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Tracking Down Gluten Sensitivity | Earth Wise

October 6, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Celiac disease is a well-documented autoimmune disease triggered by exposure to the dietary proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease affects less than 1% of Americans yet many more people claim to be sensitive to gluten.

When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, the small projections that line the small intestine that promote nutrient absorption. Symptoms range from various digestive problems to fatigue, weight loss, bloating, and anemia. Ultimately, it can lead to a variety of serious health complications.

Until recently, there was a tendency by doctors to dismiss the complaints of people who claimed to be sensitive to gluten but do not have celiac disease. That is starting to change, in part as a result of studies conducted at Columbia University that looked at the biological basis for non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

The new study shows that people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity produce a high level of anti-gluten antibodies but that these antibodies are different from the ones triggered by celiac disease and that the inflammatory responses they instigate are also different. The more restrained inflammatory response is much less likely to be associated with autoimmune activity and intestinal cell damage. In addition, the immune system of people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity appears to be able to gradually reduce its inflammatory response over time.

Discovery of these antibodies could be used in the future to help doctors more readily identify people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which now is difficult to diagnose. The researchers also believe that their work could lead to potential new therapies for celiac disease, which is currently treated only with dietary restrictions.

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Unique Antibody Profile Sets Gluten Sensitivity Apart from Celiac Disease

Photo, posted November 27, 2010, courtesy of Francis Storr via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Chocolate Is Good For The Heart | Earth Wise

August 27, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

At last a good news story about what we eat, or more specifically, about what we like to eat. According to research published recently in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, eating chocolate at least once a week is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease.

In the past, clinical studies have shown that chocolate is beneficial for both blood pressure and the lining of blood vessels. The new study suggests that chocolate helps to keep the heart’s blood vessels healthy.

The researchers conducted a combined analysis of studies from the past five decades examining the association between chocolate consumption and coronary artery disease. The analysis included data from over 300,000 participants who reported their chocolate consumption. About 14,000 participants in the study ultimately developed coronary heart disease. Compared with consuming chocolate less than once a week, eating chocolate more than once a week was associated with an 8% decreased risk of coronary heart disease.

Chocolate contains heart-healthy nutrients such as flavonoids, methylxanthines, polyphenols, and steric acid. These substances may reduce inflammation and increase good (HDL) cholesterol.

The study did not examine whether any particular type of chocolate is more beneficial or whether there is an ideal portion size. So, while chocolate appears to be promising for reducing the occurrence of coronary heart disease, it will require more research to determine how much and what kind of chocolate could be recommended.

Not to be spoilsports, but the doctors who conducted the study warned against overeating. Eating large quantities of chocolate products laden with calories, sugar, milk and fat, is not a recommended path to improved health.

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Chocolate is good for the heart

Photo, posted February 22, 2014, courtesy of Jan David Hanrath via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Llamas And The Flu

December 21, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Last year’s flu season was the worst in 40 years. More than 80,000 people died in the U.S. last year from the flu and its complications. Flu vaccines are the best preventative we have, but there are still high mortality rates around the world. Some individuals respond poorly to vaccination, and variations in viruses makes targeting with the optimal antigen very difficult. The World Health Organization estimates that between 290,000 and 650,000 people die from seasonal flu worldwide each year.

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An App For Infection Testing

June 11, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Researchers at Washington State University have developed a low-cost, portable device that works with a smartphone to detect common viral and bacterial infections nearly as well as clinical laboratories. Such a system could lead to faster and lower-cost lab results for fast-moving epidemics, especially in rural or lower-resource regions where laboratory equipment and medical personnel are not readily available.