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  At the extreme end of the spectrum, Celiac Disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin (don't forget, gliadin is one of two proteins that make up gluten) in your intestine. When the enzyme TG2 (tissue transglutaminase) detects gliadin in your intestine, it forms an intra-molecular bond that is highly resistant to breaking down. This modifies the gliadin making it into an autoantigen (autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own parts, and an antigen is a molecule that stimulates an immune response, usually the production of an specific antibody to counteract a specific antigen). Now that gliadin has been transformed into an antigen, the immune system takes over and responds inappropriately causing an inflammatory reaction in the bowel. 
In the small intestine, villi (finger-like projections with extensive surface area for digesting and absorbing) are responsible for digesting and absorbing nutrients, minerals and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Villi begin to flatten out and become ineffective (villous atrophy) causing symptoms of malabsorption (weight loss, fatigue, anemia, abnormal bleeding (deficiency of vitamin K) and osteoporosis).A milder, more common, and under-diagnosed version of gluten sensitivity is referred to as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS), occuring when there is no villous atrophy or damage to surrounding organs. Symptoms such as loss of hormone secretion by glands (hypothyroidism, diabetes, pancreatic insufficiency), osteoporosis, cognitive impairment, inflammatory bowel, liver and skin diseases and others, can still occur and make life miserable. | |
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