Do you think that normal people should have a gluten-free diet? What’s the real deal with gluten? Actually, the label “gluten-free” has been adopted by many baked food producers in western countries because it is a good marketing idea just as the label “organic”. The reason for producing gluten-free food is due to the health risks that gluten consumption poses on a certain percentage of the human population. This article will delve into the events that lead to the “gluten-free” label.
In Asian countries like Sri Lanka, the staple food over many generations had been rice. However, consumption of bakery products such as bread, buns, cake, sandwiches are on the rise, merely because of the busy lifestyle of consumers. This is mostly the case in urban areas where it is normal for both the parents of a family to be employed. The main ingredient of baked foods is wheat. One of the main differences in terms of nutritional content between rice and wheat is the presence of gluten in wheat. This is an important difference because the reaction of the human digestive system to gluten can be different from an individual to individual.
Gluten is naturally present in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. Gluten is the general term given to wheat proteins, especially to the two proteins glutenin and gliadin. It is the gluten proteins that provide the elastic nature to bread and other types of baked products. It is also the reason for the difficulty of preparing baked products from gluten-free grains. Actually, the name ‘gluten’ is derived from the glue-like property of wet wheat dough.
As mentioned before, people react differently to gluten. Some people are “gluten-sensitive” and experience symptoms such as swelling, gastric discomfort, bloating, constipation and other mild or severe symptoms from consuming food containing gluten. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system treats gluten as a foreign invader and attacks gluten in the gut along with the lining of the small intestine. Symptoms of celiac disease can vary and range from digestive discomfort to skin rashes. Long term effects such as anemia, nerve system disorders, cancer and infertility can occur as well. There are other diseases that occur due to gluten consumption such as wheat allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Celiac disease can be identified by blood tests for antibodies or biopsy of the small intestine. However, other symptoms and diseases due to gluten intolerance are difficult to detect. Therefore, western doctors advise the patients to observe for any differences in the body when consuming a gluten free diet and then observe for any changes that occur after gluten is reintroduced into the diet. From such methods, a person can deduce whether certain symptoms such as joint pain and inflammation are actually the results of gluten consumption or not.
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Many people in countries like America have already converted to “gluten-free” diets where they consume grains that do not contain gluten such as rice, oats, quinoa, millet and sorghum. Even though whole wheat grains are a good source of nutrients and vitamins, the risk posed by gluten outweighs all positive advantages of consuming gluten-rich grains, especially for gluten intolerant people. However, it does not mean that gluten is unhealthy. For people who are not sensitive to gluten, grains such as wheat are a good source of daily nutrition. People who consume vegan diets often use gluten as a source of protein. Therefore, the general claim that gluten is bad for health is not always correct. However, it is essential to be precautious when shifting to a totally different food source.
References:
A Study on Sectoral Difference of Buying Behaviour of Consumers towards Bakery Foods with Special Reference to Balangoda Divisional Secretariat Division. Kanthe et al, 2014.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318606#gluten-intolerance
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/gluten/
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http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/03/whats-deal-gluten/
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