Gluten may cause inflammation in people who are sensitive to it.
This can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms like stomach pain, bloating, and vomiting.
Many popular foods, including baked goods, cereals, and pizza, are commonly made with these grains.
AJ_Watt / Getty Images
Most people with celiac disease have certain variants of the HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 genes.
Not everyone with these genes has celiac disease, however.
Who Is at Risk for Inflammation from Gluten?
Several conditions are related to gluten.
Symptoms are similar, but there are distinct differences among them.
That makes it hard to absorb nutrients from food.
Gluten Sensitivity
People withgluten sensitivityalso have a bad reaction to gluten.
They might have some of the symptoms of celiac disease.
Other names for gluten sensitivity include non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and gluten intolerance.
People with gluten sensitivity should consider a gluten-free diet.
Many things can lead to similar abdominal symptoms, and it’s not always gluten.
This can cause symptoms such as hives, sneezing, or runny nose.
You might also have gastrointestinal symptoms similar to gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.
Less commonly, a wheat allergy can causeanaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction.
Many foods contain both gluten and wheat.
However, anallergy testcan confirm whether you have a wheat allergy.
Dermatitis Herpetiformis
Dermatitis herpetiformisis an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten.
It causes skin symptoms, including an itchy, inflamed, blistering rash.
It can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms similar to celiac disease.
Most people who develop dermatitis herpetiformis also have celiac disease.Askin biopsycan determine whether you have it.
Symptoms of Inflammation
Not everyone experiences a reaction to gluten in the same way.
If you have gluten sensitivity, you’ll probably feel symptoms soon after eating gluten.
For those with celiac disease, it may take 48 to 72 hours for symptoms to start.
These might include:
Some people reportbrain fog(feeling mentally drained) from gluten.
There are no good tests available that candiagnose gluten sensitivity.
Your healthcare provider may first want to rule out celiac disease with an antibody test.
If your symptoms improve, that may be enough for a gluten sensitivity diagnosis.
There’s no cure for celiac disease.
If you have celiac disease, a strict, lifelonggluten-free dietis the main therapy.
People with dermatitis herpetiformis or gluten sensitivity also benefit from avoiding gluten.
Complications
People with celiac disease can develop serious complications when their symptoms are not well-controlled.
You must avoid gluten to control inflammation and the potential for serious complications.
Avoiding gluten can help you avoid a bad reaction.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.What is gluten and what does it do?
Philip A, White ND.Gluten, inflammation, and neurodegeneration.Am J Lifestyle Med.
2022;16(1):32-35. doi:10.1177/15598276211049345
National Library of Medicine.Celiac disease.
National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for celiac disease.
Utah State University.What is gluten?
2020;20(1):258. doi:10.1186/s12876-020-01390-0
Harvard T.H.
Chan School of Public Health.Gluten: A benefit or harm to the body?
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Wheat.
University of NebraskaLincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.Celiac disease.
Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center.Definition and clinical manifestations.
Yelland GW.Gluten-induced cognitive impairment (“brain fog”) in coeliac disease.J Gastroenterol Hepatol.
2017;32 Suppl 1:90-93. doi:10.1111/jgh.13706
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of celiac disease.
Celiac Disease Foundation.Dietary supplementation advice for celiac patients on a long-term gluten-free diet.
Celiac Disease Foundation.Autoimmune disorders.
Ali B, Khan AR.Efficacy of probiotics in management of celiac disease.Cureus.
2022;14(2):e22031.
2022;56 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S64-S72.
doi:10.1111/apt.16912
National Health Service.Complications - Coeliac disease.
Celiac Disease Foundation.Diabetes and celiac disease.
2019;53(7):507-513. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001013
