In the previous blog post, I covered some background information and one of the reasons why gluten sensivity is more prevalent these days, namely inadequate/outdated testing.
Additional reasons why gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are more prevalent include:- Genetically modified foods (GMO)
- Gluten deamidation
- Gluten storage in bins for long periods of time, leading to enterotoxin contamination
- Hygeine hypothesis
- Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS)
- Chronic stress - and the resultant breakdown of immune system tolerance
- Poor nutrition
Unless you've had your head in the sand, you probably are aware that Monsanto and other conglomerate companies have been messing with our food supply. They think that changing food via the "better living through chemistry" mindset will make our foods more nutritious or for self-serving purposes make the modified seeds immune to the herbicide chemicals they manufacture. Wheat has been modified over the years to have more protein, which is the most allergenic portion of wheat.
Deamidation is the product of acid or enzymatic treatment of gluten used in the food processing industry. This is accomplished because gliadins are soluble in alcohol and cannot be mixed with other foods (like milk) without changing the food’s qualities. Deamidated gliadin is soluble in water. Our immune system reacts with greater ferver to deamidated gliadin than to gliadin.
The average US storage time for harvested wheat is approximately 2 years! During this storage time the waste products of fungi and mold form which are called enterotoxins. Enterotoxins and be defined as a toxin produced by bacteria that is specific for intestinal cells and causes the vomiting and diarrhea associated with food poisoning. The enterotoxins lead to a leaky gut which triggers an immune reaction to the gluten that is contaminated.
The Hygeine hypothesis theory "proposes that inadequate exposure to infectious organisms leads to immune dysfunction. Under normal circumstances, the immune system is exposed to various viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic challenges and becomes properly calibrated to these real threats following successful defenses. Today's public health successes, coupled with the increased use of antibiotics and vaccines, minimize opportunities to mount successful attacks against genuine attackers. IgE is still present, however, and, in the absence of harmful agents, it begins attacking harmless environmental substances.
There is an enormous amount of scientific evidence for this. Children who have had early infections manifest far less atopy, allergy and autoimmune disease". [1]
Leaky Gut Syndrome LGS is an intestinal condition in which the walls of the intestines are damaged to the point where they no longer function to keep food molecules, bacteria and other unwanted material from entering the blood stream. As a result of the foreign material entering the blood stream, the immune system is activated and intact gluten molecules or any one of the other wheat breakdown products are targeted for destruction, as are the cells of the intestines.
