple protein, gliadin. Gliadin is often considered the toxic component of gluten because medical research suggests that it is the primary cause of intestinal damage and other physical problems associated with gluten consumption. If your body does not process gliadin normally and you consume a food or beverage containing gluten, your immune system will view gliadin as if it were an invading foreign body.

In response, your immune system will mount an aggressive attack by creating specific antibodies to fight against it. These antibodies then wage a war of sorts with the gliadin present in your body. The end result of this internal attack over an extended period of time is damage to your intestinal tract, brain or neurological system.

Avoiding Gluten Completely Can Help

Clearly, consuming gluten can lead to significant and lasting negative health implications if you are affected by it. On the plus side, avoiding gluten completely can eliminate many of these issues and lead to a greatly improved quality of life.

By Karon Thackston ? 2010, All Rights Reserved

By: Karon P. Thackston

Source: http://www.tedizkaproje.org/what-makes-gluten-so-bad/

minecraft skins lego pirates of the caribbean asdf dannii minogue les paul madhuri dixit achilles