Grains Can Make You Ill

We all know that grain products are healthy food choices and that they are important to maintaining a healthy body. And for most of the population grain is a very important food source. But for those that suffer from celiac disease grain can make you ill.

Celiac disease uses the gluten proteins found in grains to damage the intestinal lining. The gluten proteins are actually called gliadin and it’s found in all kinds of grains like oats, barley, rye, wheat, or millet.

For those that suffer from celiac disease, Crohn’s disease or other similar type diseases the gliadin goes crazy and acts like an invasive substance which then causes the body’s immune system to seek out and destroy it. So all of a sudden your favorite bread or cereal has become your worst enemy. What occurs next is diarrhea, nausea, and terrible stomach cramping. What can occur over time if not diagnosed is weight loss and malnutrition.

1 out of every 100 people suffer from celiac disease. Many have no idea they suffer from it but over time symptoms will develop. People suffering from celiac disease are more likely to also have illness associated with ADD, auto immune diseases such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue, epilepsy, osteoporosis, gastrointestinal problems, food allergies, and neurological diseases.

The problem is when the gluten damages the intestinal lining your overall health is also compromised. Because your immune system is constantly activated to prevent any further damage to the intestinal lining it becomes run down and isn’t able to cope with other crises or diseases in the body. On top of all this because of the damage to the intestinal lining you aren’t able to properly absorb nutrients from your food so you become deficient in vital nutrients.

So why does gluten from grains cause so many problems for some people? Glutton moves into the intestine where it is digested and then broken into small protein molecules called peptides and free amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for protein. When digestion is complete the free amino acids and peptides move into the intestinal wall and then carry on into the blood stream. At least that’s the process when you are healthy.

However over the years we eat a lot of gluten and eventually it can cause the intestinal cells to deteriorate so that digested protein no longer passes through the cell walls rather it passes between the cells and goes directly to the blood streams. These holes are known as “leaky gut syndrome.”

These holes are tiny but deadly because they let harmful substances pass into the blood which then settles in the organs where it causes damage and irritation. Once you’ve developed these little holes your intestinal wall can no longer do its job of being a barrier to keep toxic substances out of the blood.

With the presence of these holes undigested food can directly enter the blood stream. This means toxins that are in our food like food dye and preservatives can also enter the blood stream. So can bacteria, viruses, and fungus. When this happens you begin to show a variety of symptoms but no one seems to be able to be able to figure out what’s wrong with you.

Never mind all of the above, undigested proteins in themselves are a serious health threat to your immune system and your organs. Sadly more than 50% of cases never get correctly diagnosed and yet it is estimated that nearly 50% of the population has some intestinal damage.

Another reason that the gluten from grain can reek havoc is that some people do not have the enzymes that are required to digest gluten. This is referred to as a gluten sensitivity. People lacking this enzyme are more likely to develop celiac disease.

The entire makeup of how gluten work and why it makes some people ill is not fully understood. If you believe you suffer from celiac disease or one the related diseases you should talk to your doctor and you should also remove all grains from your diet.

Grains are an excellent source of nutrition for the body for most people but for those that suffer from gluten intolerance grains can be hazardous to their health.

Aura Mirchandani is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory.