Foods That Go Against The Grain

[Guest guest]

FOODS THAT GO AGAINST THE GRAIN

Coeliac Society

British Dietetic Association

Dietary allergies and intolerances, particularly to wheat products, are

increasing. Ursell finds out why.

PLANNING a dinner party these days is no easy matter. You may have

become used to asking: " Are you vegetarian? " But what about the essential

follow-up inquiry: " Do you have any food intolerances? "

Increasing numbers of people, it seems, are suffering from adverse

reactions to particular foods. Berriedale- is editor of Inside

Story, Britain's only magazine dedicated to those who have this kind of

intolerance or allergy. She believes the most noticeable increase is in people

who avoid wheat-based foods.

" More and more people are telling us that they think they are

intolerant of wheat. Of course, much of the evidence is anecdotal, but when

you hear stories about people having digestive problems for 25 years, who

then get

better overnight by cutting it out, you have to ask yourself why. "

Professor Brostoff, an allergy specialist at the

Middlesex Hospital in London, agrees. He believes that between 10 and 25 per

cent of the population has some level of intolerance to the grain.

Dr Briffa is a GP and natural health expert who believes

he may know why. " Wheat is a relatively new addition to our diets and the

forms we

now consume are very different from those cultivated thousands of years ago, "

he

explains. " In evolutionary terms, our bodies are being exposed to foods to

which they have had little time to adapt.

" Add to this the sheer number of times we expose ourselves to

wheat on a daily basis in our current Western culture, and it is possible

that we

are in effect exhausting through overuse the enzymes in our bodies that break

down

wheat. "

Another theory, explained by consultant dietitian Lyndel Costain,

puts the seeming rise in wheat and other food intolerances down to alterations

in gut bacteria, brought on through increased use of antibiotics and

exposure to pollution and stress.

" The changes in the balance of our gut bacteria could be making us

less able to digest wheat, " says Costain. " This increases symptoms such as

bloating and wind, problems that decrease when we remove it from our diets. "

The more widespread symptoms such as headaches, arthritis and

fatigue, which can also improve once wheat is removed from the diet, are

harder to explain.

Gail Pollard, a dietitian specialising in food intolerance at the

Middlesex Hospital, says: " One view is that certain components of wheat

make the gut wall 'leaky' in susceptible people. This could then allow

substances that would normally remain in the intestine to pass over into the

blood and perhaps

trigger such symptoms. "

One group of people for whom the cause of their wheat

intolerance is better defined are those with coeliac disease, which affects

one in 200-300 of the population.

Margaret Mac of the Coeliac Society explains: " There is a

particular protein in wheat - gluten - which triggers an immune response in

sufferers. This damages the lining of the gut, leading to typical symptoms in

adults of extreme tiredness, weight loss and diarrhoea through the body's

inability to absorb adequate nutrients from the foods and drinks they eat. "

Coeliac sufferers are advised to exclude all gluten, including

wheat, barley and rye, from their diet permanently.

For bel Goody, a 25-year-old senior staff nurse from Haywards

Heath, West Sussex, this is not always easy. " I was diagnosed as having

coeliac disease a year ago. Since then, I have not consciously eaten any foods

containing gluten.

" This doesn't just mean avoiding all normal bread, pasta, cakes or

biscuits. You also have to be careful about all processed foods, finding

out all of their ingredients and how they are made. For example, one

chocolate brand

might be fine, while a smaller, but otherwise identical version could be

made in a factory where wheat flour is also used. Mayonnaise in bottles is

wheat-free

and gluten-free, yet mayonnaise in sachets contains gluten. "

However, according to new research carried out by a team at Oxford

University, those with coeliac disease may soon be able to abandon the tiring

scrutiny of every morsel that passes their lips.

Their work, just published in the journal Nature Medicine, reveals

that far from being caused by a variety of gluten molecules in cereals,

coeliac disease may be triggered by just a tiny and identifiable part of the

gluten

particle.

The significance of this discovery is explained by Dr

, a research fellow at the Nuffield Department of Medicine in Oxford.

" Our findings offer the possibility of novel treatments for

coeliac disease. If the immune response is highly specific to a single piece

of the

gluten protein, it could be possible to produce genetically modified wheat

that lacks this fragment. It is also feasible that we could develop a vaccine

against the disease. "

Either way, those affected by the condition may have the chance to

eat freely and normally.

" The vaccine for coeliac disease is likely to be the toxic part of

gluten itself, " says . " Already, high doses of the problem protein

have successfully treated some animal diseases, in effect, by desensitising

the

immune system. "

But while the team undertakes further research, strict

adherence to a gluten-free diet remains vital. This is the only option for

eight-year-old

Lane Bridgeland, of Soham in Cambridgeshire.

" Lane had the most extraordinary behaviour problem, " says his

mother, Jane. " For apparently no reason at all, he would break into hysterical

laughter for hours on end, as though he were drunk. "

Lane was found to be intolerant to gluten, which experts explained

was caused by the leaky gut syndrome described by Pollard. " We were told

that it was opioid-like substances that were passing from his gut into his

blood and

then affecting his brain, " says Jane Bridgeland. " Cutting out gluten cured the

problem. Any slip-ups led to an almost immediate return of the symptoms. "

She continues: " It costs us a fortune. We have to buy gluten-free

bread, which can be up to £4.50 a loaf, as well as gluten-free flour, which I

use to make him biscuits. "

Costs are likely to fall in the future, however, as mainstream

supermarkets address the problem. Tesco has just responded to the increased

demand for such products by stocking a full range of wheat and gluten-free

foods called Glutano.

Berriedale- welcomes the move. " I'd like to see

such foods even more widely available. It will be a huge relief when those

who want

to try a wheat and gluten-free diet can do so affordably, and under one roof. "

a.. For more information on coeliac disease, contact the Coeliac

Society, PO Box 220, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 2HY. The society produces an

annual booklet listing gluten-free foods for its members.

b.. Other conditions that may benefit from following a gluten-free

diet include arthritis, ME, autism and dermatitis herpetiformis.

c.. For information on the magazine Inside Story - Food and

Health,

telephone 020 7722 2866 or write to Berriedale- at 5 Lawn

Road,

London NW3 2XS. A 12-month subscription costs £29.95.

d.. For more information on the Glutano range of gluten-free

foods,

call the Tesco Customer Services line on 0800 50 55 55.

e.. To consult a state-registered dietitian, contact your general

practitioner or for a list of freelance dietitians with specialist

interests in

food intolerance, call the British Dietetic Association on 0121 6161 4900.

f.. Actor Terence Stamp's intolerance to wheat inspired him to

start

his own range of products called the Stamp Collection, which includes breads,

crisps, pasta and flour. The foods can be found in many supermarkets and

health

food stores. For further details on products and stockists, call 020 7637

5505.

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