Wheat Woes and Worries

Wheat, the staple diet of over half the world’s population, could paradoxically be the cause of several of our vexing health problems. A recent study in the journal ‘Nutrients’ points out that proteins in this cereal could be triggering a wide a range of disorders from autistic behaviour in children to liver cirrhosis in adults.

Wheat does not seem to go down well in 5% of its consumers. In its most well recognized form called Celiac Disease, one of its proteins called gluten evokes an immune reaction from the small intestines, typically causing diarrhoea, malabsorption and growth failure in children. Funnily, despite having literally grown up on chappatis all through childhood, Celiac Disease often appears suddenly in adulthood with loose motions, weight loss, weakness, anaemia and fatigue.

Celiac Disease can also masquerade and present in atypical forms such as delayed puberty, weak bones, deficient dental enamel, neuritis, diabetes, itchy skin rash or an abnormal body movement called ataxia. A simple blood test called IgA TTG often leads to the correct diagnosis.

Wheat Allergy (WA) is another form. Many people who complain of gas, bloating, abdominal cramps, urticarial and itching often overlook the all-too-familiar wheat as being the culprit. In fact, food allergy testing, which has come into vogue these days, throws up wheat as one of the commonest allergens.  The IgA TTG is negative in this condition.

A third form of wheat sensitivity that has recently arrived on stage is called Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or NCGS, and seems in fact to be the commonest form. The symptoms are usually those of flatulence, abnormal bowel movement and gas and characteristically respond when one goes on a gluten free diet (GFD). In fact 30 % of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, who have often been told that “it is all in the mind”, seem to get an impressive relief of symptoms by shunning wheat.

The effect of wheaton the mind is emerging as a hot topic for research. Few recent studies have linked NCGS with autistic behaviour in children. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are one of the fastest growing developmental disabilities in which children below 3 years of age demonstrate a range of stereotyped repetitive behaviour, hyperactivity, aggression, anxiety and depression, and often show impaired language and social skills.

What has come up as a surprise is that many of these children improve remarkably as soon as they are taken off wheat! While scientists are still grappling to elucidate the reason, it appears that wheat proteins make the intestines ‘leaky’, allowing large quantities of natural peptides to enter the circulation and then find their way to the brain. In an extended observation on the effect of wheat and our brain, some patients of schizophrenia got better when the cereal was eliminated from their diets.

These fascinating studies are pushing us to re-explore the pivotal role that our diets may be playing in not just shaping our bodies but in nurturing our brains and emotions as well. 

As published in HT City ( Hindustan Times) dated 26th January, 2014.