Other Health Conditions May Also Be Triggered By Gluten

For the past several years, researchers at the San Antonio Hospital in Tolmezzo, Italy and at the Hospital of Sciacca in Agrigento, Italy have been investigating the possibility that gluten may be the cause of "not-quite-celiac" disease and gluten sensitivity disorders elsewhere in the body.

The researchers at the San Antonio Hospital have found that only about 10% of cases of celiac disease can be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms alone.

The research team at the Hospital of Sciacca theorized that what is typically labeled irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be, at least in some cases, a "milder" form of celiac disease. (If you have IBS, however, chances are that "milder" is not a term you would use to describe your symptoms.) Like celiac disease, IBS can cause severe diarrhea, but it can also cause constipation and flatulence. Like celiac disease, IBS can cause severe pain, but it the pain doesn't occur all the time. And like celiac disease, IBS can can be associated with malnutrition, but not as frequently.

The second research team identified 276 patients who had been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome but who had antibodies to the gliadin from the gluten in wheat. The scientists were able to identify a second kind of immune stimulation, involving a kind of white blood cell known as an eosinophil rather than the T cell associated with celiac disease. While these patients had a "milder" form of gluten sensitivity, the changes in the lining of the gut in their condition more closely resembled changes caused by a devastating gastrointestinal malady known as Crohn's disease, rather than celiac disease.

What about gluten as a cause of eczema?

Doctors have known for a long time that gluten sensitivity can cause an especially devastating skin condition known as dermatitis hepatiformis. This skin problem is enough to make life miserable all on its own, but it also comes with increased risk of intestinal lymphoma, thyroid disease, and skin infections.

 Your doctor is not likely to tell you to try to follow a gluten-free diet if you have eczema and hives, because the truly wheat-free diet needed for controlling celiac disease is very difficult to follow. But in the case of milder symptoms, milder restrictions on gluten in the diet may be enough to get results.

And what about mood swings?

It's been known for a long time that the gliadin in wheat interacts with some of the same receptor sites in the brain that react to endorphins. The mu-opioids in gliadin make wheat a "comfort food." This has an advantage to the plant, of course. If eating wheat makes someone inclined to curl up in an easy chair, then less wheat gets eaten. Gluten is wheat's self-defense mechanism against farmers.

It may make a difference, or it may not, but it is possible that all you need to get out of mild depression is a relatively simple change in diet.

Just don't spend a fortune getting gluten out of your diet. You don't need to buy special gluten-free foods. You just need to eat less bread, pasta, and baked goods. Try cutting down on wheat and see if there's a difference.