Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsGluten and InflammationTypes of Gluten IntoleranceSymptomsPreventionShould You Go Gluten-Free?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Gluten and Inflammation
Types of Gluten Intolerance
Symptoms
Prevention
Should You Go Gluten-Free?
Glutenis a naturally occurring protein found in some grains, such as wheat, barley, and rye. Many popular foods, including baked goods, cereals, and pizza, are commonly made with these grains. The digestive system can’t completely break down gluten, though that’s not a problem for most people.
But if you’re sensitive to gluten, your immune system overreacts in a big way. The result is inflammation, which can lead to serious side effects.
This article discusses what research says about the connection between gluten and inflammation. It also covers what you need to know about going gluten-free.
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Gluten is mostly made up of gliadin and glutenin proteins and is part of the prolamin superfamily of proteins. In people who are susceptible, these proteins trigger an inflammatory response from theimmune system.Some people have a genetic or environmental predisposition to have issues with gluten.
For example, the risk of having celiac disease (a gluten-related immune disorder) is higher if you carry certain variants of the HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1genes. They’re part of a family of genes called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex that help the immune system know the difference between foreign invaders and the body’s own proteins.
In people who are sensitive to gluten but don’t have celiac disease, it may be that gluten proteins, combined with other components of wheat, trigger an inflammatory immune response.
Several conditions are related to gluten. Symptoms are similar, but there are distinct differences among them.
Celiac Disease
Celiac diseaseis a serious autoimmune disorder that affects about 1% of the world’s population.In celiac disease, the body sees gluten as a foreign invader. It produces antibodies that, while attempting to attack gluten, end up attacking healthy tissue, especially in the small intestines. That makes it hard to absorb nutrients from food.
Symptoms can include:
In addition tomalnutrition, long-term complications may include:
There’s no cure for celiac disease. Since gluten is the trigger, people who have it should take care to avoidfoods that contain gluten.
Gluten Sensitivity
People withgluten sensitivityalso have a bad reaction to gluten. They might have some of the symptoms of celiac disease. However, gluten sensitivity doesn’t involve the high levels of antibodies and damage to the intestines seen in celiac disease.A sensitivity to gluten is not a true allergy.
Other names for gluten sensitivity are non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and gluten intolerance. People with gluten sensitivity should consider a gluten-free diet.
Many things can lead to similar abdominal symptoms, and it’s not always gluten. Poorly digested carbs that ferment in the gut (FODMAPS, short for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) can produce the same symptoms.So can somefood allergies.
Wheat Allergy
Awheat allergyis a type of food allergy in which your immune system overacts to wheat. This can cause symptoms such as hives, sneezing, or runny nose. You might also have gastrointestinal symptoms similar to gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. Less commonly, a wheat allergy can causeanaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction.
Many foods contain both gluten and wheat. Because the symptoms can overlap, it can be difficult to tell whether you’re reacting to gluten or wheat. However, anallergy testcan confirm whether you have a wheat allergy.
Dermatitis Herpetiformis
What Does Inflammation From Gluten Feel Like?
Not everyone experiences a reaction to gluten in the same way. If you have gluten sensitivity, you’ll probably feel symptoms soon after eating gluten. For those with celiac disease, it may take 48 to 72 hours for symptoms to start.
After you eat something with gluten, you may experience symptoms such as:
Some people reportbrain fog(feeling mentally drained) from gluten.
Over time, you might start to notice that you’re losing weight.Atypical signsof gluten intolerance are:
How to Prevent Inflammation From Gluten
The inflammatory response is the body’s way of fending off harmful pathogens. But an overblown inflammatory response and chronic inflammation are also harmful.
If gluten is the culprit, eliminating gluten from your diet can prevent the inflammatory response. This is especially crucial for people with celiac disease since inflammation damages the intestines and other healthy tissues.
If you have celiac disease, a strict, lifelonggluten-free dietis the main therapy. People with dermatitis herpetiformis or gluten sensitivity also benefit from avoiding gluten. But for some people with gluten sensitivity, the diet may not have to be as strict or lifelong.If you’re allergic to wheat, you should avoid it, but you can have other grains that contain gluten.
Eliminating gluten in these conditions may ease inflammation, which causes the symptoms and complications.
Gluten doesn’t provide essential nutrients.But it is found in many foods that are part of a healthy diet, and there’s no need for most people to avoid it. The potential downsides of a gluten-free diet include:
Summary
Gluten is a protein found in a variety of grains. The digestive system can’t completely break down gluten. For most people, that’s not a problem and there’s no benefit to a gluten-free diet.
If you have celiac disease, gluten causes severe inflammation and damage to the intestines. You must avoid gluten to control inflammation and the potential for serious complications.
If you have gluten sensitivity, you might have many of the same symptoms as someone with celiac disease but without the damage to the intestines. Avoiding gluten can help you avoid a bad reaction.
If you have a bad reaction after eating grains, it’s worth seeing a healthcare provider. Getting the right diagnosis can guide any dietary changes.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.What is gluten and what does it do?Philip A, White ND.Gluten, inflammation, and neurodegeneration.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022;16(1):32-35. doi:10.1177/15598276211049345Taraghikhah N, Ashtari S, Asri N, et al.An updated overview of spectrum of gluten-related disorders: clinical and diagnostic aspects.BMC Gastroenterology. 2020;20(1):258. doi:10.1186/s12876-020-01390-0MedlinePlus.Celiac disease.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for celiac disease.Utah State University.What is gluten?National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of celiac disease.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for celiac disease.Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Gluten: A benefit or harm to the body?American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Wheat.Yale Medicine.Dermatitis herpetiformis.University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.Celiac disease.Yelland GW.Gluten-induced cognitive impairment (“brain fog”) in coeliac disease.J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;32 Suppl 1:90-93. doi:10.1111/jgh.13706Cenni S, Sesenna V, Boiardi G, et al.The role of gluten in gastrointestinal disorders: a review.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1615. doi:10.3390/nu15071615Harvard Health Publishing.Ditch the gluten, improve your health?Michigan State University.Facts about gluten.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.What is gluten and what does it do?Philip A, White ND.Gluten, inflammation, and neurodegeneration.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022;16(1):32-35. doi:10.1177/15598276211049345Taraghikhah N, Ashtari S, Asri N, et al.An updated overview of spectrum of gluten-related disorders: clinical and diagnostic aspects.BMC Gastroenterology. 2020;20(1):258. doi:10.1186/s12876-020-01390-0MedlinePlus.Celiac disease.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for celiac disease.Utah State University.What is gluten?National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of celiac disease.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for celiac disease.Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Gluten: A benefit or harm to the body?American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Wheat.Yale Medicine.Dermatitis herpetiformis.University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.Celiac disease.Yelland GW.Gluten-induced cognitive impairment (“brain fog”) in coeliac disease.J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;32 Suppl 1:90-93. doi:10.1111/jgh.13706Cenni S, Sesenna V, Boiardi G, et al.The role of gluten in gastrointestinal disorders: a review.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1615. doi:10.3390/nu15071615Harvard Health Publishing.Ditch the gluten, improve your health?Michigan State University.Facts about gluten.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.What is gluten and what does it do?Philip A, White ND.Gluten, inflammation, and neurodegeneration.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022;16(1):32-35. doi:10.1177/15598276211049345Taraghikhah N, Ashtari S, Asri N, et al.An updated overview of spectrum of gluten-related disorders: clinical and diagnostic aspects.BMC Gastroenterology. 2020;20(1):258. doi:10.1186/s12876-020-01390-0MedlinePlus.Celiac disease.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for celiac disease.Utah State University.What is gluten?National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of celiac disease.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for celiac disease.Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Gluten: A benefit or harm to the body?American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Wheat.Yale Medicine.Dermatitis herpetiformis.University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.Celiac disease.Yelland GW.Gluten-induced cognitive impairment (“brain fog”) in coeliac disease.J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;32 Suppl 1:90-93. doi:10.1111/jgh.13706Cenni S, Sesenna V, Boiardi G, et al.The role of gluten in gastrointestinal disorders: a review.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1615. doi:10.3390/nu15071615Harvard Health Publishing.Ditch the gluten, improve your health?Michigan State University.Facts about gluten.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.What is gluten and what does it do?
Philip A, White ND.Gluten, inflammation, and neurodegeneration.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022;16(1):32-35. doi:10.1177/15598276211049345
Taraghikhah N, Ashtari S, Asri N, et al.An updated overview of spectrum of gluten-related disorders: clinical and diagnostic aspects.BMC Gastroenterology. 2020;20(1):258. doi:10.1186/s12876-020-01390-0
MedlinePlus.Celiac disease.
National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for celiac disease.
Utah State University.What is gluten?
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of celiac disease.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for celiac disease.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Gluten: A benefit or harm to the body?
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Wheat.
Yale Medicine.Dermatitis herpetiformis.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.Celiac disease.
Yelland GW.Gluten-induced cognitive impairment (“brain fog”) in coeliac disease.J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;32 Suppl 1:90-93. doi:10.1111/jgh.13706
Cenni S, Sesenna V, Boiardi G, et al.The role of gluten in gastrointestinal disorders: a review.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1615. doi:10.3390/nu15071615
Harvard Health Publishing.Ditch the gluten, improve your health?
Michigan State University.Facts about gluten.
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