Faster Than Your Couch!
I never believed that people, who are not suffering from Celiac disease, would benefit from a gluten-free diet. I thought this was just a placebo-effect, or some hypochondriac thing. I learned something new.
After fairly suddenly developing severe lower-GI problems, which also affected my running, I studied the scientific literature on the topic. Already about 6 months earlier, before I had these GI problems, I read up on the issue just out of curiosity, and found that proteins called ATI's (amylase trypsin inhibitors), which act as natural insecticides in plants and which have been purposely been crossed into modern high-gluten wheat crops, might be responsible for the "gluten sensitivity" that more and more people seem to complain about.
And now I found this publication: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3526354/ Edit: Click on "Additional Article Information" on the website, it will show the full article, as published in J.Exp.Med. Dec 17, 2012, 209 (13)
In short, it describes how, on a biochemical level, these proteins interact with the human digestive system, and that they actually do cause a generic and/or specific inflammatory response in individuals with a certain genetic disposition. They might also be responsible for causing Celiac disease.
The publication is a highly acclaimed scientific paper, not just "an internet website".
Because the ATI's are bound to gluten, the only way to avoid them is to go on a gluten-free diet. ATI's naturally occur in certain plants, even certain crops, but their level is very low or zero in "ancient" grains. However, due to their insecticidal effect, ATI's have been selectively crossed into the modern-kind wheat and other crops, which are prevalent on today's grain markets, to make them resistant or immune agains insect pests. These are not necessarily "genetically engineered" crops, just another step forward in selectively breeding crops for food usage.
So I've put myself on a gluten-free diet, and, just to make sure, undergone extensive testing for wheat, gluten, and other food sensitivities or allergies, as well as Lyme disease, arthritis, and others. Turned out, all my digestive issues were resolved for the most part within less than a week, my general tendonitis, which has plagued me for weeks and even limited my work capacity, is disappearing (only one joint still is affected), and I have so much more energy. I am back to my former energetic, optimistic, pain-free self again.
Other, e.g. GI-problems were also resolved, like belching, bloating, having a terribly swollen, painful belly, or constantly feeling overly full. It is hard for me to acknowledge that this is all due to living gluten-free (as I never believed in it), but obviously, it is. Curious thing is, that I never even expected any changes when I went onto the gluten-free diet, and before the sensitivity came up, I literally lived and thrived on bagels, bread, and grains.
So if GI issues are plaguing your running, or you in general, this might be something to consider.
Run for fun.
Thanks for sharing, Marie. And I'm glad you've found the source of your GI issues, though removing gluten from your diet must be a difficult one (especially with your proclaimed dependence on bread). DH is at NCBI and has mentioned the link of this protein to gluten sensitivity, but hearing someone's experience makes the research much more real.
Thanks for sharing, Marie. And I'm glad you've found the source of your GI issues...
+1
tbd.
Following the diet is not as hard as I thought it would be. And more than all, the relief from the symptoms feels so good, that I really have no desire to risk getting sick again by eating something wrong.
The symptoms I had were quite severe. It felt as if I had swallowed (or was pregnant with) a huge, sharp, pointy boulder, which was poking against my belly from the inside. At times, I did not even want to move, let alone run any more, because of this discomfort. I also felt as if I would explode at any moment from the pressure in my stomach, and my abdomen was swollen that I looked as if I was 7 months pregnant. My waistline was up to 6 inches more than normal (and I'm slim). My husband was horrified when he saw it, but we just couldn't figure out what was going on. I had not gained any weight. I had fluid in my abdomen, as it was discovered by ultrasound, but not enough to explain all the symptoms (pain, pressure, swelling), and not enough to medically justify a procedure. My doctor did not have enough data, or guidelines, to recommend a treatment. When I told him that I felt great on the gluten-free diet, he told me to stick with it, as long as it helps.
Now after almost three weeks of gluten-free, I feel great, just like before. I suspect that at some point, about 2-6 months before, the bakery where I got my bagels from switched to a different kind of flour, or supplier, or the mill (or the farmer) just switched to a new grain. Switching would allow the bakery to eliminate the need for extra gluten as a dough conditioner, thus reducing cost, and I assume the gluten which they had used before had been derived from ATI-free wheat. But of course, I can't be sure of all that. I think that it is mainly the bagels that did the damage, and I could still tolerate most baked items and pasta, but I have no need to try it out to verify. The symptoms are too uncomfortable to risk that. I rather stay on my diet.
There are lots of foods that don't contain gluten, and it is just a matter of getting used to it. I'm easy to please with almost any kind of food, so it's not as big of a deal as it might seem. And there are gluten-free substitutes for bread and pasta. They are more expensive, so I don't use them often, and especially the bread is a bit crumbly after a day or two. But it's certainly good enough to satisfy a craving every once in a while. Some cereals are gluten-free, e.g. Chex, and I just found out that Chex now even manufactures a gluten-free hot cereal (oats are naturally gluten-free, but the grain is often transported and processed in containers or on equipment where wheat and other grains have been processed before, so they are usually contaminated with gluten, that's why regular oats are not allowed in a gluten-free diet unless they are certified gluten-free).
I don't know how close I have to stick to a "certified gluten-free" diet (like people suffering from Celiac disease have to), and if I'll tolerate some amount of regular grains. I will definitely find out along the way.
Very interesting.
One of my son's friends has a strong gluten sensitivity and it may help my younger son grow (fat absorption). I have also seen gluten free as somewhat trendy, but we may give it a try.
A meal we like is good sushi rice with gluten free soy or ponzu, topped with grilled marinated pork tenderloin, sauteed baby bok choy, asparagus or zucchini. It is really nice to have a really nice rice cooker for this.