Gluten intolerance: it's not just celiacs
by Frann Leach

Research in the field of gluten and its effects has increased a great deal since I first wrote my gluten free recipe book, Gluten Free-Easy.

At that time, the list of conditions that were related to gluten intolerance seemed almost mind boggling, but now there are many more disorders that should be added. It's incredible. In fact, the huge number of them almost makes me think that gluten is poison, not just for celiacs and those who are already aware of it, but for the whole human race.

I can't go that far, though. Maybe I'm in denial, but this conclusion just seems so ridiculous that it's sensationalist - and I just don't feel I'm ready to accept it, at least for now.

Research in general does tend to focus on celiac disease and its relationship to other conditions, as celiac is easy to diagnose. However, there are studies of, for example, autism which are purely concerned with the effect of excluding gluten (and in this case casein as well) from the diet.

I don't know if you've heard, but diabetes and celiac disease are now linked - the percentage of celiacs with diabetes and diabetics with celiac disease far exceeds the number in the general population (no study of non-celiac gluten intolerance vs. diabetes has been done, so far as I know). More recently, it seems that asthma is another disorder which is linked to celiac disease in the same way. Celiacs are at least four times more likely to have asthma than other people.

Michael J Fox is well known, and recently appeared on Oprah's show discussing his recent trip to Bhutan. He said it was strange that his Parkinson's disease symptoms were much better while he was there, and couldn't account for it. Wendy Cohan, a nurse who once lived in that country, was watching the program and realized that there could be a link with gluten - which is virtually unavailable in Bhutan. It's true that many people who are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are later rediagnosed with celiac disease "with secondary myoclonus", so this is not at all unlikely. Unfortunately, gluten ataxia, while a recognized condition, cannot be reversed by eliminating gluten, as it causes damage to the cerebellum which is permanent. Is Parkinson's disease wholly or partly caused by gluten intolerance?

These conditions are already recognized to be linked to celiac disease by conventional medicine: autoimmune thyroid disease, autoimmune liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, failure to thrive in children, Addison’s disease, dermatitis herpetiformis and Sjögren’s syndrome.

Other conditions apart from those already mentioned which have been found to respond well to a gluten free diet in many cases (not necessarily bringing about a complete cure) include acne, bone and joint pain, anemia, anxiety, autism and other asds, auto-immune conditions, back pain, behavioral problems in children, bipolar disorder, bursitis, cerebellar ataxia, constipation alternating with diarrhea, chronic fatigue syndrome (ME), colon cancer, cramps and muscle spasms, Crohn's disease, dehydration, depression, diarrhea, eczema, epilepsy, fatigue, fibromyalgia, gastro-esophagal reflux disease (GERD), gastro-intestinal distress, hyperthyroidism, impotence, infertility, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, jaundice, learning difficulties, liver disease, low bone density, low iron, lupus, malabsorption problems, malnutrition, memory loss, migraines, mineral deficiency, miscarriage, mood swings, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, neurological conditions, obesity, osteoporosis, overweight, psoriasis, psychological problems, regional enteritis, respiratory problems, schizophrenia, sinusitis, skin problems, sperm abnormalities, swollen ankles, ulcerative colitis, vasculitis and weight problems (eg. inability to gain weight).

This is a huge list. Enormous. It's almost ludicrous - it just reminds you of those quack nostrums that used to be peddled in the early part of the last century that were supposed to cure everything from baldness to infertility. They affect everything, from brain function and emotional wellbeing to mobility. And it's not something I've made up on the spur of the moment. These are conditions I have discovered in the course of a number of years research which are linked with gluten (and sometimes other proteins as well, such as casein).

It doesn't really affect me. I already know that I can't eat gluten. But how many people in the world are there who are being damaged by it, and have no idea?

There's a joke going the rounds that gluten free bread tastes so bad, gluten must be really tasty. The reason the bread tastes bad is that people who are stuck with it haven't stuck together and refused to buy such garbage. Why should manufacturers make a decent product, when they already have one that sells ok (even if it's vile)? If gluten really is responsible for so many of the health problems that afflict our lives, it may be time to give up easy, cheap and tasty products in favor of more difficult to find, expensive products - but make the effort to find the ones that are worth eating, or cook them for yourself.

If you'd like to see a video by a doctor about gluten and its effects, go here: Not just celiacs