Gluten Free Engineer - Making Gluten Free Easy

The Science Behind Gluten & Why it Affects So Many

• Carrie Saunders • Episode 6

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Gluten. For some, it’s just another part of their daily diet, found in everything from bread to pasta. But for others, it’s the cause of serious health issues. Why does gluten affect some people so severely while others can eat it without any problem?

Today, we’re diving into the science behind gluten—what it is, how it interacts with the body, and why some people can tolerate it while others develop celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or even autoimmune responses.

And here’s something even more interesting—why is gluten a bigger problem today than it was 75 years ago? If you’ve ever wondered why gluten is such a big deal now—or why some people go gluten-free and feel better even without a diagnosis—this episode is for you!


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Speaker 1:

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode this podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. Gluten For some, it's just another part of their daily diet, found in everything from bread to pasta, but for others, it's the cause of some serious health issues. Why does gluten affect some people so severely, while others can eat it without any problems? Today, we're diving into the science behind gluten what it is, how it interacts with the body and why some people can tolerate it, while others develop celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or even autoimmune responses. And here's something even more interesting why is gluten an even bigger problem today than it was over 75 years ago? If you've ever wondered why gluten is such a big deal now, or why some people go gluten-free and feel better even without a diagnosis, this episode is for you. Welcome to the Gluten-Free Engineer Podcast. I'm your host, keri Saunders. In 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a moment that changed everything, but I was determined not to let it hold me back. With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle, breaking down recipes, safety tips, travel hacks and everything in between, to rebuild a life I love, whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply choose to live gluten-free. This podcast is for you. Disease, gluten intolerance or simply choose to live gluten-free. This podcast is for you. Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle, make it fun and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything. Welcome back to the show.

Speaker 1:

Today we're talking about the science behind gluten and why it affects some people and not others. So first off, let's go over what is gluten briefly. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, and it gives dough that elasticity that you know of and the chewiness you know of with normal gluten from breads and pastas. It's not inherently harmful, but for some people, their bodies react negatively to it, triggering a range of health issues. So how does gluten affect the digestive system? When gluten is consumed, it is broken down to smaller proteins like glyden and glutenin. In most people, these proteins pass through the digestive system without any issues at all, but for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity or even wheat allergies, the body reacts in ways that can be harmful. For celiac disease, it is actually an autoimmune response to gluten. Many people who aren't familiar with celiac disease don't realize that it's not part of the allergy system. It's part of the autoimmune system. It is not just a food intolerance.

Speaker 1:

When someone with celiac eats gluten, their immune system mistakenly attacks the small intestine. Think about it. It attacks the small intestine like it's a foreign object. It damages the biliae, which are the tiny finger-like structure that absorb nutrients. This is one of the many reasons that those with celiac disease also present with vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition. Over time, this leads to malnutrition, which I just talked about, also digestive distress, brain fog, skin issues and more serious complications like osteoporosis and infertility.

Speaker 1:

It's actually genetic. A lot of people don't realize that celiac disease is genetic. If you have a family history, if you have a direct relative with celiac disease, you are more likely to develop celiac disease. Think about it. If you have a mother, a brother, a sister, an aunt, a grandparent with celiac, a child, you're going to want to be tested as well. It comes down our family lines.

Speaker 1:

There's another kind of reaction that people can have to gluten and it's called non-celiac gluten sensitivity. We generally just call this gluten intolerance on our podcast show. It's a lot shorter words to say so. Sometimes people test negative for celiac disease but still feel sick after eating gluten. Symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity or just gluten intolerance can include bloating, headaches, brain fog, joint pain and fatigue, but there's no clear immune marker like in celiac disease. Sometimes doctors have also found people who have gluten intolerances to later actually present the autoimmune response to the celiac disease.

Speaker 1:

It's not a very well-known fact, but celiac disease is many times triggered by some other event. It turns on that gene. That's not quite right, could be an illness, it could be trauma. So you could not have celiac disease when you're younger and then it can get triggered later when you're older, depending upon the way our body changes. Our cells are always changing so we can trigger that if we have the gene. And scientists are still researching the exact cause of the gluten intolerance too. Some people believe it could be could involve gut microbiome imbalances or immune system responses that don't trigger the same immune reaction as celiac. So it could be its own immune system problem in and of itself, again a little bit separate to celiac. That's what some researchers have found.

Speaker 1:

But let's, you know, answer that question in a room. I get this a lot. People are like why is gluten more of a problem today than it was when my grandparents were around, or let's say, 75 plus years ago? Gluten wasn't always such a big health issue like it is now. In fact, most of our grandparents, depending upon what age we are, probably ate wheat without much concern. So what's actually changed?

Speaker 1:

One of the things that has changed that has really surprised me when doing research in gluten and celiac, is that modern wheat has more chromosomes and a higher gluten content than the ancestor's wheat. The wheat we ate today is not the same wheat our ancestors ate. Over thousands of years, wheat has been bred and modified to increase yield and improve baking quality. Ancient wheat varieties, like Inicorn wheat hopefully I'm pronouncing that correctly only had 14 chromosomes. And then the next variety that people have documented well is emmer wheat, another early variety. It had 28 chromosomes, but modern wheat common bread wheat now has 42 chromosomes 42. That is a lot more than the 14 it originally started with. This meat also means it has much more complex gluten structure, making it harder for some people to digest, which is likely the reason for a lot more gluten intolerances as well. In addition, modern meat contains higher amounts of gluten, like we talked about, than its ancient counterparts because it was selectively bred for elasticity, because it was selectively bred for elasticity, texture and better beaking performance.

Speaker 1:

If we actually do some research. Things like apples have been, you know, cross-bred to make new, different varieties of apples, but the odd thing about wheat is it didn't keep the same number of chromosomes like apples. I've always found that a bit wild and a bit interesting from a scientific perspective. When we cross-bead things like apples, they're still apples. I've always found that a bit wild and a bit interesting from a scientific perspective. When we cross-breed things like apples, they're still apples. When we cross-bred things like wheat, it basically made a new plant and our bodies just haven't had time to even adjust to that. The wheat has changed so fast we haven't even been able to adjust to it as well. The wheat has changed so fast we haven't even been able to adjust to it as well.

Speaker 1:

Also, in modern day, gluten is so much more everywhere than it used to be. Decades ago, gluten was mainly in bread and baked goods and that was something you had many times as a treat. Now, yes, sometimes bread was a staple, but you didn't have cakes and cookies and all those things all the time. It was expensive and it was time consuming to make. Now it's in just about every processed food sauces, seasonings and even in your cosmetics, in your shampoos, in your toothpaste.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes Our exposure to gluten has dramatically increased, making it more likely for sensitive individuals to react to it. We also are much smarter now in our modern day and understand what those reactions are and help diagnose people who have celiac, whereas in the old days they would have just attributed it to just not thriving or just being sickly, and then that person would have just died young and they didn't know why. But they had, you know, major health issues that were coming from the foods they ate and they just didn't have the scientific measures that we have now to test for celiac. Also, there's a lot of research around gut health and the microbiome, and our gut biomes have changed quite a bit in the modern day due to diet, antibiotics and modern farming practices, including eat a lot more processed foods. A weaker gut microbiome may reduce a body's ability to process gluten properly, leading to more sensitivity as well. We also have an increase in autoimmune diseases now in the modern days as well.

Speaker 1:

Autoimmune conditions like celiac, hashimoto's and rheumatoid arthritis have skyrocketed in recent decades. Some researchers believe chronic stress, environmental toxins and diet play a role in triggering these conditions, including gluten-related disorders. So why does all this matter? Those ancient grains are somewhat easier for people to digest because there's simpler gluten structure and it may cause less immune response than modern wheat. There's actually a lot of research that says that people who are gluten sensitive can eat those ancient grains and feel fine. The gluten we eat today and the wheat we eat today just simply isn't the same as it was over 75 years ago. We eat today just simply isn't the same as it was over 75 years ago, and for those with sensitivities, the increased gluten content and complexity could be making our symptoms worse.

Speaker 1:

So then let's touch on a wheat allergy. What is that? It's actually an allergic reaction and not an autoimmune one like celiac is. So, unlike celiac disease and gluten sensitivities, it involves an immediate allergic response triggered by the immune system. People with wheat allergies experience hives, difficulty breathing or even anaphylactic after eating wheat. So a lot of people confuse a wheat allergy with celiac disease sometimes, but it's completely different, because the immune system is reacting to proteins and wheat itself, not just the gluten.

Speaker 1:

So why do some people tolerate gluten just fine? People without celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or wheat allergies can digest gluten normally without triggering an autoimmune response. Their gut lining remains intact and their immune system doesn't mistake gluten for a harmful invader, and genetics can play quite the large role in this. So if you don't have the genes associated with celiac, you're much less likely to develop an issue with gluten. We've also talked some about the gut's microbiome role in gluten reactions. New research suggests that gut bacteria may influence how our bodies process gluten, and it really makes quite a bit of sense. Some people may have gut imbalances that make them more sensitive to gluten even without celiac. Improving our gut health through a diverse diet, probiotics and reducing inflammatory foods may help some people tolerate gluten better, and staying off the processed foods and the processed sugars also help our gut heal and also make our gut a lot better.

Speaker 1:

Gluten may be harmless for some, but it is actually harmful for a lot of others, whether it triggers an autoimmune attack and celiac disease, causes discomfort and gluten sensitivity, or sparks an allergic reaction from a wheat allergy in gluten sensitivity, or sparks an allergic reaction from a wheat allergy. The way your body responds to gluten is unique, and even if you might have celiac and somebody else you know has celiac, you still might get different symptoms whenever you have gluten accidentally. And what's more important to remember is that gluten today is not the same as it was over 75 years ago. With these changes in wheat, our diet and our gut microbiome, our life and how we live, it's no surprise that more people than ever are struggling with gluten-related issues. So if you're experiencing unexplained symptoms after eating gluten, it may be worth a trip to the doctor and talking to them or trying an elimination diet to see if it makes a difference. Your body is always communicating with you, so it's a great idea to listen to it and even in my case, I had absolutely no idea that I was celiac and that gluten was causing all my problems until I eliminated it out of my diet and then, when I added it back in, boy was it more than ever apparent as to what was going on. So, like we talk about on this podcast, listen to your body and go to your doctor or trusted healthcare professional if you feel like you need advice on whether taking gluten out of your diet is a good idea or not. And obviously, if you have celiac disease, you already know that it's absolutely imperative to your health. But don't let a new diet change like this that you need to have cause you any fear or any anxiety, because there are resources like our podcast and so many others out there that can help you navigate this through the modern day.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gluten-Free Engineer. If you found value in this story, please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey. For more tips, recipes, resources and even links to my YouTube channel, head on over to theglutenfreeengineercom. It's your one-stop hub to make gluten-free living simple, fun and full of flavor. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode, and we will see you next week. The Gluten-Free Engineer podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten-free lifestyle. This podcast does not provide a medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions, concerns or advice specific to your health.

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Carrie Saunders

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