Three Specific Causes of Celiac Disease Found
Celiac disease is a condition affecting the intestines, generally consisting of an inflammatory response to the protein called gluten in wheat, rye, or barley. Often misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome, the disease is mostly managed through diet- namely, avoiding gluten, as you might expect.
For a good fifty-plus years, we’ve known about the link between gluten and celiac disease, but recently, some researchers have pinpointed the actual specific components of gluten that trigger the inflammation behind all of the nasty symptoms of celiac disease. What that means is, the entire molecule of gluten isn’t what causes the allergic-type reaction, but some little pieces of it.
Out of thousands of peptides, or little itty bitty fragments of gluten protein, less than one hundred are involved in producing the celiac response, and really only three of those do most of the damage.
Why is this important? Well, now that those three specific pieces have been identified, it’s theoretically possible to create a therapy around those peptides. Think of it almost like immunization, but with these little pieces of gluten. You expose someone to tiny amounts of these three peptides, with the hope that the body will get used to them and no longer create a hyperactive response when gluten is consumed.
Of course, the simple way to deal with celiac is still simply avoiding gluten, and since a healthy, whole foods diet doesn’t contain any of that stuff, you don’t have to wait for Science to get around to creating this fancy approach to dealing with celiac disease. Don’t forget, refining grains like wheat, rye, and barley can create all kinds of other problems for you, including diabetes and obesity.
It may not be easy to get off of the grains (especially the refined ones), but really, it’s the best path overall for your health, whether you have celiac disease or not. All the same, anything that can help relieve the suffering of this condition is certainly a welcome addition to the healthcare toolkit.
Would you rather be immunized for gluten, and run the risk of diabetes, obesity, and other health problems once you start eating bread and cake and pasta again, or would you rather train yourself to stay off of grains altogether? Let me know in the comment section below!