Sunday Emmanuel

@sundayemmanuel · 18 Nov 2021

Follow Following

what is gluten

Gluten-free diets have dominated even among people without celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. The popularity may lead you to wonder if gluten is edible for you. But what is gluten, anyway?

Gluten is an array of proteins in wheat. It’s used like adhesive to help food and other products maintain their shape. It can cause irritative or unpleasant reactions in some people, with symptoms and complications.

The chemistry of gluten
proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye are the main sources of gluten. Oats and corn have different proteins, but because they come into contact with other cereals during harvests, they can be infected. When wheat flour ( with gluten proteins) is mixed with water, it becomes gluten. The proteins become flexible, moist, and nimble. This makes it suitable for doughs and batters.

What does gluten do to your body

●    The automatic immune response to gluten is known as gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. Celiac can damage the small intestine. Some people who are not gluten sensitive feel sick after consuming gluten-containing foods. They may experience headaches, diarrhea, bloating, and skin irritation. This is not just gluten work, it could be a reaction to poorly digested carbohydrates. There is a carb called fodmap which ferments in the gut. People with sensitive guts may suffer discomfort from that fermentation, not certainly from gluten.
●    Enzymes help human beings to break down food molecules. Protease is the enzyme that helps our body process proteins, but it can't break down gluten completely. Undigested gluten maneuver to the small intestine. Most people can deal with the undigested gluten with no problems. But in some people, gluten can provoke a severe autoimmune response or other symptoms.
●    Studies suggest that some people could have small intestines that don’t work appropriately. The lining might be too absorptive, allowing some undigested gluten, bacteria, or other substances to go through the lining and into the bloodstream, resulting in inflammation.

People who should avoid gluten
●    Wheat allergy: an allergy to wheat but not to all grains or to gluten itself.
●    Celiac disease:  an autoimmune condition that damages the small intestine in people who consume gluten.
●    Gluten ataxia:  A neurological autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack part of the brain in response to gluten.