Gluten can disrupt our bodies: TRUE
The small intestine is the organ whose job it is to ensure the digestion of food and transform it into elements that our body can absorb. The inside of the gut is made up of a very fragile layer: the gut lining. This mucous membrane performs an important protective function as it acts as a barrier to prevent the passage of molecules that are too large and could be harmful to the body. Its job is to prevent the excessive passage of toxins, harmful bacteria or viruses.
This mucosa is made up of very dense cells that ensure its impermeability. But various elements can attack the mucosa and the intestinal microbiota and disrupt their function: taking antibiotics, excessive protein consumption, insufficient chewing, pesticides, sweeteners, high gluten consumption…
They then contribute to the so-called intestinal permeability: they change the connection between the cells of the mucous membrane, which then move apart. This makes the intestinal lining more permeable and allows proteins to pass that would not normally pass, such as extracts from bacterial membranes, gluten proteins or even peptides from milk proteins! Imagine a sieve with holes too large to let through the rice grains you’re draining through: in the same way, the unwanted elements will potentially pass through the intestinal wall and then get into the blood.
Before, wheat was less of a problem: TRUE
Gluten provides the elasticity of a dough. The ancestral wheats were much less gluten-rich than our modern wheats. However, in order to increase yields and feed the world’s population, modern wheat’s genes have been modified through numerous crosses between different varieties to increase the gluten concentration of the wheat varieties and thus make the dough more elastic. Our body therefore has to absorb much more gluten today.
This makes spelled a type of wheat that contains significantly less gluten and is better tolerated. In fact, compared to the modern wheat that is traditionally consumed, it is an older variety of wheat that then triggers fewer immune or inflammatory responses. Einkorn differs from spelt, a variety that contains more gluten than einkorn but is still more interesting than modern wheat.
Eating gluten-free helps you lose weight: WRONG
Gluten is a protein, so it doesn’t make you fat. A gluten-free diet can lead to weight loss by avoiding bread, pasta, pizza, biscuits or even pastries, provided that you do not replace them with other gluten-free products that are just as fatty and sweet.
Only 1% of the population has a problem with gluten: FALSE
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects around 1% of the French population (but a large proportion of celiacs would go undiagnosed today – the figure varies between 30% and 80% depending on studies).
On the other hand, it is estimated that at least 5 to 10% of people also have a sensitivity to gluten, which can lead to intestinal pain, fatigue, headaches or even joint pain.
0 Comments