Gluten Free is NOT a Fad Diet
Below you will read about just a few serious implications of consuming gluten if you are on the gluten sensitivity spectrum to any degree. The reality is that we were never meant to ingest this grain (wheat, rye, barley) the way our culture and government has led us to believe- as a “healthy” part of our diet- which is not true for the majority. Our strong, lean, healthy ancestors had it right. I want to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and learn more about the implications of gluten consumption (and all grains for that matter), and take a step towards regaining your health, if not just for you, don’t you want to be around longer for those you love?
Journal of the American Medical Association
Orebro University Hospital
“People with celiac disease often also have other diseases which attack the immune system such as diabetes or arthritis.
However, celiac disease often goes undiagnosed until substantial damage has been done to the digestive system.
Using data taken from biopsies taken between July 1969 and February 2008 in Sweden, researchers were able to examine the overall risk of death in individuals with celiac disease and digestive inflammation and compare it to the general population.
They found the risk of death was “modestly increased.”
Patients with inflammation had a 72 percent increased risk of death; patients with celiac disease had a 39 percent increased risk; and patients with latent celiac disease had a 35 percent increased risk of death.
It also suggests that more attention should be given to the lesser degrees of intestinal inflammation and gluten sensitivity.”
The risk of death was highest in the first year of follow-up but decreased with age at diagnosis, with risk being higher for those diagnosed before age 20.”
If you thought that living with pain, aches and lack of energy from gluten was your biggest problem then think again! There could be slow, long term damage happening that would possibly lead to an early death. But as the research shows, your chances for improvement increase as soon as you are diagnosed and going completely gluten-free.
Gluten intolerance can increase a person’s risk of developing a number of serious conditions.
Remember, the symptoms in Gluten Sensitivity may resemble those associated with Celiac Disease but with a prevalence of extra-intestinal symptoms, such as behavioral changes, bone or joint pain, muscle cramps, leg numbness, weight loss and chronic fatigue. (2)
Common examples of gluten related conditions are:
- Schizophrenia
- Nerve damage (neuropathy)
- Migraine Headache
- Thyroid Disease
- Muscle and joint pain
- Epilepsy
Gluten sensitivity can lead to a variety of further complications if you do get diagnosed or treated (with a gluten-free diet). The most frequent complications involve malabsorption (the inability of food to properly digest and move through the wall of the intestines into the bloodstream) and malnutrition (a lack of sufficient vitamins or minerals that results from the poor absorption). This lack of proper nutrition leads to many of the symptoms and complications associated with gluten intolerance of any degree. As levels of malabsorption vary in each case, symptoms also vary in type and intensity. Some people with gluten intolerance suffer severe symptoms, but others suffer from none at all (known as silent or asymptomatic celiac disease).
If you do not manage your gluten-free diet correctly, it can lead to autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, other autoimmune diseases and certain forms of cancer. Is this something you are willing to risk? You don’t have to. Right now you can change the trajectory of your health by asking for help, getting some appropriate testing completed, and go gluten-free!
Here is an extensive list of ingredients that are hiding gluten in them.
sources:
1) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915174323.htm
2) https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-10-13
