Gluten intolerance is also known as celiac disease. According to the University of Montana, many people have celiac disease without knowing it, as this disease often goes undiagnosed. If you have celiac disease, your body responds to gluten as if it is a pathogen. When you consume gluten, your immune system initiates an inflammatory reaction that affects your small intestine. It has also been hypothesized that gluten-related syndromes cause neurological symptoms that can result in behavioral changes and learning disorders.
Gluten Intolerance
Gluten is a protein that is found in rye, barley, wheat and any product derived from them. Many common food additives contain gluten. For most people, gluten consumption poses no health problems. Gluten intolerance is passed along genetically. For those who are genetically predisposed to gluten intolerance, serious health consequences such as malnutrition can result from the consumption of gluten.
Behavior and Learning
Those with celiac disease are more likely to have neurological symptoms such as behavioral and learning disorders, according to a study published in the journal “Pediatrics” in 2004. Learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are usually more common in males. Among those with celiac disease, however, learning disabilities and ADHD were found in male and females almost equally. The study notes that the mechanism by which celiac disease affects behavior and learning remains unclear and that the presence of these conditions among those who are intolerant to gluten merits further study.
Schizophrenia
It has been suggested that gluten may affect behavioral pathologies such as schizophrenia. Celiac disease is more common among schizophrenic people than among the general population, according to a study published in the journal “Schizophrenia Research” in 2010. Some people with schizophrenia have antibodies to gluten, which means that their immune system regards gluten as a potential threat and has created a defensive weapon, or antibody, against it. This antibody has been found in some schizophrenic persons without any of the gastric inflammation characteristic of celiac disease.
Autism
Autism results in both behavioral and learning impairment. Gluten intolerance has been suggested as a possible factor in autism spectrum disorders, and many parents of autistic children have elected to put their children on gluten-free diets. Austin Mulloy of the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas warns that numerous adverse health consequences can arise from gluten-free diets, and that current research does not support abstinence from gluten as a therapy for those with autism, unless they have additionally been diagnosed with gluten intolerance.
References
- University of Montana: Celiac Disease
- "Pediatrics"; Range of Neurologic Disorders in Patients With Celiac Disease; Nathanel Zelnik, et al.; June, 2004
- University of Texas: Gluten- and Casein-free Diet Not Effective Autism Treatment; April 2010
- "Schizophrenia Research"; Novel Immune Response to Gluten in Individuals with Schizophrenia; Diana Samaroo, et al.; May 2010
- "Medical Hypothesis"; The Gluten Syndrome: A Neurological Disease: Rodney Philip Kinvig Ford; March 2009
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Celiac Disease
