Move over fat and carbohydrates. The latest dietary villain is gluten. The protein found in wheat, rye and barley is linked to serious health problems, particularly celiac disease.
But gluten also is the focus of a fad so popular college students are guzzling gluten-free beer and swearing off pizza.
Movie stars are cleansing gluten from their diets and questionable experts are using silver balls turning green to diagnose gluten-intolerance.
“Part of the problem is that this has all gotten caught up in pop culture because we recognize celiac disease is a lot more common than we used to think it was,” Dr. Don Powell, director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said.
Celiac disease is a digestive disorder causing a toxic reaction to wheat protein — or gluten — resulting in symptoms such as frequent diarrhea and extreme weight loss.
“Celiac disease has a lot of presentations other than weight loss ... and diarrhea and those kind of classic symptoms,” Powell said.
“So people are saying now, ‘Well, it can cause all kinds of things, and I probably have an intolerance to wheat.’ And the evidence for that is pretty poor.”
So fervent is this fad that Powell gets hate mail when he disparages the gluten-free frenzy.
So he speaks carefully in advising caution on the issue.
His advice includes:
• See a doctor. Symptoms of gastrointestinal problems or weight loss should prompt an exam with a doctor, preferably a gastroenterologist;
• Don’t go on a gluten-free diet until a physician has examined you. The diet will throw off test results; and
• Beware of labs using questionable tests — analyzing stool samples or the change of color in a silver ball held by the patient.
Accredited medical tests for celiac disease start with a blood test and then follow with an endoscopy and a biopsy of the upper small intestine.
“People are ascribing all sorts of things to gluten intolerance,” Powell said. “You could have other things that are manifesting themselves as that.”
If gluten is identified as a culprit in your health problems, grocery shopping is not as difficult as it was before the gluten-free fad.
Gluten-free foods are stocked in grocery stores, and even included in menus of national chains like Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden and Chili’s.
Reading food labels is key to coping with a gluten-free diet.
You have to be very careful, like you were a diabetic or lactose intolerant,” Beth Ledeaux, manager of the Peak Nutrition Center, owned by Amelia and Howard Chambers at 6187 Central City Blvd., in Galveston, said.
The store stocks a variety of gluten-free foods, including bread, pastas, crackers, frozen foods, cookies and even candy bars.
Details to note
• Symptoms of celiac disease include recurring bloating, gas or abdominal pain; chronic diarrhea, constipation or both; unexplained weight changes; unexplained anemia; behavior changes, depression, irritability and fatigue. Children might exhibit growth failure, vomiting, bloated abdomen and behavioral changes.
• The disease occurs in infants, children and adults and can be triggered for the first time after surgery, viral infection, severe emotional stress, pregnancy or childbirth.
• Foods to avoid (unless they’re labeled as gluten-free) include breads, cereals, crackers, croutons, pasta, cookies, cakes, pies, soups, gravies, sauces (including soy sauce), salad dressings, beer, candy, imitation meat or seafood and processed luncheon meats.
• Children with autism often suffer similar gastrointestinal symptoms. The Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston has a Clinic for Autistic Spectrum Disorders, a collaborative program to evaluate and treat children.
The clinic works with Baylor College of Medicine and the Autism Treatment Network, a multi-center network focusing on medical problems in autistic children.
