By Samuel
Gluten, a substance found in the grains of cereals such as wheat, barley, rye, etc. is a mixture of hundreds of distinct proteins found within the same family of nutrients.
However, at the molecular level, gluten is primarily made up of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. To clarify, a protein is a molecule that comprises a chain of repeating units called amino acids.
To understand the power of gluten, one needs to understand the function of its constituent units. For example, while gliadin gives bread the ability to rise during baking, glutenin makes the dough elastic and keeps its shape. Also, the amino acids present in both help the two proteins to form hydrogen bonds with each other.
Simply put, gluten helps foods maintain their shape by acting as a glue that holds food together, further adding a stretchy quality to it. Without gluten, a loaf of baked bread would be flat and dense – not light and fluffy.
Generally speaking, single amino acids and small chains of amino acids do not cause problems for both the intestine and the immune system because lymphocytes only react to longer chains of amino acids.
Gluten is most often associated with wheat and wheat-containing foods and many studies have linked whole grain consumption with improved health outcomes.
Studies have also shown that it may also act as a prebiotic, feeding the “good” bacteria in the body. Avoiding foods that contain glutens may lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients, including iron, calcium, fiber, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. Likewise, nutritionists have advised that carbohydrates should make up 55 to 60 percent of a healthy diet.
Gluten is present in a bulk of our diets. Therefore, eliminating wheat, rye, barley and the other grains that provide gluten will only deprive the body of some key sources of complex carbohydrates needed in a balanced diet.
It is, however, important to point out that people react differently to gluten. Scientists have found that some people may develop negative reactions to it. This could result in skin rashes and stomach cramps or what is called celiac disease – abnormal sensitivity to gluten in the diet.
This happens when the body senses gluten as a toxin and the immune cells overreact, attacking it.
For these kinds of individuals, other gluten-free dietary options is advisable and recommended.
