Gluten and Glyphosate - How Gluten Sensitivity and Leaky Gut Happend
Hello, I am Julie Donaldson and I am a clinical nutritionist with functional medicine training. I specialize in restoring balance in complex, chronic and acute health conditions. I welcome you to peruse other articles that may be of interest to you in your health investigation!
“I am one of those people who waited for years to know the severity of my gluten intolerance, which was actually celiac disease. Julie’s knowledge base and intuition are unlike any other practitioner I’ve met on my road to healing. Why use anyone other than the absolute best?”
The debate about whether gluten is really a problem is a hot one! And we’re here to talk about it, along with providing science and solutions. Gluten sensitivity has long been on the rise, and one of the reasons we’re seeing this is the presence of glyphosate in conventional wheat farming. Understanding why the body reacts to a food substance because of chemical presence is important in order to know why you want to evaluate this risk to your health. Leaky gut occurs, and gut health is paramount to holistic health. Once the body begins to react to gluten, it can tip over into an autoimmune response in the thyroid known as Hashimoto’s Disease. We also see major changes in the absorption of nutrients as these issues develop.
We are needing new studies, but the most significant data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show the rising tide of gluten sensitivity in people without celiac disease. Celiac diagnoses also rose, but this level likely does not reflect its actual prevalence. This is, in part, due to the fact that celiac disease has so many different expressions, making diagnosis quite low by most estimations. Up to 83% of Americans who have celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions. Celiac disease can express as mood disorder, brain fog, neurological symptoms, bone issues, joint pain, anemia and liver dysfunction. These issues are then oftentimes treated in isolated/associated medical practices and not investigated as celiac disease. 6-10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed (Source: Daniel Leffler, MD, MS, The Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease incidence
What’s causing all of this?
There are several compounded influences that have been occurring over time. The ways in which we grow, process, bake, and package grains now is completely different than it was decades ago. One of the most significant changes, without a doubt, is that the toxic burden in farming practices has increased. Here are the main shifts we are seeing with industrialized farming:
We no longer have a hands-on approach for making products, meaning quantity over quality is now the priority
We have been breeding wheat for higher amounts of gluten (deepening burdens on our already burdened microbiomes)
We no longer use the natural fermentation process that would normally help mediate the impact that gluten has on our guts
We add insult to injury. Petroleum-based and superphosphate fertilizers began to be applied. Heavy metal presence increased. Then, the addition of chemicals like glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant came. And finally, we add more problematic players into the finished product, including emulsifiers which wreak further havoc on the microbiome
A desiccant is a substance used to induce and maintain dryness - while useful in harvesting and storing grains to prevent mold and rotting, the health risks of glyphosate are still in question. One major lawsuit won against Monsanto for its use of glyphosate in Roundup was settled (and upheld in appeal) with determination of carcinogenic impacts. A chemical addition initiates a chain reaction. So, while many pesticides and herbicides can be utilized under the guise that they don’t harm animals, chemicals in food absolutely kill good bacteria in the human gut, which causes dysbiosis (microbial imbalance). An imbalanced microbiome predisposes you to poor digestion and loss of critical nutrients. Mineral deficiencies such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc are among the most common. Another contributor to mineral deficiencies involves the presence of phytates in wheat which is locked in by glyphosate’s desiccant action. Phytates bind minerals and prevent their absorption.
While the debate about the toxicity of glyphosate continues, let’s focus on destruction in the gut. In the presence of both glyphosate and gluten, there is a more severe reduction in TEER (trans epithelial electrical resistance). Lower TEER = increased permeability of the gut lining, also known as leaky gut. TEER values are strong indicators of epithelial cell barrier integrity and permeability. Below is a chart showing the reduction of these values , increasing with the presence of both gluten and glyphosate:
TEER value reduction with gluten and glyphosate
Next, here is a chart of adult and fetal TEER levels in the presence and non-presence of gastrointestinal disease:
Adult and fetal TEER levels in gastrointestinal disease
Once again, with this information, we can see the potential for medical treatment of GI diseases that disregards mucosal barrier destruction potentially caused by gluten and glyphosate exposure. Millions of Americans are treated for GI diseases with pharmaceuticals that do not (and will never) address this influential root cause. With loss of barrier integrity and epithelial integrity/electrical conduction, the immune system must constantly fight invaders that leak into the bloodstream. This can be a root cause for autoimmune conditions in the gut and elsewhere in the body.
Let’s talk more about gluten proteins
This is a critical conversation. Let’s begin with an understanding of gliadin, the main protein in gluten-containing foods. Researchers put gliadin through a simulated digestion process (acid-induced pepsin activity) and added trypsin in order to simulate what happens in the human body during its digestion.
In this process, several peptides (amino acid chains) that make up the gliadin protein begin to create negative impacts. At least two of the peptides are immunomodulatory, meaning that they elicit an immune response. Another one of the peptides is actually cytotoxic (at high enough concentration, it will kill cells). A fourth peptide, known as gluteomorphin, has a morphine-like activity that slows down gut motility - something which is generally bad for digestion. On a side note, this is also why people crave bread and wheat products. It’s actually addictive, as that opiate response is perceived in the brain.
Further, when in the presence of glyphosate, gliadin peptides cause upregulation of zonulin (a protein that can tear apart tight junctions in the gut). Usually, this zonulin-inducing peptide is intercepted by an enzyme called DPP4 that degrades the peptide, allowing it to leave the body. However, since glyphosate upregulates free radicals and down-regulates the crucial DPP4 enzyme, the peptide can miss the degradation step. Instead, it can bind to a site on the cell that initiates zonulin production, causing intestinal permeability, also known as leaky gut. Under normal circumstances, this opening of the gut lining is necessary in order to allow immune surveillance for pathogens/invaders. However, consistent opening of the tight junctions in the gut lining via zonulin production is detrimental, allowing foreign particles and toxins to seep into the bloodstream. This flood of foreign particles causes near-constant inflammation and immune response, all of which creates energy depletion and a cascade of negative biochemical reactions.
The chart below shows you how long food can remain in the digestive tract, giving it time to create its negative impacts. This matters in the context of digestive inflammation and the potential for leaky gut processes. While many believe that gluten & gliadin are “fine” so long as they are not celiac, this should help with the understanding that localized colon antibodies to gluten are different from systemic blood antibodies, but they both matter - greatly.
Food transit time through the digestive tract
Summations and solutions
It’s important to talk about what we can do to create protection around gluten sensitivity.
First, if you suspect that you are having problems, there are some excellent tests to run which can evaluate your risks. These include an HTMA (hair & tissue mineral analysis) which will indicate nutrient levels in your body and a GI Map stool test with zonulin which will indicate zonulin level but also anti-gliadin antibodies, bacterial activity in the GI tract and inflammation levels in the colon. Anyone with concerning results in these tests should absolutely consider an anti-TTG blood test which is a less-invasive way to determine celiac disease. (Small intestine biopsy is the gold standard, but clearly invasive. A trained practitioner knows what to look for in the anti-TTG test.)
As always, in order to stabilize your basic homeostatic mechanisms and optimize your ATP production, we must apply metabolic nutrition. With Metabolic Typing ®, your personalized nutrition needs are met, allowing you to experience optimal energy production through the Krebs cycle. Your body cannot heal without adequate ATP - it is the energy source for all of your cells. (Read more on this topic here, in the section “Summations and Solutions”.)
With high sensitivity to gluten, it is incredibly important to avoid it for a sufficient period of time while your body heals from the toxicity and negative reactions to the proteins. Many clients ask if they can ever eat gluten again - and the answer is possibly! But, key to healing is to give your body plenty of time to reprogram - once the negative effects have set in and the body has recognized the dangers, it will often react also to “clean” gluten. Consider this a protective mechanism and your body’s innate wisdom working to protect you! It is possible to reprogram this over time, slowly and carefully.
If your sensitivities are low and your mucosal barrier is intact, you may consider using some healthier forms of gluten, including soaking wheat berries for bread-making and sourdough preparations with high-quality flours from Europe. Sprouted seed and/or other gluten-free breads are wonderful alternatives as well. I recommend Ancient Grains frozen baguettes, Canyon House Bakery Heritage breads, and Simple Kneads gluten free breads online. Many of my clients also make their own breads with cassava, rice, almond and/or teff flours. For gluten free pasta products that taste and cook up just like wheat products, look for the Jovial label.
Another consideration is getting enough prebiotics and butyric acid into your gut. The best prebiotic foods are sunchokes, potato starch and onion. Healthy bacteria will make butyric acid in the presence of sufficient prebiotics, but many people also supplement with prebiotics and butyrate, especially if/when these foods are offensive to their gut conditions.
Supporting a healthy mucous status in the GI tract is also key. Green tea, clove and olive oil are excellent for this purpose.
Humic acids are key for glyphosate detoxification. Additionally, they are major players in the function of the Nrf2 pathway and with activation of the DPP4 enzyme mentioned earlier which degrades the gliadin peptides . A variety of products can serve this purpose and should be chosen based upon individual needs and symptoms. As always, you may contact me at Julie@truenaturehealthconsulting.com to strategize and personalize your care. We provide holistic telehealth services.