It has long been believed that only certain gene types are susceptible to celiac disease and that the destruction caused by gluten is limited to the intestinal tract.
Gene types HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 have been associated with an increased risk of celiac disease.
Gliadin and transglutaminase antibodies, which can be measured in the blood, are also
associated with celiac disease.
However, studies today challenge these long-held concepts. First, the HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8
celiac genotypes cannot be used as sole determinants of gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.
Many people who do not have the genotypes still have severe reactions to gluten.
Second, many people with gluten sensitivity have silent celiac disease, meaning their symptoms
are not intestinal. Instead, they experience reactions to gluten in the brain, thyroid, joints, skin,
or other tissues, which are referred to as “extraintestinal manifestations.” Finally, the most
common area of non-intestinal manifestation of gluten sensitivity is the brain and nervous
system.
In fact, one study of patients who manifested gluten sensitivity in the brain found only a third of
them also suffered from gastrointestinal disorders. Another study in the journal Neurology
showed that out of 10 participants with headaches, abnormalities in how they walked, and
elevated anti-gliadin antibodies (gluten sensitivity), seven demonstrated complete resolution of
symptoms on a gluten-free diet. The interesting part of this study was six out of the 10 subjects
had no intestinal complaints.
According to a paper titled The Gluten Syndrome: A Neurological Disease, research shows gluten
sensitivity not associated with celiac disease or gut damage can nevertheless solely and directly
harm the brain and nervous system, leading to a number of different neurological problems. In
other words, we are now learning gluten sensitivity destroys the brain and nervous tissue more
than any other tissue in the body, including that of the gastrointestinal tract.
If your brain is not working, a sensitivity to gluten could be causing an immune assault on your
brain. This will lead to brain inflammation and increase the risk for an autoimmune attack on
brain tissue.
Despite the research, many physicians do not understand celiac disease, much less the concepts
of gluten sensitivity, silent gluten sensitivity, or extraintestinal manifestations of gluten
sensitivity. Your average gastroenterologist is still stuck on the outdated HLA-DQ and intestinal
biopsy model for celiac diagnosis and is unaware most gluten reactions do not cause gut damage
or symptoms. Your average neurologist, on the other hand, has no idea a gluten sensitivity can
cause any type of neurological disease.
If you have a neurological disorder or your brain is not working, you need to be tested for gluten
sensitivity and not just celiac disease, which I will discuss later in this guide. But before we go
into testing, let me share with you some of the research related to the impact of gluten on the
brain.
To learn more, download my free guide Gluten and the Brain.
