Food intolerances: Celiac disease or inflammation?

In Italy, celiac disease affects about 1% of the population, yet many people experience various symptoms after consuming pasta, bread, or pizza. The vast majority of these individuals, if subjected to specific tests (such as transglutaminase antibody levels or biopsy), are definitively found not to have celiac disease.

The explanation for this phenomenon is inflammation, which can be responsible for bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, but also for symptoms less directly related to food, such as headaches, brittle nails, dry skin, recurring canker sores, and anemia. Symptoms that, as we have seen, are similar to those typical of celiac disease, but in this case are due to non-celiac gluten sensitivity: upon contact with gluten, the body develops a mild inflammation that does not progress to the development of the disease. Wheat and gluten are present in toasted bread or breakfast cereals, in the pasta dish at lunch, in crackers eaten as a snack, and also in bread or pizza at dinner.

What happens, in simple terms, is that repeated contact between wheat proteins and the immune system leads to an overproduction of food-specific immunoglobulins (called IgG), which in turn stimulate the endogenous production of BAFF, a cytokine at the root of the inflammatory condition.

It often happens that, despite the absence of celiac disease, gluten and cereal elimination diets are proposed based solely on symptoms, which are not only counterproductive but also potentially dangerous. Completely eliminating a food category from one’s diet can lead, on one hand, to an overconsumption of substitute foods (for example, eating rice, until the excess of this food becomes a cause of inflammation itself, making the diet progressively more restrictive), and on the other hand, to a potential adverse effect much more powerful than the initial symptoms. This effect is usually caused by the accidental or unconscious intake of wheat and gluten, which the immune system, after elimination, has “forgotten” how to properly manage.

On the other hand, epidemiological studies have shown that irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease in China are associated with the consumption of rice, soy, and corn, while in Western countries they are linked to the consumption of wheat, milk, and yeast. These differences are clearly influenced by dietary habits and suggest that, in the absence of a specifically diagnosed intolerance, gluten is not inherently harmful, but rather the frequency or excess of consumption that causes problems. It is always inflammation that acts, triggered by repetitive eating patterns.

The first step to reversing this process and regaining well-being is to measure one’s level of inflammation, to understand if there is an excess consumption of specific foods, in this case, wheat and gluten-rich foods.

The Recaller Medical Program evaluates both the quantity of food-specific IgG and inflammatory values, through the levels of BAFF and PAF. valuta sia il quantitativo di IgG alimento specifiche, che i valori infiammatori, tramite i livelli di BAFF e PAF.

Following the Medical Program, with the results in hand, it will be possible to establish a personalized rotation diet to restore the physiological relationship with food, reducing inflammation while still maintaining contact with all food groups, without eliminating any. By setting up a process that, on a metabolic level, resembles weaning, it will be possible to enjoy a delicious pizza on Saturday night, without worry or discomfort.

Edited by The scientific editorial Team GEK Lab