Chris Kresser on gluten intolerance

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:36 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kre ... fae225770b

From the article:

"The mainstream view of gluten intolerance has been relatively black or white: Either you have celiac disease, in which case even a small amount of gluten will send you running to the bathroom in three seconds flat, or you don't, and you can chug down beer and bagels without fear. This "all-or-nothing" view has led to some doctors telling patients that suspect they're sensitive to gluten but test negative for CD that they're simply imagining an affliction that doesn't exist.

It turns out those doctors are wrong. "

Jean

ant · Post by **ant** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:10 am

Dear Jean,

Thanks for posting. So true!

Best wishes, Ant

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:54 pm

It's difficult to estimate the prevalence of NCGS because there is no definitive diagnostic test for it. As I mentioned above, the currently available tests for gluten sensitivity are primitive and only screen for a small fraction of the components of wheat that people react to.

It's too bad he doesn't mention Enterolab, which does offer a definitive diagnostic test for gluten sensitivity, both in the stool test and the genetic testing.

We're near and yet so far with getting recognition.

Gloria

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 4:50 am

Gloria wrote:
It's too bad he doesn't mention Enterolab, which does offer a definitive diagnostic test for gluten sensitivity, both in the stool test and the genetic testing.

That was my reaction too, Gloria. He must know about it. I wonder why he doesn't mention it.

Jean

jgivens · Post by **jgivens** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:41 am

One or more of us should write to him and ask. He is really stuck on encouraging the Paleo diet. I understand that, but it makes me wonder if he is getting paid by someone at the laboratory he mentions or Paleo diet authors.

He does a good job of explanation. Thanks for pointing this out, Jean.

patc73 · Post by **patc73** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 3:22 pm

One question...he mentions that non-celiac gluten sensitivity is by definition "not auto-immune". We beg to differ on that one.

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 6:33 pm

Pat,

He's probably just repeating what Dr. Fasano claims about non-celiac gluten sensitivity, but Dr. Fasano is wrong on a number of points.

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 10:07 am

He mentions people can react to different components of the wheat and gluten. Could I be reacting to Type 3 transglutaminase, resulting in skin and mucosal reactions, whereas my spouse may be reacting to Type 6 and therefore gets neurological reactions??

Here's the crucial thing to understand: Celiac disease is characterized by an immune response to a specific epitope of gliadin (alpha-gliadin) and a specific type of transglutaminase (tTG-2). But we now know that people can (and do) react to several other components of wheat and gluten -- including other epitopes of gliadin (beta, gamma, omega), glutenin, WGA and deamidated gliadin -- as well as other types of transglutaminase, including type 3 (primarily found in the skin) and type 6 (primarily found in the brain).

This is a huge problem because conventional lab testing for CD and of gluten intolerance only screens for antibodies to alpha-gliadin and transglutaminase-2. If you're reacting to any other fractions of the wheat protein (e.g., beta-gliadin, gamma-gliadin or omega-gliadin), or any other types of transglutaminase (e.g., type 3 or type 6), you'll test negative for CD and gluten intolerance no matter how severely you're reacting to wheat.

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:15 pm

Sure. The current "approved" medical testing methods for celiac disease have a pathetically narrow focus. There are no official tests for gluten sensitivity.

Tex