Gluten
Why gluten is inflammatory
Gluten is inflammatory, and how much depends entirely on who is eating it. It is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
In coeliac disease the immune system treats that protein as an invader and attacks the lining of the small intestine. That is inflammation in the most literal sense of the word. It affects around one person in a hundred, it happens whether or not they feel anything, and the only treatment is removing gluten for good.
Outside coeliac disease the picture blurs. Plenty of people feel worse after bread: bloated, heavy, foggy. Those symptoms are real, and their cause is less settled. Wheat carries fructans as well as gluten, a carbohydrate the gut ferments. When the two are given one at a time, the fructans set off more symptoms than the gluten does. Cutting out bread removes both at once.
Gluten scores 7 out of 10 on the inflammation scale for two reasons beyond coeliac disease. Most of it arrives as refined white flour, inside bread, pastries and packaged food that carry fast sugar, salt and cheap fat with it. And it is the first food out of almost every autoimmune protocol, because it is one of the most commonly reported triggers.
If you are thinking of giving it up, get tested for coeliac disease first, because the test only works while you are still eating gluten. If it comes back negative and bread still bothers you, try a wholegrain sourdough before giving up wheat altogether.
Gluten on the AIP diet
Gluten is not allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol, and of everything AIP removes it is the least likely to come back. The elimination phase takes out every grain, along with the places gluten hides: soy sauce, malt, stock cubes, most sausages and many bottled sauces. Gluten grains sit in the last reintroduction stage, plenty of people never test them, and among those who do it often fails.
Benefits
- Most people digest gluten without any trouble at all
- Wholegrain wheat carries fibre, B vitamins and minerals that gluten-free flours usually do not
- A long, slow sourdough fermentation breaks down part of the gluten before you eat it
- For anyone who does react to it, removing it works quickly and the difference is obvious
Watch out for
- In coeliac disease it damages the lining of the small intestine, symptoms or no symptoms
- One of the most commonly reported triggers in autoimmune conditions, so AIP removes it first
- Most gluten arrives as refined white flour, with fast sugar and cheap fat alongside
- It hides in soy sauce, malt, stock cubes and sauces, so avoiding it means reading labels
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Frequently asked
Is gluten inflammatory?
For people with coeliac disease, yes, and seriously so. The immune system attacks the lining of the small intestine every time gluten arrives, which is why the diet has to be strict. For everyone else, gluten on its own does very little. What usually causes trouble is the refined white flour it comes wrapped in.
Should I go gluten free if I do not have coeliac disease?
Get tested first. The coeliac test only works while you are still eating gluten, so cutting it out beforehand can hide the answer for months. If the test comes back negative and bread still bothers you, try wholegrain sourdough before you give up wheat altogether.
Is it the gluten or the wheat?
Often the wheat. Wheat carries fructans as well as gluten, and when the two are tested one at a time the fructans cause more symptoms. Giving up bread removes both, which makes them almost impossible to tell apart at home.
Is gluten allowed on the AIP diet?
No. The Autoimmune Protocol removes every grain during the elimination phase, and gluten grains are the last ones considered for reintroduction. Many people who follow AIP never bring them back.
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