Recently Fox News had a week long special about gluten sensitivity. One of the episodes discussed the inclusion of other grains as playing a role in disease progression. Many celiac awareness groups were outraged about the report because it included corn, rice, and other grains as part of the problem those with celiac disease face. Melissa Wilson did a fantastic job on the story. Unfortunately, Fox management decided to pull the story from their website due to the pressure of the under educated. Two of the news stories are available for your viewing below. Also, below is a response letter written to those groups that pressured Fox to remove the story. So far not one of these groups has bothered to conact me or Fox to discuss this in a civil manor.
Before exploring gluten sensitivity we should first investigate gluten. Gluten is a protein found in grain. It is found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats, as well as processed foods derived from these grains. Breads, cereals, and pastas are rich in gluten. Other foods and/or food additives can be derived from gluten containing grains. Examples include soy sauce, gravies, soups, whiskey, and modified food starch. Gluten is composed of two smaller proteins – 1. Prolamine, 2. Glutelin. Prolamine is the most studied piece of gluten in the medical literature. Different grains have different types of prolamines. Gliadin is the name of the prolamine found in wheat. It has been studied as a cause of celiac disease. Currently there is a gap in the scientific literature regarding prolamines contained in grains. However, newer research points out that different gluten produce variable immune reactions in different people.19 Additionally, some research suggests that the glutens found in other grains can also create intestinal inflammation in patients with celiac disease. That being said, it is recommended that you pay attention to all grains (i.e. corn, rice, etc) as they may also cause problems.2-10 Below is a diagram of different select grains, the names of their corresponding prolamines, and their percentage by weight of protein.
The purpose of the Fox news story was to help educate the general public of the emerging research that gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are not the same entity. It is possible to have gluten sensitivity and not have celiac disease. It is also possible that grains other than the traditional ones associated with celiac disease can play a role in disease progression of those with gluten sensitivity. You should seek the advice of your health care practitioner should you have further questions pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of gluten sensitivity.
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