How Gluten Causes Immune Dysfunction, Chronic Inflammation and High Histamine

In this episode, Joanne Kennedy discusses a comprehensive case study of a patient with various symptoms like abdominal pain, migraines, and joint pain who was incorrectly suspected of having mold and oxalate problems. The root cause turned out to be gluten intolerance. 

Joanne explains the impact of gluten on the immune system, highlighting how it can cause significant inflammation and histamine issues. She differentiates between celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, explaining their symptoms, testing methods, and impacts on histamine production. 

Joanne also provides insights into diagnosing these conditions and emphasizes the importance of closely examining patients' diets before attributing symptoms to more complex conditions like mold or oxalate issues.

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Transcript

Joanne Kennedy: 0:00

Hi, it's Joanne. I'm gonna read out the symptoms of a patient that came to me with suspected mold and oxalate problems. She was getting abdominal pain, heartburn, joint pain, weakness. She'd been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She was very dizzy. She had migraines. She had anxiety. She had depression. She had cognitive impairment. She also had horrendous premenstrual dysphoric disorder. She had very painful periods. She had very heavy periods. So a patient like this, you would think you needed to do a big workup for oxalates and mold. But I tell you what, this is what gluten can do to people who are having massive immune reactions to gluten. It is one of the things that we cannot ignore in clinic. We need to see it in our patients. You need to be looking at your patient's diet and just looking at the gluten, because you don't wanna be taking your patients down a mold oxalate rabbit hole if they're simply celiac. Or they have wheat allergy. Or they have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. So this episode is all about gluten and how it can cause havoc with our immune system, driving up inflammation and driving up histamine. Welcome to the Histamine Well Podcast. Designed for practitioners and patients alike. This is your trusted source for insights on histamine intolerance, methylation, gut health, women's hormones, and much more. I'm Joanne Kennedy. Your host, naturopath, author, and educator passionate about breaking down complex science into clear, accessible knowledge. Whether you are a health professional or navigating your personal wellness journey. The Histamine Well Podcast bridges the gap between cutting edge research and practical understanding to empower you with the tools to thrive./Hi everyone. Today's episode is all about gluten and histamine. So unfortunately, we can't ignore the fact that gluten is very inflammatory to humans. Wheat grown in different countries can definitely have gluten that is more problematic than others, that's for sure. And Australia and the US not being so great. France being way better. A lot of other European countries. So you know, it, it gets a bit complicated, but essentially gluten does cause inflammation in the gut. Whether you are celiac. You got a celiac gene. So when my patients come to see to me and they say, oh, I'm not, i've been tested for celiac, I'm not celiac. It's like, it doesn't matter. Because celiac disease is only one part of the picture. As you'll learn, there is other issues with gluten that is just causing havoc with inflammation in our body, which is gonna drive up histamine. So today you are going to learn why gluten drives up histamine. The difference between celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non celiac gluten sensitivity, and the symptoms of these conditions. And we'll also talk about testing. So very simply, gluten is a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains. These are the grains. There's a lot of them. It's in white bread, multigrain, sourdough, rye, pumpkin, nickel, svet, begets chota, f kacha, brioche, English muffins, bagels, all the yummy things. It's in pasta, many cereals, crackers, flour tortillas, barley, couscous, bulgar, farrow, semolina. It's in many processed foods, including soup, sauces, gravy and processed meat. So you obviously always need to check the labels. And it's a problem because it contains two protein groups. Gliadin and glutenin. And it's the gliadin is actually the primary trigger for immune reactions in individuals with celiac disease. And the glutenin is another protein found in gluten that can also cause chronic inflammation. Not necessarily triggering an autoimmune condition, but definitely causing chronic inflammation. So the term gluten intolerance in naturopathic circles, nutritional medicine circles. It refers to three different conditions. Celiac disease, allergy to wheat, and non celiac gluten sensitivity. So celiac disease is an autoimmune disease and it occurs in genetically susceptible individuals. If you have the celiac gene, you can get celiac disease. If you do not have the celiac disease, you cannot get celiac disease. So it's an autoimmune disease. And an autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly targets and attacks the body's own cells and tissues. In a healthy immune system, the body can distinguish between its own cells and foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. However, in autoimmune disease, this self-recognition process is it malfunctions. And it leads the immune system to perceive normal healthy tissues as threats and launch an immune response against them. So in celiac disease, it's not a bacterial virus causing this. It's actually gluten. Where the immune system responds to gluten and it affects the small intestine. I. Now what happens in celiac disease is that the microvilli, which are tiny finger-like projections on the surface of the small intestine. They're actually there to increase the surface area in the small intestine available for nutrient absorption. And the inflammation that occurs in celiac disease is so severe that actually flattens. It destroys those microvilli. That damage is going to impair absorption of nutrients, including carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. And it also impairs the secretion of DAO enzyme. So those with celiac disease have massive issues with breaking down histamine effectively because the DAO enzyme breaks down histamine. And they can often just not have enough DAO enzyme due to that microvilli damage. So here are some of the signs and symptoms of celiac disease. Diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, constipation, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, fatigue, low iron, low folate, low vitamin B12, eczema, joint pain, bone density loss, infertility, headaches, migraines, peripheral neuropathy, anxiety, depression, irritability, and any histamine symptom. So essentially, it's a lot of inflammation being caused in Celiac, and if you don't have enough DAO to break it down. It will come out in a lot of these symptoms. A lot of them are inflammation symptoms. But then because we've got all of these histamine receptors in our body and in our brain, it will come out as skin issues and issues with neurotransmitters like the anxiety, the depression side of things. Chronic inflammation will cause that as well. So it goes hand in hand. Chronic inflammation, driving up histamine. And then if you are not able to break down the histamine, you will get symptoms. So wheat allergy is something I don't actually see this often in clinic because it'll be picked up by allopathic medicine pretty quickly. Your GP or immunologist, or yourself. It will become very obvious to you. So wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to several of the proteins found in wheat including albumin, globulin, and gluten. And wheat allergy can occur due to the gluten damaging the lining of the gastrointestinal tract causing leaky gut. When wheat gets through into the blood, the body recognizes it as an antigen. IE a toxin. The body then makes an antibody also called an immunoglobulin to bind to the antigen. IE the wheat proteins and destroys it. When wheat allergy occurs, it, it primarily causes what we call an immunoglobulin e mediated reaction. I always think of the IgE mediated reactions as being extreme E for extreme. So the IgE antibody not only binds to the antigen, but also binds to the receptors on mast cells and basophils that triggers the release of histamine. And this occurs very rapidly within minutes of exposure to wheat. That's like an anaphylactic reaction. These reactions. These IgE antibody reactions cause what we call type one hypersensitivity, anaphylaxis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and hives. So wheat allergy can also cause type four hypersensitivity reactions. These can take 12 to 72 hours to develop. Common symptoms include sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, wheezing, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headaches, irritability, and any histamine symptom. So we've also got a condition called non celiac gluten sensitivity. It's a condition whereby symptoms occur from consuming glutenal wheat in a person for whom celiac disease and wheat allergy are ruled out. Unlike celiac disease, non celiac gluten sensitivity does not involve the autoimmune response whereby the immune system attacks a small intestine in the presence of gluten. So non celiac gluten sensitivity is also not an IgE mediated allergic reaction like wheat allergy. It does not typically involve the production of specific antibodies against gluten. The cause of non celiac gluten sensitivity is still unclear. However, researchers have identified both gut inflammation and leaky gut with those with non celiac gluten sensitivity. So while not involving the adaptive immune system, that that's antibody antigen reaction responses seen in celiac. Gluten can still activate the innate immune system. So the innate immune system is the body's first line of defense against pathogens and harmful substances. It provides immediate non-specific responses to a wide range of invaders. In the context of the gut. The innate immune system plays a crucial role in maintaining a barrier against potential threats from the external environment. Including the diverse array of substances that we consume through the diet. Now gluten can activate various innate immune system cells in the gastrointestinal tract. Including macrophages, dendri cells, and epithelial cells. And these cells play key roles in detecting and responding to potential threats. And the stimulation of innate immune cells in reactions to gluten can result in the release of inflammatory mediators. These signaling molecules play a role in coordinating immune responses and might contribute to the development of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammation in the gut will stimulate the conversion of histamine and amino acid into histamine. And gluten can also cause a leaky gut as we know, which can also further trigger an immune response. So gluten can also, as we know, activate mast cells in the gut mucosa as well. There's many ways that gluten is causing inflammation and releasing histamine. And I see this clinically all the time. You know, I had a girl from Germany and she was a bucket of histamine. She was a bucket of histamine in Germany. And they tested her for a lot of gluten sensitivity and celiac, et cetera. And she came to see me. She didn't have the normal symptoms and she didn't have oxalate symptoms. No mold. Hormones were balanced. Wasn't too stressed. Didn't have sibo. And I could see that she was eating gluten, but that she was adamant that it wasn't gluten causing her histamine issues and, and that she was tested and it was all clear. I didn't see her for quite a while, and I ran into her in Pilates and she came up to me and said, oh, Jo, you were right. It was actually all the gluten I was eating. Well, she wasn't eating a lot. She was just eating gluten several, you know, two, three times a week. And it was just causing chronic inflammation in her gut, raising up her histamine bucket. And when she ate histamine foods, it just tipped the bucket over. So just getting the gluten out of her diet allowed her to consume a much wider range of foods.

13:44

Before we go any further, I want to speak directly to the practitioners and students listening. If you're intrigued by histamine and methylation and eager to expand your knowledge in this fascinating area. We offer the Histamine and Methylation online group coaching course. The only program of its kind, it covers everything you need to know about histamine and methylation, providing both the theory and guidance you need to treat these issues effectively in clinical practice. We cover SIBO, hormonal imbalances, oxalates, M-T-H-F-R, the four pathways of methylation, including the folate pathway, methionine pathway, tetrahydro biopterin pathway, and the all important transsulfuration pathway, and much more. The program is delivered by detailed online webinars and handouts for you to keep. And for eight weeks you'll meet with me for live coaching calls in a private community space with other practitioners from all over the world dealing with histamine and methylation issues in their patients every day. Together we learn so much. To learn more and apply, visit joanne kennedy naturopathy.com.

Joanne Kennedy: 15:00

/Now I'm gonna go through a list of symptoms of non celliac gluten sensitivity. When I see someone's diet in clinic. And they're eating a lot of gluten. And they're getting a lot of these symptoms. You can't, you gotta just not jump on the mold bandwagon, the oxalate bandwagon. It just might be. Gluten. Okay, so I'm gonna read the symptoms and you'll think, oh my goodness. It could be something else. So I'll read the gastrointestinal symptoms. Bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, reflux, heartburn, indigestion. Classic signs of SIBO. So, but you know, is it just gluten. Musculoskeletal, joint pain, muscle pain, numbness or tingling weakness, fibromyalgia. Classic symptoms of oxalate, but is it just gluten? Neurological headaches, migraines, vertigo, dizziness, insomnia, brain fog, cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, irritability. Symptoms of B12 deficiency, brain inflammation, high histamine, Marcons, mold, oxalate, SIBO. You can see if just eating a lot of gluten and are very intolerant to it, it can present like this. On the skin. Acne, eczema, itchy skin, red skin, hives. Again. Is is it like, oh goodness. Is it mold? Well, it's just gluten. Definitely causes mouth ulcers. Okay. That can be B12. That can also mimic a B vitamin deficiency, but it could just be gluten. Women with PMS, like PMS PMDD, irregular cycle, painful periods, heavy periods. Can't tell you the amount of girls that have got gluten out of their diet and it just really fixes their hormones. So again, we are looking at a case like this. And we're like, oh, is it a methylation issue? Are you under methylating? Are you over methylating? Do you have issues with progesterone receptors? You know, do you have endometriosis? Do you have a thyroid problem? When it's just gluten, God, it's actually such a easy, quick fix. Really. People, you know, think it's very overwhelming. I mean, being celiac is difficult because it's just any exposure will trigger. But just being gluten intolerant and understanding it that you avoid it, for the most part is actually a pretty simple diet change. It's way easier than dealing with a SIBO diet. Way easier than dealing with oxalate dumping. That's why I teach my patients. Well, if my patients have done a lot of other diets in the past, they're quick to jump on the no gluten if it's really helping their symptoms. So what do we do about testing? When it comes to celiac disease diagnosing and testing it's just difficult. Because you need to keep eating gluten for at least six weeks before testing to ensure the test results are accurate. And in some people, they're so sick from gluten that it's a bit of a problem. So a blood test for celiac disease aims to assess the levels of specific antibodies within the immune system. Your local GP can facilitate this test. They may request one of the following combinations. transglutaminase IGA and deamidated gliadin peptide IgG. I know that's a bit of a mouthful, but your GP will know what to test for. The antibody tests or the transglutaminase IGA antibody tests and the total IGA level. Your GP should definitely know how to test for celiac disease. So if these celiac antibody levels are above the normal rage, this indicates that you may have celiac disease. Then your gastroenterologist will conduct an endoscopy to obtain small samples. Biopsies from your small bowel. And this is a day procedure performed under light sedation. And these biopsies are then examined under a microscope to confirm or rule out celiac disease. Well, the problem is that if you are Celiac and you just eat gluten every day for six weeks, is, I mean, it's just, it's gonna just cause a lot of damage. So what you can do, first of all, is that you can actually do gene testing for celiac disease. The main genes linked to celiac disease are the HLA DQ2, and the HLA DQ8. The celiac gene test assesses the presence of the main genes linked to celiac disease, HLA DQ2, and HLA DQ8. At least one of these genes is necessary for the development of celiac disease. However, it's important to note that the mere presence of these genes does not guarantee that the person currently has or ever will develop celiac disease. So a negative gene test is valuable as it indicates that celiac disease can be excluded. Having a celiac gene is a prerequisite for developing celiac disease. On the other hand, a positive gene test only signifies susceptibility to celiac disease, but does not confirm the presence of the condition. So you need to go through the testing with the antibodies and do the endoscopy. one of the tests that we see in the complete microbiome map that we can do is a stool test. We can see the anti Glyadin IGA test by a stool sample. The presence of an anti glyadin IGA antibody in the stool suggests an immune response to gluten in the gastrointestinal tract. So anti glyadin antibodies are not exclusive to celiac disease and can be found in other conditions making it less specific for celiac disease compared to other blood tests. The anti Glyadin iga test in the stool has limitations and not considered a definitive diagnostic for celiac disease. Elevated anti glyadin IGA levels may be found in individuals with non celiac gluten sensitivity or other gastrointestinal conditions. So for instance, if I had a patient like this that came up with high anti glyadin IGA levels. They're definitely reacting to gluten. If they go and do the gene tests for celiac and they do not have celiac genes, they're not gonna be celiac. So that's one way you could look at it. That's what I would do. If I was test that's the first thing that I would do. And then if you do have the celiac genes and there's big issues going on, you do need to go into see your doctor. You need to get the antibodies tested. You need to get an endoscopy. Now allergy to wheat testing is pretty simple. Your doctor immunologist will do this, or even if you're rushed to hospital with your first anaphylactic reaction to wheat. So it's an IGE blood test. So a blood test that measures the level of specific antibodies produce in response to wheat allergens. So it's a very simple. Essentially there's no diagnostic tests for non celiac gluten sensitivity. Just to completely confirm it. We do have that anti glyadin IGA in the stool test. We can look at that and think about how they, definitely reacting to gluten. Are they celiac or not. But really the best way to assess is by eliminating gluten strictly from the diet for at least two weeks. Or two or three menstrual cycles if gluten is suspected to be causing menstrual issues. So if you just remove the gluten from your diet and you have less anxiety, less depression, your gut is better. You don't have fatigue, your skin is improving. This is a classic sign that your immune system does not like it. And sometimes it's simply the load. I know with myself, you know, it's funny. If I just sneak gluten into my diet a little bit, like a bit of, bit of sourdough bread here and there. Like if it just creeps into the house and I might just have it two or three times a week, definitely impacts my gut, my weight, my mood. You can see it, right? So when you really remove it from your diet. Even for a couple of weeks, you should definitely notice a difference. And if you are having bad PMS and you haven't actually been able to get to the root cause of it and you're still eating gluten, I would really recommend doing that. It definitely makes period pain worse. It can absolutely cause period pain. It's not good for endometriosis.'Cause gluten just stimulates the immune system. However you look at it, it's stimulating the immune system. And endometriosis is a immune dysregulating dysregulation. The researchers now are thinking about it more as an autoimmune type condition, and gluten is really bad for autoimmune. So there you have it. Gluten weight, celiac disease, non non-gluten sensitivity can really drive up histamine. If you think it's a problem for you, just get it outta the diet and you might be pleasantly surprised. So thank you for joining me. I hope you found this episode beneficial. Be sure to subscribe to the histamine well so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and you can also share this episode with someone who could benefit. If you have any questions you'd like answered or have a topic you'd like me to discuss, please go to my website, joanne kennedy naturopathy.com, where you can provide us with that information. Until next time, take care and be well.