What Are Gluten And Gliadin?

Gluten and gliadin bring misery to millions. Which raises a question: What exactly are they?

The answer lies within one of our most basic foods: wheat. Gluten is a part of the wheat grain and contains two special proteins, glutenin and gliadin. These proteins are inactive – until water is added during the bread making process. Then, these two proteins work together to form a microscopic web that traps the carbon dioxide created by active yeast. The yeast and gluten work together to make the modern, light bread that millions enjoy.

Gluten works so well, in fact, that commercial bread-makers add some to increase the "rise" in bread. Others use gluten-rich wheats, such as Canada Western Extra Strong Red Spring class wheat, to pump up their products.

Scientists and medical doctors have known for years that some people simply cannot tolerate gluten. For some, the allergy shows up as diarrhea. In others, mostly Caucasians, the problem manifests itself as celiac disease. In celiac disease, your body basically attacks itself. The lining of your intestines, which under a microscope looks like a thick carpet, almost disappears. The result: your body no longer properly digests food. Worse, without treatment – and removing gluten from the diet – cancer can be the long term result.

Researchers once believed that only 1 in 2,000-3,000 people had celiac disease. Recent studies, however, suggest that over 1 in 100 suffer from it in some form. There is no such thing as a "typical" case of celiac disease. Some patients exhibit the classic symptoms described in the paragraph above. Others show little or no symptoms, or something that would not normally point to intestinal trouble, such as skin disorders or a nervous condition.

As with most allergies, there are people who have strong reactions and others with weaker reactions. You may have such a reaction and never know. The time to find out is now. It can take 15 years or longer for the gluten problem to be discovered through traditional medical means.

It is no surprise the United States has a food allergy epidemic – if you consider what we eat.

The United States Department of Agriculture recently reported the top nine calorie foods in the average American diet. Here they are:

• Whole cow milk
• Cow milk with 2 percent fat
• Processed American cheese
• White bread
• White flour
• Rolls
• Sugar
• Cola (more cola is consumed than water!)
• Ground beef

The problem, says Dr. James Braly, M.D., is "overconsumption of a limited number of highly allergenic foods on a daily basis." He points out that a significant portion of the American population is allergic to the gluten and gliadin in wheat and/or to dairy products.

We all know how hurried modern life has become. Many times, dinner is a burger and drink at a fast food restaurant – often gotten at a drive through. The result: ground beef in a wheat-based roll with a cola to drink. This is so common today that we forget our diet has almost nothing to do with what our grandparents ate, or the rest of our ancestors back to the beginning of time. The advent of preserved and processed foods has radically changed the American diet, and our bodies are rebelling.

Take the gluten test developed by New Century Nutrition to see if you are mildly sensitive or highly sensitive to gluten!