Gluten is a protein with low nutritional value found mainly in cereals such as wheat, rye and barley. This protein has a potent toxicant that turns into a health threat . It is made up of two substances called gliadin and glutenin, which serve to facilitate the preparation of the bread we consume.
Cereals are staple foods for the population, but incorporating gluten can cause a number of inconveniences.
celiac disease
People intolerant to gluten have celiac disease and cannot consume any type of food with gluten, as it affects the intestine in a very negative way (the immune system reacts to gluten and destroys the intestinal villi that participate in the absorption of nutrients). This disease affects more women than men and is more common in white people.
There are several symptoms of celiac disease, including: constipation, diarrhea , abdominal pain and general malaise. On the other hand, this disease is accompanied by anemia and causes negative health effects.
To diagnose celiac disease, specific blood tests are performed, as well as a biopsy of the intestine to assess the possible damage caused to the intestinal villi.
Other health hazards that gluten poses
Celiac disease is not the only disorder caused by gluten. In fact, there are medical studies that point to several problems associated with this protein: Crohn’s disease, neurological and thyroid problems. On the other hand, some syndromes (such as Williams or Tuner) are also associated with a large amount of gluten in the body. Gluten can also cause changes in weight and is related to some types of diabetes.
eat gluten free
The diet without gluten is not followed only by celiac people as it is fashionable in some segments of the population, especially among those who want to lose weight or just want to improve your health. For this reason, many food industries manufacture gluten-free products. To make a gluten-free diet, it is necessary to eliminate any product that contains cereals as ingredients, as well as their derivatives (starches, semolina or flour).
For some nutrition experts , the gluten free diet is a key issue for overall health. Thus, we must not forget that 90% of celiacs are unaware that they suffer from this disease.
