Grain-Related Brain Drain

gluten sensitivity

Ever feel exhausted, drugged, or unable to think half an hour after eating a sandwich for lunch? If so, you might be suffering from the effects of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity on the brain.

Here’s what we’ll uncover today. Wanna go straight to the point? Just click on it and it will take you the relevant section in this article

What is Gluten?

‘Gluten’ refers to a mixture of proteins found in grains. The gluten in certain grains is highly toxic to sensitive people. Culprits include all forms of ancient and modern wheat, barley, rye and triticale, and anything made from these grains. Oats – technically free from toxic gluten – are usually contaminated with it unless labelled ‘gluten free’. Oat protein causes problems for some people, too.

Coeliac disease is a well-known manifestation of gluten intolerance. It involves extensive atrophy of the intestinal villi that absorb nutrients from food, leading, potentially, to serious health problems. Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity can occur with or without the presence of coeliac disease. The test for coeliac disease cannot pick up non-coeliac gluten sensitivity because different gluten proteins are responsible, so highly gluten-sensitive people can be given the all-clear if their coeliac test is negative. Awareness of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity is only beginning to grow.

Non-Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity

In ‘Why Isn’t My Brain Working?’, a chapter of Gluten Sensitivity and Beyond, Dr Datis Kharrazian writes: ‘We define a gluten sensitivity as an exaggerated immune response to gluten that lead[s] to inflammation throughout the body and potentially to an autoimmune reaction, in which the immune system attacks and destroys body or brain tissue.’ Gluten sensitivity may be less famous than coeliac disease but it is no less devastating.

Common body parts affected include the liver, skin, joints, thyroid, muscles and brain. Untreated, inflammation and damage can accrue over time. According to gluten sensitivity expert Dr Tom O’Bryan, for each person with coeliac disease, six or more suffer from gluten sensitivity.

How Does Gluten Sensitivity Develop?

When we eat protein, our digestive system breaks it down into single (or tiny clumps of) amino acids for efficient absorption. It can’t, however, break toxic gluten into small enough clumps. Instead, we are left with large clumps of partially digested gluten. Ideally, these chunks would be swept from the body. But if the gut is leaky, they enter the bloodstream, provoking an inflammatory response from the immune system to the burly invader. That response leads to myriad unpleasant effects.

If you’d like to learn more about proteins in general, then visit our comprehensive explainer on what is protein and how it works here.

Gluten Sensitivity On The Rise…

The wave of celebrity gluten-free diets hides a serious core: gluten sensitivity is on the rise. This might be due, in part, to the highly reactive nature of modern wheat gluten. Once you become gluten-sensitive, though, all toxic gluten can ring the alarm, whether it be from a dodgy bread roll or the finest organic rye.

Grain Brain

The brain is particularly vulnerable to gluten sensitivity. At any one time it contains a quarter of the body’s blood supply, so it is frequently exposed to toxins. According to Dr Tom O’Bryan, the brain can cope with occasional attacks but if we eat gluten daily and our brains are gluten-sensitive, they become chronically inflamed. Accumulated inflammation damages brain tissue. A range of conditions and symptoms can result, including brain fog, brain fatigue, headaches, migraine, anxiety, depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia, epilepsy, peripheral neuropathy, gluten ataxia, bad balance in the elderly, cerebral vasculitis and brain stem issues. As many of these conditions have other causes, too, testing for gluten sensitivity and/or adopting a strict gluten-free diet helps determine whether gluten is a culprit. Dr O’Bryan also notes that three-quarters of gluten-sensitive people have restricted blood flow to the brain, clouding thinking. Tracking blood flow in autistic kids has also shown that children with social phobia lack blood flow to one part of the brain, while kids with repetitive behaviours lack blood flow to a different area.

Auto-immune Issues

Unfortunately, gluten proteins resemble some human tissue proteins. If the immune system is trigger-happy to gluten, it can attack lookalike proteins, too. The immune police say, ‘Okaaay, this molecule looks kinda like gluten. We’d better zap it to be on the safe side.’ One of those human proteins is the blood-brain barrier. This ‘lookalike’ error lies at the heart of autoimmune disease, where the body attacks itself. Thus gluten sensitivity can contribute or lead to autoimmune problems.

‘Oh, it’s got me addicted…’

As if that ain’t enough, gluten can be addictive. When it is partially broken down, clumps of amino acids called gluteomorphines enter the bloodstream and bind to opiate receptors in the brain. Like morphine, these stimulate opiate receptors to produce endorphins, our feel-good hormones. Without these hormones, we become anxious and depressed. If it happens regularly, our opiate receptors become down-regulated, producing fewer endorphins on their own and relying on gluteomorphines for stimulation. If gluteomorphines are no longer available, however, our down-regulated state causes depression and anxiety, so we search for a croissant or a slice of bread to kick-start our feel-good inner opiates again. This is one reason why kids on the autism spectrum often crave gluten-containing foods. After some time on a gluten-free diet, the body starts generating endorphins again (assuming no other substance is playing the same trick!). This results in a brighter outlook, better sleep and more energy.

Going Gluten-Free

Not ‘almost gluten-free’

Dr O’Bryan is fond of saying that just as you can’t be ‘a little pregnant’, you can’t go ‘almost’ gluten-free. One-eighth of a thumbnail of gluten in an otherwise gluten-free diet can provoke a severe immune reaction. The consequences can last for months, as one unfortunate nun discovered when the crumb of gluten in her otherwise saintly diet turned out to be the Heavenly Host. Luckily, her bishop responded by insisting that the body of Christ go gluten-free too.

The Coeliac Society of Ireland can help free you from gluten’s thrall. See their Gluten-Free Living webpage for comprehensive information. They also have a new hotline (see below).

Cross-reactivity

Some foods cross-react with gluten. Just as the immune system can mistake human proteins for gluten molecules, it sometimes mistakes other foods for gluten. See here for a list of potential cross-reactors and lots of general information about avoiding gluten, especially hidden sources.

Repairing The Gut

Leaky guts also need repairing to complete the healing. Bovine colostrum, vitamin D and other supplements can help heal a body ravaged by gluten sensitivity but it’s important to work with an experienced practitioner, if at all possible (see below). You will also find beneficial to read about collagen and how collagen supplementation can support gut health.

Feeling Better

Some people feel better after a few days on a gluten-free diet. If, after three weeks, you feel no benefit, it would be worth looking into cross-reactive foods; ensuring your diet is completely gluten-free; and making sure there are no sneaky non-food sources of gluten in your life (e.g. shampoos and conditioners often contain ‘wheat protein’, aka gluten!).

The immune system is not fooled by half-measures, or even near-total compliance. The Hopsack helpers will be happy to advise you on gluten-free products, edible and non-edible.

(Let’s lighten up the mood a bit. Check out our Gluten free apple and cinnamon crumble here! Its delicious!)

Testing for Gluten Sensitivity and Certified Gluten Practitioners

Over 19,000 articles in the medical literature suggest that 3-6 out of 10 people who visit a doctor for any reason – when they’re checked properly! – have elevated antibodies to one of the proteins of gluten. Cyrex Laboratories in the United States offer comprehensive testing for gluten sensitivity. Although these tests are as yet unavailable outside the US, you could talk to a Certified Gluten Practitioner to see if he/she could help you. The closest practitioners are in London (ensure drop-down country menu is set to UK).

The ‘Gluten-Free Test’

Going completely gluten-free is another way to suss out gluten sensitivity, based on how you feel. Again, be aware of cross reactive foods and non-food items that contain wheat protein. The Coeliac Society of Ireland is a good place to start for information and support. Although most elimination diets reintroduce the offending food to confirm its criminality, Dr O’Bryan advises against reintroducing gluten because even a crumb can trigger long-term havoc in vulnerable people.

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