Charles Poliquin has written 12 reason why it should be eliminated if you're sensitive to gluten.
"Gluten is a protein found in most grains eaten in America and all over Europe. For most people gluten intake will come from wheat products, but as well from barley, triticale, rye, oats, spelt. Oats are supposed by nature to be gluten free, however, they get cross-contaminated by being carried in trucks that also carry wheat. You should also know that American strands of wheat have the highest content of gluten in the World.
Gluten has been isolated as a risk factor is so many diseases, that is almost impossible to count them all. At the time of writing this blog, the functional medicine circle has isolated at least 55 diseases linked to it.
I have to pick 12 main reasons to eliminate gluten from your diet:
1. Gluten inflames the brain. The auto-immune response to ingesting inflames the brain. It deposits a type of plaque that interferes with proper communication between cells. Gluten is so bad for brain function that I know of at least one Formula One stable who bans their pilots from eating it.
2. The glutamate content in gluten kills brain cells. Glutamate is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites brain cells, which either damages or kills them. Its docking station in the brain is called the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor). Excessive excitation of this receptor is linked to many psychiatric disorders.
3. Gluten has been linked to autism. EVERY single client who came in for a consult to help their autistic child, have seen that the removal of gluten that the most influential factor to heal their child. They can also see how reintroducing gluten by accident, such as birthday cake consumption at a friend’s place immediately flares up all behavioral changes associated with autism.
4. Gluten is associated to osteo-arthritis. Removal of gluten from the diet, immediately attenuates pain levels.
5. Gluten can induce depression. The inflammatory responses associated with gluten consumption can induce depressive symptoms. No amount of meditation or talk therapy will get you off depression if you are gluten sensitive. Fixing your biology is crucial before undergoing any psychotherapy.
6. Gluten will ramp down your thyroid. Food intolerance to gluten has been shown negatively affect thyroid function.
7. Avoid developing celiac disease. In order to develop celiac disease, you need three things 1) genetic predisposition 2) an environmental trigger such as surgery, excessive stress, or a virus 3) a diet that contains gluten. If you avoid gluten, you cannot develop celiac disease.
8. Gluten aggravates menopausal symptoms. All functional medicine practitioners will agree that removing gluten from the diet lowers dramatically the frequency and severity of the symptoms traditionally associated with menopause such as night sweats, hot flashes, headaches, mood swings, and fatigue.
9. Gluten is associated with accelerated aging. For example, dermatologist Nicholas Perricone M.D., points that the inflammation associated with wheat leads to faster wrinkling processes, and avoidance of wheat leads to faster skin regeneration.
10. Gluten exacerbates auto-immune diseases symptoms. Multiple studies have shown that removal of gluten from the diet lowers all symptoms commonly seen with auto-immune diseases.
11. Gluten weakens tooth enamel and leads to cavities. Consumption of gluten has been linked to more frequent tooth decay and loss of tooth enamel.
12. Gluten negatively affects body composition. When one stops eating gluten, BioSignature practitioners see immediate drops in subscapular, mid-axillary, umbilical, and supra-illiac sites. That is because gluten raises insulin dramatically and since it is also a strong allergen raises cortisol. The combination of raising both hormones leads to central obesity." - Charles Poliquin
