What is gluten exactly?
Gluten is a protein that is found in many grains such as wheat, rye, durum, spelt, semolina and barley. Gluten can also be present in products such as vitamins, medicines, and even lip balms. When your body struggles to digest these proteins, you can experience extreme allergic reactions such as gluten sensitivity and gluten intolerance or Celiac disease.
What is Celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a disorder of the digestive tract which damages the small intestine and inhibits the absorption of nutrients. People suffering from Celiac disease cannot tolerate the gluten protein. When gluten is ingested, their immune system sees it as a foreign body, damaging the villi, small finger-like protrusions, in the small intestine. …show more content…
The symptoms of this auto-immune or mal-absorption disorder can vary greatly in each individual. They can manifest in all parts of the body, with digestive symptoms being the most common, especially in children. These can include abdominal problems such as cramping and bloating, but also vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation and irritability. Because of the mal-absorption of nutrients, the long term effects can be as severe as dental defects and even delayed or stunted growth and delayed puberty.
Symptoms of Celiac disease in adults don't often include digestive symptoms, but they can include many other symptoms such as anemia, arthritis, depression, numbness in the extremities, seizures, itchy skin rashes, bone loss, fatigue and disturbances in the menstrual cycle.
Completely gluten free is the way to go
Despite the severity of Celiac disease and gluten intolerance, there is some good news. If all gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine will heal over time, and symptoms usually disappear within a matter of months. What needs to be noted, however, is that gluten will have to be eliminated from the diet permanently. As soon as food containing this protein is eaten again, the symptoms will
Gluten is a protein that is found in many grains such as wheat, rye, durum, spelt, semolina and barley. Gluten can also be present in products such as vitamins, medicines, and even lip balms. When your body struggles to digest these proteins, you can experience extreme allergic reactions such as gluten sensitivity and gluten intolerance or Celiac disease.
What is Celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a disorder of the digestive tract which damages the small intestine and inhibits the absorption of nutrients. People suffering from Celiac disease cannot tolerate the gluten protein. When gluten is ingested, their immune system sees it as a foreign body, damaging the villi, small finger-like protrusions, in the small intestine. …show more content…
The symptoms of this auto-immune or mal-absorption disorder can vary greatly in each individual. They can manifest in all parts of the body, with digestive symptoms being the most common, especially in children. These can include abdominal problems such as cramping and bloating, but also vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation and irritability. Because of the mal-absorption of nutrients, the long term effects can be as severe as dental defects and even delayed or stunted growth and delayed puberty.
Symptoms of Celiac disease in adults don't often include digestive symptoms, but they can include many other symptoms such as anemia, arthritis, depression, numbness in the extremities, seizures, itchy skin rashes, bone loss, fatigue and disturbances in the menstrual cycle.
Completely gluten free is the way to go
Despite the severity of Celiac disease and gluten intolerance, there is some good news. If all gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine will heal over time, and symptoms usually disappear within a matter of months. What needs to be noted, however, is that gluten will have to be eliminated from the diet permanently. As soon as food containing this protein is eaten again, the symptoms will