Can Gluten Transfer Through Kissing? What Celiac Patients Need To Know

* Gluten transfer through kissing is rare and generally minimal, with only 2 out of 20 kisses in the study resulting in gluten levels above the 20 ppm safety threshold for celiac patients.

* Drinking a small glass of water before kissing significantly reduces gluten transfer, often bringing it down to levels considered safe for people with celiac disease.

* This is the first scientific study to measure gluten exposure through kissing, offering much-needed reassurance to celiac patients and reducing unnecessary precautions in romantic settings.

NEW YORK — A simple kiss can be a source of anxiety for couples where one partner has celiac disease. What if their partner just ate a slice of pizza or a sandwich? Could that romantic moment actually trigger a painful reaction?

A new study from Columbia University has finally put this worry to rest. Researchers found that people with celiac disease can safely kiss their partners, even right after they’ve eaten gluten-filled foods, without risking harmful exposure to the protein that damages their intestines.

The findings, presented at Digestive Disease Week 2025 in San Diego, offer relief to people with celiac disease, an autoimmune condition that requires strict avoidance of gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye.

“We decided to do the study as many of our patients who have celiac asked if it was safe to kiss someone who had eaten gluten,” lead author Dr. Anne Lee from Columbia University tells StudyFinds. “We also found that many of our patients would avoid having a meal on a date, and were hesitant to kiss someone. So we thought we needed to test to see if gluten was transferred in saliva.”

People with celiac disease have to avoid consuming gluten. (© Africa Studio – stock.adobe.com) Before this study, doctors had no scientific evidence to guide their recommendations. Many advised celiac patients to wait hours after their partners ate gluten before kissing, or suggested their partners brush their teeth and rinse with mouthwash first. These precautions, while well-intentioned, often created unnecessary stress and barriers to intimacy.

The research team recruited 10 couples for their research. Each couple included one partner with celiac disease and one without. The researchers wanted to measure exactly how much gluten could transfer from one person’s mouth to another during kissing.

In each session, the partner without celiac disease ate 10 saltine crackers containing 590 milligrams of gluten. Then came the moment of truth: the couples kissed for 10 seconds with open mouths.

Researchers tested two different scenarios. In one, couples waited five minutes after the gluten-eating partner finished the crackers before kissing. In the other, the gluten-eating partner drank 4 ounces of water immediately before the kiss without any waiting period.

After each kiss, scientists collected saliva samples from the partners with celiac disease and tested them for gluten content using specialized laboratory equipment. They also had participants use at-home urine tests to check whether any gluten was actually absorbed into their systems.

Results showed that while some gluten could indeed be detected in the saliva of celiac partners after kissing, the amounts were minimal in most cases. Out of 20 kissing exposures across all the couples, only two resulted in gluten levels above 20 parts per million in the celiac partner’s saliva, the threshold considered safe for gluten-free products.

Drinking water before kissing proved to be a simple and effective safeguard. When the gluten-eating partner had a glass of water first, gluten transfer dropped to levels considered safe by food safety standards.

Only one participant showed evidence of actually absorbing gluten into their system, detected through a urine test. Even in this case, the person experienced no symptoms in the hours following the kiss.

Celiac disease affects about 1% of the population, causing serious intestinal damage when people consume even tiny amounts of gluten. Unlike a food allergy that might cause immediate, dramatic symptoms, celiac disease often causes more subtle, ongoing damage to the small intestine, leading to problems absorbing nutrients from food.

For many patients, the constant vigilance required to avoid gluten contamination can be exhausting and socially isolating. Simple activities like sharing meals or attending parties become sources of stress rather than joy.

“Everyone worries about whether gluten is getting into their food at a restaurant, but no one really looked at what happens when you kiss afterwards,” says Dr. Lee, in a statement. “The advice we gave about kissing and celiac disease was based on precaution and assumptions. We were using our best judgment. I felt it was important to do research to see if there was any actual risk.”

These findings could also benefit people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, who experience symptoms like bloating, fatigue, or brain fog after gluten exposure but don’t have the same intestinal damage as those with celiac disease.

If you are concerned after your partner just ate something with gluten, have them drink a glass of water before you kiss. This basic step appears to wash away enough gluten particles to bring the transfer down to safe levels.

“We have already been asked to study beer intake and kissing,” Dr. Lee tells StudyFinds. “And it would be good to look at a meal and the amount of gluten.”

These future studies could provide even more comprehensive guidance for couples navigating celiac disease, testing scenarios that might be more common in everyday life than eating saltine crackers.

This doesn’t mean celiac patients should throw caution to the wind. Maintaining a strict gluten-free diet remains essential for their health. But they do mean that a spontaneous kiss won’t derail that careful dietary management, especially with the simple precaution of drinking water first.

For too long, couples dealing with celiac disease have had to navigate intimacy with unnecessary caution, turning romantic moments into medical calculations. But couples don’t need to wait long periods between gluten consumption and kissing, as was sometimes recommended by healthcare providers lacking concrete data. Even waiting just five minutes showed minimal gluten transfer in most cases. Couples can finally relax and focus on romance instead of gluten levels.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study with 10 couples where one partner had celiac disease and one did not. The non-celiac partner consumed 10 saltine crackers containing 590 mg of gluten in six different testing sessions. In four sessions, only saliva samples were collected at various time intervals (5, 15, and 30 minutes after eating, plus immediately after drinking water). In two additional sessions, couples engaged in open-mouth kissing for 10 seconds involving tongue and saliva transfer — once after waiting 5 minutes and once immediately after the non-celiac partner drank 4 ounces of water. Saliva samples from celiac partners were tested using R5 ELISA methodology to measure gluten content. Participants also used at-home urine tests to check for gluten absorption.

Gluten was detectable in all saliva samples from non-celiac partners after consuming crackers. However, in the celiac partners after kissing, gluten levels ranged from less than 5 parts per million to 153.9 ppm, with only 2 out of 20 exposures (10%) showing levels above the 20 ppm threshold considered safe for gluten-free products. Only one urine test came back positive for gluten absorption, corresponding to the highest saliva concentration of 153.9 ppm. No celiac participants reported symptoms in the 6-12 hours following kissing exposure. Drinking water before kissing appeared to reduce gluten transfer to safe levels in all cases.

The study involved only 10 couples, making it a relatively small sample size. Research tested only one type of gluten source (saltine crackers) and specific kissing protocols, so results may not apply to all foods or kissing behaviors. The study period was short-term and didn’t examine long-term effects of repeated low-level gluten exposure through kissing. Additionally, the study only measured immediate gluten transfer and absorption, not potential delayed reactions.

The paper abstract does not include specific information about funding sources or researcher conflicts of interest. The study was presented at Digestive Disease Week 2025, a major gastroenterology conference.

This research was presented at Digestive Disease Week 2025 in San Diego, California, on May 5, 2025. The lead author is Anne Lee, PhD, assistant professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University. The study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, as this data comes from a conference presentation.

From BRAVE AI:

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Gluten is a protein complex found in certain grains, including wheat, barley, rye, and triticale.

Function:

Gluten provides structure and elasticity to foods made from these grains, such as bread, pasta, and cereal. It acts as a binding agent, holding the food together.

Health Implications:

Some people have an autoimmune disorder called celiac disease that causes damage to the small intestine when they consume gluten. Others may experience gluten intolerance, which can lead to symptoms such as bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

Sources:

Gluten is primarily found in:

Wheat and wheat products (e.g., bread, pasta, pizza)

Barley and barley products (e.g., beer, malt)

Rye and rye products (e.g., bread, crackers)

Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)

Avoiding Gluten:

People with celiac disease or gluten intolerance need to avoid gluten. This can be done by:

Reading food labels carefully and choosing products labeled as "gluten-free"

Avoiding foods that contain wheat, barley, rye, or triticale

Checking for cross-contamination in processed foods and at restaurants

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Gluten-free flours are flours that do not contain gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Many flours are naturally gluten-free, including almond flour, buckwheat flour, rice flour, sorghum flour, coconut flour, and oat flour. Here's a more detailed look at some common gluten-free flours: Common Gluten-Free Flours:

Almond Flour: . Made from finely ground almonds, it's a popular choice for gluten-free baking.

Buckwheat Flour: . Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat and is naturally gluten-free.

Rice Flour: . Made from grinding rice grains, it's available in white and brown varieties.

Sorghum Flour: . A fine flour made from the sorghum grain, a good alternative for gluten-free baking.

Coconut Flour: . A great choice for grain-free and nut-free baking, it absorbs more liquid than other flours, according to Cooking Up A Storm Culinary Experiences.

Oat Flour: . Made from ground oats, it's important to ensure the oats are certified gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination.

Tapioca Flour: . Extracted from the cassava root, it's a gluten-free starch that can be used in various baked goods.

Chickpea Flour: . A nutrient-rich gluten-free flour, also known as garbanzo flour or gram flour.

Brown Rice Flour: . Made from finely milled brown rice, it retains the nutrients of brown rice.

Teff Flour: . A nutrient-rich flour made from the teff grain, it has a mild, nutty flavor.

Amaranth Flour: . A mild, earthy flour that's naturally gluten-free, often used in blends with other flours.

Cassava Flour: . Made from the entire cassava root, it's another gluten-free flour option.

Millet Flour: . A good source of fiber, protein, and minerals, it's naturally gluten-free.

Corn Flour (or Cornstarch): . While commonly used for thickening sauces and puddings, corn flour can also be used in baking, especially in gluten-free recipes.

Potato Starch: . A refined starch made from potatoes, it can be used for thickening and in baked goods.

Old Fashioned Gluten Free Cornbread | the original best recipe

By Nicole Hunn

on Jan 22, 2021, Updated Sep 11, 2024

This easy gluten free cornbread recipe will give you the perfect balance of delicious sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth crumbly softness. It’s the perfect side for nearly any meal, from soup to BBQ, and it’s naturally gluten free if you use all cornmeal and no other flours.

Need your cornbread to be dairy free? Egg free? I can help with these too! Want to take your GF cornbread to go? Use my tasty recipe to make gluten free cornbread muffins that you can enjoy on the run.

What makes this recipe for gluten free cornbread special?

This recipe was one of the earliest gluten free recipes I shared on the blog, and it’s become a staple in so many readers’ homes. The recipe has always been simple, and still remarkably adaptable.

Many of you have written to me of the years, telling me that you made it with granulated sugar instead of honey, milk instead of buttermilk or yogurt, shortening or coconut oil (or even vegetable oil!) instead of butter. The recipe has turned out every single time.

It bakes very quickly, especially if you’re making it in a cast iron pan, since that conducts heat very well. The sides and bottom of the cornbread also brown very nicely in the oven.

Is cornbread gluten free?

Corn itself does not have gluten in it, so it’s naturally gluten free. Cornmeal is made by simply grinding yellow corn into a coarse or fine grind.

For complete information on which grains and other ingredients are naturally gluten free, please check out my Ultimate Guide to the Basic Rules of a Gluten Free Diet. It’s a great way to begin a gluten free lifestyle on the right foot.

By this logic, making cornbread gluten free requires no extra thought, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. You first have to be careful about the cornmeal you buy to ensure that it isn’t contaminated with gluten-containing grains during manufacturing.

Bob’s Red Mill brand has a certified gluten free cornmeal variety, so if you buy that brand be sure to pick up the right package. Most cornbread is made from cornmeal and wheat flour, so it’s not actually gluten free.

The only flour in my original “old fashioned cornbread” recipe is coarsely ground yellow cornmeal. There’s no wheat flour, so it’s naturally gluten free.

What’s the best pan for making gluten free cornbread?

Cast iron skillet. Cake pan. Muffin tin.

These are all possibilities for making GF cornbread, but which is the best? I’ve made this easy gluten free cornbread recipe in nearly every container imaginable.

My favorite way by far is my cast iron skillet — I love my pan, and I find myself using it nearly every day. And as with many things, it does a superb job with this gluten free cornbread. I’m talking quick cook time, crunchy edges, and lovely color.

But if you don’t have a cast iron pan, you have plenty of options. A round 9-inch cake pan works well too. The only difference I notice between my cast iron pan and cake pan is that bread doesn’t get as crunchy around the edges when I use the cake pan. If you’re not a fan of too much crunch, try a cake pan instead!

Believe it or not, I hadn’t tried this gluten free cornbread recipe in a standard 12-cup muffin tin — until recently. And no surprise, they turned out beautifully.

Making gluten free cornmeal muffins

To use this same recipe to make muffins, I lined the wells of the tin with greaseproof paper liners so the muffins didn’t stick, and distributed the batter evenly among the wells. In my muffin tin, the wells were nearly full of batter.

This isn’t a high-rising cornbread, so I wasn’t concerned that the gluten free corn muffins would overflow the pan. I made the variation with half coarsely ground yellow cornmeal and half corn flour, as discussed below.

The muffins rose evenly, and they baked perfectly at 350°F in 18 minutes. I was considering adding another egg, since the batter is looser than an ideal muffin batter, but I wanted to see if it worked as written. And it did!

Gluten free cornbread: all cornmeal recipe

This recipe has long been a staple of this blog for so many reasons, not the least of which are because it’s so incredibly simple—and strikingly adaptable.

The original gluten free cornbread recipe calls for 2 cups of coarsely ground yellow cornmeal as the only flour—without any added starches or more finely ground flours.

I call it “coarsely ground yellow cornmeal,” but that’s a bit redundant since cornmeal is simply corn that’s been dried and coarsely ground. All cornmeal is, by definition, coarsely ground.

Made this way, as the recipe was originally written, this classic cornbread recipe is moist and tender, but has a fair amount of “bite” from the cornmeal. The honey helps keep the cornbread tender and helps offset any bitterness from the cornmeal.

None of these variations contain cornstarch, which is a flavorless powder made from only the starch in the endosperm of the corn grain. You could probably replace a bit of the cornmeal with cornstarch and get a more tender cornbread, but I prefer the other variations listed in this recipe.

Gluten free cornbread: the cornmeal and corn flour recipe

Cornmeal is coarsely ground corn, and corn flour is finely ground corn. You can buy corn flour, but I generally take my coarsely ground yellow cornmeal and simply grind it again in a blender until it’s lighter.

I consider this variety, made with half coarsely ground yellow cornmeal and half corn flour, to be the best gluten free cornbread of all.

Replacing half of the coarsely ground cornmeal in this recipe with more finely ground corn flour makes for a less crumbly, more cohesive cornbread. It also has a smoother mouth feel, and tends to stay fresh another day longer when stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly.

Since I’ve started experimenting with changing up the flours in this recipe, this variation has become my favorite. I do sometimes buy corn flour if I’m placing an order for other things from nuts.com (where I buy gluten free corn flour), but more often grind my own.

Old fashioned gluten free cornbread corn flour variation, slice on plate with forkful.

U.K. terminology

To confuse things a bit, I’m afraid that these terms are used differently in the U.K.

In the UK, “corn flour” is actually what we call cornstarch in the U.S. (the starch only).

What you need to look for to make this gluten free cornbread is”coarsely ground cornmeal” (what we simply call “cornmeal” in the U.S.) and “finely ground cornmeal” (what we refer to as “corn flour”). You may also see the latter labeled as “maize flour” or “finely ground polenta”.

Gluten free cornbread: the cornmeal and all purpose gluten free flour blend recipe

I learned that this recipe could be made with half all purpose gluten free flour (I’ve only used Better Batter, but I’m sure any of my recommended blends would work) when I ran out of cornmeal after I had already prepared all the ingredients to make cornbread.

Since it was only for my family, and my husband will eat anything, especially if it’s warm when I serve it, I decided to try it with half all purpose gluten free flour. The recipe worked (although it took about another 5 minutes to bake fully)!

The all purpose gluten free flour version makes for a cornbread that has a much smaller crumb, and a lighter crumb color overall (although the top is just as yellow). The crust itself is also less crispy.

As you’d expect, it has little bite and is much less chewy than the other two versions. I would not recommend making the cornbread with a combination of all purpose gluten free flour and corn flour, though, as it would not have the right texture.

You’ll also notice that this gluten free cornbread tends to dome more in the center during baking. That’s likely because the combination of flours leads to less even baking, but of course, it doesn’t affect the flavor or texture any further.

How to serve gluten free cornbread

There are so many yummy ways to serve gluten free cornbread, whether you’re serving the bread as an accompaniment to a meal or enjoying it on its own.

One of my favorite ways to snack on cornbread is to grab it when it’s still hot from the oven and quickly top it with a bit of dairy-free butter. So decadent!

But when I’m craving a bit of sweetness, I drizzle my gluten free cornmeal muffins with extra honey. For a sweet and tangy twist, spread a little strawberry or raspberry jelly instead.

On those days when I need something extra sweet to end my day —hear me out — I warm my cornbread in the microwave for just a few seconds and then drop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

When I’m serving my gluten free cornbread alongside soup, stew, gluten free chili, BBQ, and other meals, I generally offer my family and guests butter and honey, but I find they rarely use them. Instead, they top the cornbread with their meal or use it to soak up the last bits on their plate.

Using gluten free cornbread to make stuffing

If you couldn’t already tell, I absolutely love this cornbread, both for its yummy taste and for how versatile it is.

When I need to make stuffing, I often turn to this recipe for a base, and make gluten free cornbread stuffing. It’s a great alternative to classic gluten free stuffing, and is often easier to make.

After baking a pan of gluten free cornbread, I let it dry out for a couple of days. Then, I chop it up and add rosemary, thyme, sage, vegetable broth, and a few more ingredients.

Seriously, give it a try at Thanksgiving or the next time you’re making chicken or turkey.

Storing gluten free cornbread

I’ll be honest, my gluten free cornbread doesn’t tend to last long around my house. But when I’m really craving it, I’ll make a couple of batches so I can enjoy it throughout the week.

Thankfully, storing this delicious GF cornbread is super easy — just wait until it has cooled completely, and then store it in an air-tight container. I have a plastic container that fits a whole batch beautifully, but zip-top storage bags work great in a pinch too.

If you’ll eat your cornbread within two or three days, leaving it outside at room temperature is fine. Any longer than that, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator.

Is this GF cornbread recipe suitable for freezing?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze this gluten free cornbread (or corn muffins, if you go that route).

I’ve found that if you make this recipe with at least some all purpose gluten free flour, your baked goods will stay fresh for a bit longer and freeze a bit better.

If you make a naturally gluten free variety of the cornbread, without any rice-based flour blend, you should eat it soon after baking, or quickly freeze it for later use. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost briefly in the microwave, as even a warm oven will dry out the cornbread.

While you can freeze many non-gluten free cornbread batter recipes, I wouldn’t recommend it with mine. It may taste largely the same in the end, but it won’t rise as much so it will be quite dense.

Gluten free cornbread ingredients and substitutions

This is such a simple recipe, which often makes substitutions more difficult, but somehow this gluten free cornbread recipe is magic ✨ and can take all sorts of modifications (dairy free, egg free, etc) in stride.

Some following suggestions are from personal experience with this recipe, others are just well-educated guesses.

How to make gluten free dairy-free cornbread

I have successfully transformed this into a gluten free, dairy-free cornbread recipe by using Earth Balance buttery sticks in place of unsalted butter (just reduce the salt by half) and dairy-free plain yogurt in place of yogurt.

You can also try a mix of half plain dairy-free yogurt and half unsweetened almond milk as a buttermilk replacement. That’s your best bet.

How to make gluten free egg free cornbread

As always, whenever there is one egg in a recipe, I recommend trying it with one “chia egg” in its place (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).

I haven’t tried this egg-free, though, so you’ll have to experiment, but I feel pretty confident that you’ll get good results.

Gluten free cornbread — without corn?

Well, this is a super tough one, to make gluten free cornbread without, well, corn. The only reason I think this might be even remotely possible is because I’ve seen some Paleo recipes floating around the Internet that use ground millet in place of cornmeal to make a corn-free “cornbread.”

Perhaps the all purpose gluten free flour variation, which contains only 1 cup of coarsely ground cornmeal, can be made with ground millet in place of the cornmeal.

But note that replacing the cornmeal entirely is a big risk, so only try it if you’re feeling adventuresome

Old Fashioned Gluten Free Cornbread | the original best recipe

Prep Time: 10minutes mins

Cook Time: 20minutes mins

Total Time: 30minutes mins

Yield: 8 slices

This easy gluten free cornbread recipe can be made naturally gluten free with all cornmeal and no other flours. Use it to
make muffins, too!

Ingredients

▢2 cups (264 g) coarsely ground yellow cornmeal, (See Recipe Notes)
▢2 teaspoons baking powder
▢1 teaspoon baking soda
▢1 teaspoon kosher salt
▢1 ½ cups (340 g) plain yogurt, at room temperature (can substitute an equal amount of buttermilk or half sour cream/half whole milk)
▢4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
▢1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
▢4 tablespoons (84 g) honey

Cook Mode

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan or 9-inch cast iron skillet with unsalted butter and set it aside.

In a large bowl, place the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the yogurt, butter, egg and honey, and mix to combine well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan or cast-iron pan. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you’re baking in a cast iron pan, the cornbread will likely be done in about 20 minutes.

Slice and serve warm.

Alternative flours:

Half of the cornmeal, by weight, can be replaced with an equal amount, by weight of corn flour, and the recipe is otherwise unchanged.

You can also replace half the cornmeal, by weight, with all purpose gluten free flour. I like Better Batter as an all purpose gluten free flour here.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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