Gluten Intolerance Explanation

Need to know the facts about gluten intolerance and how to live a life free from gluten? Gluten intolerance is also referred to by other names such as non tropical sprue, gluten intolerant enteropathy or coeliac/celiac disease among many other names.

In very simple terms, gluten intolerance involves a situation in which one is extremely sensitive to the protein gluten which is likely to be found in cereals such as wheat, barley and rye. These proteins cause damage to the villi which are responsible for the absorption of water and other nutrients like calcium, folic acid, iron and vitamins. Once the villi are destroyed, the result is that there is poor absorption of nutrients by the body.

However, gluten intolerance should never be confused with allergy to food because it is basically a disease that is inherited. It occurs in people with genetic predisposition which basically means that these people have a history of gluten intolerance in their families. This could be triggered by shock, viral infections or even prolonged stress levels.

Once one develops gluten intolerance, gluten is wrongly identified by the immune system of the body as being harmful. This results in inflammation hence damaging the small intestines. As a matter of fact, this is contrary to what happens if one is allergic to food in which case one may experience symptoms like itching as well as rashes.

Gluten intolerance can begin at any time in the life of an individual. It may occur immediately the cereals are ingested or it may be delayed and occur in later life. Gluten intolerance therefore affects both children and adults although adolescents may outgrow it until a later stage in adulthood when the condition reappears. However, despite this, the truth of the matter is that there are quite a number of people that continue to live with this condition without their knowledge.

It is important to note that gluten intolerance is a serious disease with life threatening consequences if it is not diagnosed. For this reason, it is important for people to be tested for gluten intolerance because only then will they be in a position to manage it. Indeed, if for some reason you suspect that you have the disease due to encountering gluten intolerance symptoms, then it is important that you seek medical attention from a professional doctor. Such a doctor will be able to diagnose whether you have the disease or not.

Also, it is it is possible for the small intestines to be damaged if someone with gluten intolerance consumes gluten even in very small amounts. This means that different people will react differently to gluten consumption and each case should thus be treated as unique. You should never assume that any two people with gluten intolerance will react the same way to gluten consumption.

In addition, not all proteins that glutens consist of are responsible for celiac disease. Some of these proteins just irritate the small intestines and once this happens, the walls of the small intestines are hindered from producing digestive enzymes necessary for breaking down food. This basically means that such food cannot be absorbed into the body and therefore ends up being useless to the body’s functioning.

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