Friday, October 14, 2011

Top 20 Things You Should Know About the Impact of Gluten





The Wall Street Journal/Health Journal study


I found another great blog today by Shirley from Gluten Free Easily. I really liked reading her blog. She seems to have a passion for educating and showing how easy Gluten free living can be. Here is one of her postings, top 20 things to know about Gluten from her friend Dr. Ron Hoggah.  


1. Gluten can be undermining your health without any symptoms. 
2. Gluten often underlies autoimmunity through inciting excessive zonulin production – 80% of the human population produces zonulin which develops into haptaglobin 2. 
3. Replacing gluten with other highly glycemic, highly processed “replacement” foods is not the path to optimal nutrition. 
4. Gluten can have a dramatic impact on psychological wellness and may be at the root of many cases of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. 
5. Gluten can interfere with children’s academic performance and school readiness. 
6. The stricter the GF diet, the greater the potential benefit. 
7. Gluten is highly addictive through the opioid peptides it contains and the excessive zonulin production it incites. Zonulin allows these opioids access to the bloodstream and the brain. 
8. Grains are highly glycemic and aren’t a healthy food for anyone. 
9. Gluten-induced illness can take many forms, including more than 200 diseases, syndromes, and conditions. 
10 Gluten can contribute to the onset and development of a variety of cancers. 
11. It is not a sacrifice to give up gluten. It is a gift to understand the need to give it up.
12. Osteoporosis can be reversed when it is caused by gluten. 
13. Neurological disease is often caused or exacerbated by gluten. 
14. Dementia, when driven by gluten, can be reversed with a gluten-free diet. 
15. Wheat germ agglutinin can bypass tight epithelial junctions even in the absence of gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. 
16. A variety of human tissues are damaged just from direct exposure to gluten in a Petri dish. 
17. Our digestive tracts lack the length, enzymes, and other features that would signal human adaptation to eating grains. 
18. Skeletal remains of people who adopted grain agriculture show that they are shorter in stature and have abnormal bone structures suggesting nutrient deficiencies. 
19. Depression is the most common symptom of celiac disease. 
20. Avoiding gluten just makes good sense for anyone who isn’t starving. 
21. A brief trial of a gluten-free diet can’t hurt, and the harder it is to follow the diet, the more likely you need to avoid gluten.

–Zonulin is a protein that participates in tight junctions between cells of the wall of the digestive tract. Initially discovered in 2000 as the target of zonula occludens toxin, secreted by cholera pathogen Vibrio cholerae, it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease and diabetes mellitus type 1. (Wikipedia)
–”Haptoglobin is a molecule that has been known to scientists for many years. It was identified as a marker of inflammation in the body. Haptoglobin 1 is the original form of the haptoglobin molecule, and scientists believe it evolved 800 million years ago. Haptoglobin 2 is a permutation found only in humans.” Science Daily Sept 7, 2009. Dr. Alessio Fasano has stated that only about 80% of humans have haptoglobin 2. The other 20% are therefore safe from developing autoimmune diseases, just as other primates are.

–An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids. The analgesic effects of opioids are due to decreased perception of pain and decreased reaction to pain, as well as increased pain tolerance. The side effects of opioids include sedation, respiratory depression, and
constipation. Opioids can cause cough suppression, which can be both an indication for opioid administration or an unintended side effect. Physical dependence can develop with ongoing administration of opioids, leading to a withdrawal syndrome with abrupt discontinuation. Opioids can produce a feeling of euphoria, and this effect, coupled with physical dependence, can lead to recreational use of opioids by many individuals.
Although the term opiate is often used as a synonym for opioid, the term is more properly limited to the natural alkaloids found in the resin of the opium poppy and, more loosely, the semi-synthetic opioids derived from them. (Wikipedia)
–Agglutinin is “a substance that will cause a clumping of particles such as bacteria or erythrocytes. Of major importance are the specific or immune agglutinins, which are antibodies that will agglutinate bacteria containing the corresponding antigens on their surfaces.” (Sci-Tech Encyclopedia)

–Epithelial – In biology and medicine, an epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body. (wikipedia) The epithelial cells that line the intestines form a single layer that acts as a barrier between the gut and the bloodstream. The barrier function of the tight junctions between these cells is critical to our protection from the “outside” world, from which we selectively absorb valuable nutrients while blocking the absorption of larger molecules that can be very harmful.
Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

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