Gluten : A Gut Feeling

Dr. Joseph Michael Mercola looks at the stickiness surrounding gluten and details how food processing in general contributes to poor health.

- Dr. Joseph Michael Mercola

In recent years, the benefits of a gluten-free diet have become widely recognized, its popularity fueled by celebrity endorsements and an increasing number of books.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein made up of glutenin and gliadin molecules, which in the presence of water form an elastic bond. Gluten is most commonly found in wheat, rye and barley.

Gluten can also be found in countless processed foods without being labeled as such. For example, gluten can hide under a variety of labels, including the following:

1. Malts

2. Starches

3. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)

4.Texturized vegetable protein (TVP)

5. Natural flavoring

Celiac.com has a long list of label ingredients that typically contain hidden gluten.

How Gluten may Damage Your Health

The word "gluten" comes from the Latin word for glue, and its adhesive properties hold bread and cake together. Bread makers may also add extra gluten in order to create a more spongy texture.

But those same “binding” properties also interfere with the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, including the nutrients from other foods in the same meal. The result can be likened to a glued-together constipating lump in your gut, which can impede proper digestion.

The undigested gluten then triggers your immune system to attack the lining of your small intestine, which can cause symptoms like diarrhea or constipation, nausea and abdominal pain.

Over time, your small intestine becomes increasingly damaged and inflamed. This in turn can lead to malabsorption of nutrients and nutrient deficiencies, anemia, osteoporosis and other health problems.