Wheat gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat and wheat flour. It also provides structure to many food products, especially breads and baked goods. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are health conditions in which gluten cannot be consumed in the diet since it damages the gastrointestinal tract. Not only can wheat gluten cause celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, it can also contribute to brain fog. The "Brain-Grain Connection" newsletter reports that 75 percent of untreated celiac patients have abnormal blood flow patterns to the brain. Brain fog is a real occurrence with gluten sensitivity.
Gluten Sensitivity and Brain Illness
Unexplained brain dysfunction is seen in 6 to 10 percent of patients diagnosed with celiac disease, explains G. Gobbi, author of "Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders in Coeliac Disease." Gluten sensitivity plays a strong role in neurological issues that have no other cause. A study published in the 1996 "Lancet" assessed anti-gliadin antibody levels in people with gluten sensitivity with unexplained neurological dysfunction. High levels of anti-gliadin antibodies were seen in comparison with healthy subjects with unexplained brain dysfunction. The most common brain dysfunction symptoms are lack of coordination of muscle movements and peripheral neuropathy, which is pain associated with dysfunction of the nerves that carry messages to and from the spinal cord.
Gluten Ataxia
The most common brain dysfunction symptom of gluten sensitivity is ataxia. Not only this, but ataxia is the most common symptom of gluten sensitivity altogether, according to a 1998 study in the "Lancet." Ataxia is a lack of coordination with muscle movements that deals with communication from the brain. Ataxia can occur with brain involvement alone or in conjunction with gastrointestinal symptoms.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy is the second most common brain-associated symptom of gluten sensitivity. Peripheral neuropathy is the disruption of communication of signals between the brain and spinal cord resulting in pain. A prospective study in the 2002 "Journal of Neurology Surgical Psychiatry" showed 40 percent of people with unexplained peripheral neuropathy ended up having gluten sensitivity.
Nutritional Deficiency
Experts used to think that neurological issues like brain fog were due to nutritional deficiencies associated with not eating well with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Studies have looked for deficiencies in B vitamins, vitamin D and vitamin E and found no correlation to brain fog. The negative effects of gluten on brain cognition are unrelated to nutritional deficiency. Instead, researchers in a 2002 study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry" think there is cross reactivity of IgG antibodies and other different antibodies that might be a contributing factor.
References
- The Brain-Grain Connection
- "Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders in Coeliac Disease"; G. Gobbi; 1997
- "Lancet"; Does Cryptic Gluten Sensitivity Play a Part in Neurological Illness?"; M. Hadjivassiliou et al.;1996
- "Journal of Neurology Surgical Psychiatry"; Gluten Sensitivity as a Neurological Illness; M. Hadjivassiliou et al.; 2002
