Friends, few weeks back I had written about what is Gluten free diet, and today in continuation of that topic I am writing about Gluten allergy.
There are many types of food allergies and intolerance that people are aware of, and Gluten allergy is one such allergy. In fact, the term Gluten allergy is not commonly uses medical term. The other terms that are generally used in relation to this allergy or confused with are wheat allergy, Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) and Celiac allergy.
Wheat allergy is body’s immune system’s response to the proteins present in wheat, and this is not limited to Gluten alone, which happens to be one of the proteins present in wheat This allergy is generally seen in children below 12 years, and most of them outgrow this allergy. These children may not be allergic to Barley or Rye and even, at times, oats, which also has gluten.
Now what is Celiac disease- When the body, abnormally responds to gluten present in wheat, rye and barley, it is termed as Celiac disease, and this is classifies as autoimmune disorder. If you have this disorder then what ever gluten you consume will result in destruction of Villi present in small intestine. The Villi are small tissues which are projections, they are like fingers and help increase in intestinal surface area that helps in the absorption of nutrients. If Villi are destroyed or become unhealthy, it results in malnutrition. This condition can result in serious intestinal damage, which can become irreversible. This disease can occur at any age, and its general symptoms are- Constipation, Stomach pain, Nausea or Vomiting, stool with foul smell, blood in the stool, Persistent hunger, Bleeding of nose, Chronic Diarrhea, Abdominal gas and bloating and Skin rashes. Some adults may also have symptoms like headaches, fatigue, joint pain, osteoporosis, anemia, tingling sensation in hands and feet, missed periods in women. In case of NCGs, most of the symptoms are similar, an additional symptom of mental fatigue may also be seen
This condition can adversely impact the growth of children, as they need a proper, healthy, and balanced diet and the nutrients for proper growth. Therefore undetected Celiac disease can lead to delayed puberty, lesser height, weight loss, mood irritability and damage of tooth enamel. An important point to be noted is that Celiac disease usually runs in the family, and hence if there is family history then symptoms should not be avoided.
Depending upon the family history and symptoms, doctor will advice for certain blood tests to determine this allergy, sometimes diagnosis involve keeping track of what is person eating. If in the end Celiac or NCGs is confirmed, then treatment will involve Gluten free diet. Actually , there is no cure for Celiac disease or Gluten insensitivity. However, the doctor may prescribe Vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for malnutrition.
For a diet, it is better to avoid all food items containing wheat. Barley, rye, oats, bran and even beer or any other grain based alcohol. There are many processed foods like canned stuff, soups, sauces, ice creams which contain gluten, even few cosmetic products contain gluten. Many time people suffering from Celiac disease may also have lactose intolerance. Hence this should also be investigated. If found positive, then all the lactose products also should be avoided.
Few years back no one would have heard about Gluten allergy or intolerance, Celiac disease or NCGS. But with the times, people are getting aware of all these so that their health can be maintained in proper way.
Friends, I hope this information will be quite useful to you all.
Awaiting comments/views/feed backs.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
3rd Mar 2020.