There is some evidence that it’s possible to have celiac disease symptoms from inhaling airborne gluten, even though this is not a question that has been researched extensively. One medical report backs the idea that inhaling gluten, rather than eating a food that contains gluten, can be enough to triggerceliac disease symptoms.In addition, there’s ample anecdotal evidence that airborne gluten can cause symptoms, both for people with celiac and for those with non-celiacgluten sensitivity.
So while airborne gluten has not been proven to cause problems, if you haveceliac diseaseor non-celiac gluten sensitivity and continue to have symptoms despite following a gluten-free diet, it makes sense to look for possible airborne sources of gluten in your environment.
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One medical report, published in theNew England Journal of Medicinein 2007, involved two farmers diagnosed with a serious form of celiac disease that didn’t seem to be responding to the gluten-free diet (also known asrefractory celiac disease).
For reference, that’s about 1,500 times the amount ofgluten considered the upper limit of what’s OK to consumeon a daily basis for most people with celiac disease.
Both farmers suffered from ongoing symptoms, including cramps, bloating, fatigue, and diarrhea. One of the farmers—the one with the worst symptoms—had totalvillous atrophy(the intestinal damage that characterizes celiac disease), despite following a gluten-free diet. The other, who also followed a gluten-free diet, also showed intestinal damage, although it was less severe.
Once both farmers began wearing face masks, their symptoms cleared up. The farmer with the more severe intestinal damage saw improvement in his intestinal lining, and the other farmer had total resolution of the damage.
What Does This Mean for Celiacs?
Most of us aren’t farmers, nor are we exposed to that much gluten each day, either from gluten in “gluten-free” foods or from airborne gluten. However, it shows that airborne gluten can have an effect and cause symptoms.
For non-farmers, no medical studies currently show that airborne gluten can be a problem. However, anecdotal evidence suggests you canget “glutened”from airborne flour, either in a private kitchen or even near an active grocery-store bakery. You don’t have to be super-sensitive to trace gluten, either.
Even pet foodmightpose a potential problem, according to the clinicians who wrote the airborne gluten medical report. Many brands of dry pet food contain gluten, and when you pour it out, it’s possible to inhale some of it. Therefore, you may want to consider switching togluten-free pet food. In addition, some powdered household products, such as drywall compound, contain gluten, and working with these may cause a reaction.
How to Avoid Airborne Gluten
To avoid airborne gluten, you need to know where it occurs. Here are some suggestions, both from my own experience and from other celiac educators:
A Word From Verywell
Not everyone needs to take all these precautions; if you’re not particularly sensitive to gluten, you may be fine in most or all of these situations. But if you find you’re still having unexplained symptoms, even though you follow a gluten-free diet very strictly, you might want to check out your environment as well as your food.
3 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.Kasim S, Moriarty KJ, Liston R.Nonresponsive celiac disease due to inhaled gluten.N Engl J Med. 2007;356(24):2548-9. doi:10.1056/NEJMc063112National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.Cohen IS, Day AS, Shaoul R.Gluten in celiac disease-more or less?.Rambam Maimonides Med J. 2019;10(1):e0007. Published 2019 Jan 28. doi:10.5041/RMMJ.10360
3 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.Kasim S, Moriarty KJ, Liston R.Nonresponsive celiac disease due to inhaled gluten.N Engl J Med. 2007;356(24):2548-9. doi:10.1056/NEJMc063112National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.Cohen IS, Day AS, Shaoul R.Gluten in celiac disease-more or less?.Rambam Maimonides Med J. 2019;10(1):e0007. Published 2019 Jan 28. doi:10.5041/RMMJ.10360
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.
Kasim S, Moriarty KJ, Liston R.Nonresponsive celiac disease due to inhaled gluten.N Engl J Med. 2007;356(24):2548-9. doi:10.1056/NEJMc063112National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.Cohen IS, Day AS, Shaoul R.Gluten in celiac disease-more or less?.Rambam Maimonides Med J. 2019;10(1):e0007. Published 2019 Jan 28. doi:10.5041/RMMJ.10360
Kasim S, Moriarty KJ, Liston R.Nonresponsive celiac disease due to inhaled gluten.N Engl J Med. 2007;356(24):2548-9. doi:10.1056/NEJMc063112
National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.
Cohen IS, Day AS, Shaoul R.Gluten in celiac disease-more or less?.Rambam Maimonides Med J. 2019;10(1):e0007. Published 2019 Jan 28. doi:10.5041/RMMJ.10360
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