Gluten Sensitivity: which test is best

Gluten Sensitivity: Which Test is best?

Gluten is getting a bad rap of late and it’s in everything, so is it really worth making the HUGE effort to cut it out of your diet?

Summary:

Gluten intolerance (GI) or Celiac Disease is a genetic autoimmune disease that damages your intestinal lining and interferes with nutrient absorption. Gluten Sensitivity (GS) is not as immediately damaging to the lining of the intestine as Celiac. It is the sensitivity of the body to certain proteins and enzymes found in gluten containing foods such as wheat, oats, barley and rye. It is harder to diagnose GS, however new tests are available through independent labs or a simple elimination of gluten from your diet while monitoring symptoms.

What’s the difference between Gluten Sensitivity and Gluten Intolerance (Celiac Disease)?

Celiac disease affects 1 in 100 Australians, but approximately 75% currently remain undiagnosed. If you suspect you have celiac disease it is well worth screening for. This is done in 3 ways. Initially a blood screening can be done by your GP to check for tissue transglutaminase (tTG) which is fairly accurate. A biopsy of the small intestine is the gold standard and will be done following a positive tTG blood test or to get the most accurate result. If the blood serum and biopsy are difficult to interpret, a gene HLA test (blood or buccal swab) is performed to confirm the gene markers HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8, which is not a screening test but will exclude celiac in uncertain cases.

If you don’t come up positive with any of the celiac tests but have similar symptoms of celiac disease such as abdominal pain, fatigue, headaches, tingling/numbness, “foggy brain” and digestive abnormalities such as diarrhoea or constipation; it’s possible you have IBS, bacterial over growth or a ‘sensitivity’ to gluten.

Non-coeliac Gluten Sensitivity

Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) can present with some or all of the symptoms as above. These symptoms will present a few hours to days after ingesting gluten containing foods so it is quite difficult to diagnose unless you do a strict elimination diet and introduce gluten when you are symptom free.

The confusing part is that there are many components to gluten that you may be reacting to. These include:

1.    Gliadin molecules: Alfa, Beta, Omega and Gamma.

2.    Glutenin

3.    WGA – Wheat Germ Aglutenin (lectin) – can cause red blood cell clumping leading to cold hands and feet. Can pass through Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and effect Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) effecting memory.

4.    Deamidated Gliadin –

5.    Gluteomorphin -

6.    Prodynorphin –

7.    Transglutaminase 2, 3- can cause skin problems, 6- can cause neurological problems, brain fog

What test should I get for Gluten Sensitivity?

The cheapest, easiest and most accurate way to test if you have gluten sensitivity is to completely eliminate 100% of all gluten from your diet for at least 2 months and then see how you feel.

Not everyone wants to do this and I have to say I’m one of them and I totally understand why you’d rather do a test. In that case you can do a saliva or blood test.

If you live in Australia, there are not many functional tests available so often we have to send these to the US. The most accurate and detailed is www.cyrexlabs.com: ‘wheat gluten proteome sensitivity and auto panel’. Unfortunately they do not offer their service to Australia so we use BioHealth labs ‘Celiac/Gluten Sensitivity Enteropathy Profile’ which costs around $180 and will take 2-3 weeks.

If you are confused about your symptoms it is best to come and see us for a thorough diagnosis and direction as to which tests to take and when. Testing can become very expensive and can be hit and miss if you don’t know what clues to look for.

Chris Eddy

Melbourne Acupuncture Clinic @ Rowen D’Souza Chiropractic

Suite 712/365 Little Collins St Melbourne 3000

(03) 8676 0599

chrisjameseddy@gmail.com