Gluten
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in certain grains, whose qualties enhance baking applications. Thanks to gluten, flour made from cereals becomes a sticky dough during processing. This is important to increase the volume of the dough and ensure the consistency of the baked product. Gluten is a protein that contains an unusually large amount of the amino acid proline and is therefore difficult to digest.
How is gluten broken down in our bodies?
Gluten is a protein that contains an unusually large amount of the amino acid proline. The prolyl oligopeptidases or prolyl endopeptidases (PEP) are the digestive enzymes needed to break it down. However, sometimes these enzymes are not present in high enough concentrations in the intestine, so gluten is not completely broken down in the gastrointestinal colon. Most people do not notice this, but in cases of gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance, it causes symptoms.
Gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease
In the case of gluten sensitivity, gluten cannot be completely broken down in the gastrointestinal colon because the necessary digestive enzymes are not present in sufficient concentrations in the intestine. Gluten sensitivity is often accompanied by unpleasant symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, headaches, fatigue, joint and muscle pain and sometimes even depressed moods. The symptoms develop relatively quickly after eating gluten-containing foods and disappear again when all gluten is eliminated from the diet.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the small intestine. When digesting gluten (a protein found in certain grains, such as wheat or barley), the immune system overreacts to it. This is accompanied by an inflammatory response that damages the wall of the intestinal lining. 1% of the population has celiac disease, with a hereditary component always present.
In cases of Celiac disease, a strict gluten-free diet, with proper monitoring by a doctor, is necessary. This allows the gut to repair itself.
Which products contain gluten?
– wheat
– rye
– barley
– (green) spelt
– kamut
– single-grain
– bucket
– flour
– starch
– semolina
– couscous
– muesli
– breadcrumbs
– pizza
– pasta
– seitan
– baguette
– gnocchi
– bouillon cubes
– cake, pie
– puff pastry
– lump of yeast
– cookies
– beer
– ready-to-eat meals
– frozen meals
– pre-prepared sauces and soups
– fine meats (ham, salami)
TIP: We can recognize a gluten-free product by the gluten-free logo on the package. We can speak of a gluten-free product if it contains less than 20 mg of gluten per kg and of a very low gluten product if it contains between 20 to 100 mg per kg.