Gluten in Autoimmune Disease

Gluten is the prominent protein found in wheat, and in lesser amounts in barley, rye, and spelt. It may be found in oats if they have been cross-contaminated from being grown alongside wheat, or through processing. Gluten provides the stretchy quality of dough and allows breads and baked goods to hold their shape. It can be used as an additive in other foods and has been found in various personal care products such as shampoos.

Why is gluten an issue all of a sudden?

The majority of wheat grown in North America is of the hard red variety- favoured for its gluten content, compared to the soft variety that is grown in Europe, which has a lesser gluten content. This is one of the reasons explaining why many people find gluten consumption in Europe easier to tolerate!

Between 2013 and 2017 a significant increase in wheat production in the US was noted, as well as an increase in the use of gluten as a food additive during that time, which seemed to coincide with an increase in autoimmune disease diagnoses.

Autoimmunity & Gluten: What’s the Connection?

Currently, the only autoimmune disease linked to gluten consumption is Celiac disease- which is managed by the complete elimination of gluten from the diet. No other autoimmune diseases are officially connected to gluten exposure, despite clinical evidence implicating gluten exposure in a number of non-Celiac autoimmune diseases. There are also strong correlations between being diagnosed with Celiac disease, and an increased risk of additional autoimmune disease diagnoses.

Then why are so many of us with autoimmunity told not to eat gluten?

Gluten has been implicated in the following processes:

Leaky gut syndrome (or increased intestinal permeability): inflammation in the gut causes increased permeability in the gut lining, reducing its integrity, which then allows all sorts of particles to pass through the barrier, many of which would not be permitted to pass if the gut lining was healthy and intact. Many of these particles cause inflammation on either side of the gut lining and can trigger the activation of the immune system.
Gut dysbiosis: imbalance between the harmful and helpful gut organisms found in the gut, tipping in favour of less helpful bacteria. Many of the foods that we eat will also serve as food to our gut microbiome, with certain foods favouring certain strains of bacteria in our gut, which also exerts and effect on the immune system, as well as the ability to detoxify.
Increased secretion of inflammatory signals in mice fed a gluten-containing diet, with this effect impacting various cells normally involved in immune regulation.

High, unmanaged levels of inflammation causing increased levels of cell and tissue damage can trigger autoimmune disease when the cellular debris becomes excessive and is mistakenly presented to the immune system. Additionally, toxic chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals can also contribute to the issue by causing further confusion to the immune cells themselves (“immunotoxicity”), causing direct cell damage and contributing further to inflammation, but more on this at a later time.

There is research showing the negative impact of gluten on digestive health, inflammation, autoimmune illnesses and mood, as well as many cases showing an improvement in symptoms, as well as a reduction in autoimmune markers with the total elimination of gluten (and also other inflammation-causing foods and food additives) from the diet and personal care products for anywhere from 30 + days.

A Final Word

If you have an issue with autoimmune disease, or have a close family relative (i.e. parent, sibling or grandparent) who has been diagnosed with autoimmune illness, you may benefit from speaking with a knowledgeable health care provider about the options available when it comes to your nutrition in supporting autoimmune disease or prevention! If you want to learn more about our approach to autoimmune disease, you can also check that out here.

If you have any other questions regarding autoimmunity and how Naturopathic Medicine can help, please feel free to reach out and book an appointment or a complementary meet-and-greet!