Posted on 08/31/2015 1:44:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Norwegian scientists have discovered the cause of coeliac disease, the auto-immune disorder which causes gluten intolerance in about one in a hundred people
Professor Ludvig Sollid and his team at the University of Oslo have discovered that coeliac sufferers have one of two defective human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) which cause the immune system to see gluten molecules as dangerous, triggering an immune response which causes severe inflammation and other symptoms.
“When a person who has coeliac disease eats gluten, the immune system reacts to gluten as if it were a virus or a bacterium,” Sollid told Norway’s NRK. “It attacks the gluten, and part of this attack causes the immune system attacks the body itself.”
HLAs are proteins which act as markers, binding to fragments of other proteins, and so telling white blood cells called T-cells how to treat them. The defective HLAs bind to fragments of gluten, fooling the T-cells into thinking they are bacteria or viruses.
“We think that this is huge,” Sollid said. “We understand the immune cells that are activated and why they are activated.”
Sollid carried out the research In collaboration with colleagues at the Centre for Immune Regulation at University of Oslo.
Coeliac disease can be a severe disorder, causing debilitating pain, chronic constipation and diarrhoea, stunted growth in children, anaemia and fatigue,
It was first described and named by Aretaeus of Cappadocia, a Greek physician practicing in the 1st century, but it wasn’t until the 1940s that it was linked to wheat consumption, and until 1952 that it was specifically linked to gluten.
Cool.
INteresting
Excellent news. Identifying the cause is a key step toward finding a treatment or cure.
Yes, but what are all the folks trying to make a buck off the gluten-free fad going to do if this gets cured?
I mean, really, you need a big label on my orange juice declaring it to be gluten free?
Do you really need a label declaring your orange juice Kosher?
I agree, gluten-free is a fad and a swindle in most cases. Celiac disease is a major exception to the basic human ability to digest bread products.
Only if you are an observant Jew.
Well, yes. An examination by the authorities could find contaminants.
I can eat a little wheat once in a while but no more toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner, those days are gone.
Some rice pasta is surprisingly close to tasting like the wheat kind... especially camoflaged in alfredo :)
Yes I have discovered lots of ways to use rice!
This is laughable. Lack of stomach acid causes the absorption of undigested proteins through the “leaky gut” that has lost its tight junctions. Your immune system has been evolving for about 600 million years of multicellular evolution to identify undigested proteins as foreign pathogens and then ATTACK them.
...gluten intolerance in about one in a hundred people....
***
I question that gluten intolerance is that widespread, but I don’t know for sure. But, considering how sloppy the writing is, I doubt the author was very careful with research.
There’s also Tapioca.... whatever that is :)
Seriously, what exactly is it? Jacque Pepin was making some the other day and I always had to move it out of the way in the pantry growing up. He was working with instant pearls, he was razzing his daughter about it..
Thanks for Laughing at my problem and diagnosing it for me, now why don’t you tell me how to treat it?
You were just the last poster. We can discuss this in public or privately. Betaine HCl can be taken with every meal with protein and fat. The HCl will reduce the protein down to amino acid substrates which will not be attacked by your immune system. The HCl will tighten the loose junctions and normalize the gut flora. Become really fond of whey protein smoothies, wheat grass juice extract and inositol. Supplement with GABA and D3 to reduce the autoimmune excesses.
Drink green tea or coffee with every meat meal.
Not really, but I would appreciate a warning label on anything Halal, especially meats. I try to follow the scriptures warning against eating anything that has been sacrificed to other gods.
That is very cool but celiac and gluten sensitivity isn’t always triggered in everyone by all wheat.
Check this out, that I read the other day.
http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/celiac-gluten-and-trypsin-inhibitor.html
This may explain why ancient wheats like Einkorn don’t bother me (I am not celiac but I can’t digest enriched American wheat). They are harder to cook with though so I’d like to experiment with some organic unenriched fresh wheat as well.
I’m sure there is some genetic quirk that causes people to have this trouble, especially celiac. But some people with celiac can digest wheat fine in Italy, for example. There needs more explaining. Nevertheless, this finding is great work.
In addition, new FDA labeling rules provide standards and a safe harbor for manufacturers to label products as gluten free. In a bow to the interests of manufacturers though, gluten free need not be completely gluten free but can have minor traces.
For especially impaired celiacs like me, even minor traces of gluten causes problems, so a gluten free marking is less an assurance than an invitation to careful scrutiny of the detailed list of ingredients.
Don’t bread your lutefisk.
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