[kenlove]

Gluten-free diet not friendly to gut bacteria: Study
By Stephen Daniells, 19-May-2009

Following a gluten-free diet may be detrimental to gut health, which may also affect immune health, according to a new study from the Spanish National Research Council.
According to results of a small study with 10 people consuming a gluten-free diet, populations of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, decreased, while counts for Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli increased.


“Thus, the gluten-free diet may constitute an environmental variable to be considered in treated coeliac disease patients for its possible effects on gut health,” wrote the authors in the British Journal of Nutrition.


Coeliac disease, a condition characterized by an intolerance to gluten in wheat, is reported to affect up to 1 per cent of children and 1.2 per cent of adults, according to a study in the BMJ’s Gut journal.


“Coeliac disease is a permanent intolerance to cereal gluten proteins and the only therapy for the patients is to adhere to a life-long gluten-free diet (GFD),” explained the authors, led by Giada De Palma.


According to a recent report from Packaged Facts, the gluten-free market has grown at an average annual rate of 28 per cent since 2004, when it was valued at $580m, to reach $1.56bn last year. Packaged Facts estimates that sales will be worth $2.6bn by 2012.


New data


The Spanish researchers analysed the gut microflora of ten healthy subjects with an average age of 30 assigned to consume a gluten-free diet for one month. Consumption of the gluten-free diet did not change significantly the normal dietary intakes for the volunteers, except for polysaccharides, which were reduced.


Analysis of the participants’ faeces showed that Bifidobacterium, Clostridium lituseburense and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii populations decreased following the gluten-free diet patter, while populations of Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli increased.


Markers of immune health, such TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-8, which would be produced when the host’s immune system is challenged, were also reduced following consumption of the gluten-free diet.


“Therefore, the GFD led to reductions in beneficial gut bacteria populations and the ability of faecal samples to stimulate the host's immunity,” concluded the researchers.


Digestive health


Products aimed at gut health have traditionally been much more popular in Europe than North America, but this is changing as Americans embrace the idea of boosting gut health via foods and beverages.


Europe still leads the way in terms of product launches and market value, but North America is catching up fast, due in part to the remarkable success of Danone’s DanActive in North America. The gut health product was launched there in 2005 and built on its Activia presence.


Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, First View article, doi:10.1017/S0007114509371767
“Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult human subjects”
Authors: G. De Palma, I. Nadal, M.C. Collado, Y. Sanz

[jerseyangel]

Ken--thanks for posting that. I actually find it so interesting since I've had ongoing on and off problems with D since I went gluten-free. I tried probiotics a few different times, but could never find one that I tolerated. I'd been dairy free for longer than gluten-free, but recently I decided to try a cup of Greek yogurt in the mornings and see if that would help.

To my relief and great surprise, after a just couple of "iffy" days, I've been so much better. I made no changes except the yogurt--which is completely unflavored and has nothing except milk and cultures in it.

My feeling is that this was a gentler way for me to get the probiotics which I obviously needed. I tend to be sensitive to most everything as far as suppliments go. This article came at such an opportune time, just reinforcing my own gut feeling. Thanks again

[elonwy]

I'm really not surprised. I'm not really "normal" unless I take a probiotics every day. I think this probably has something to do with the fact that a gluten-free diet really doesn't have much in the way of prebiotics going on.

[GFinDC]

kenlove, on May 19 2009, 11:50 AM, said:

Gluten-free diet not friendly to gut bacteria: Study
By Stephen Daniells, 19-May-2009
....
Markers of immune health, such TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-8, which would be produced when the host’s immune system is challenged, were also reduced following consumption of the gluten-free diet.
....

“Therefore, the GFD led to reductions in beneficial gut bacteria populations and the ability of faecal samples to stimulate the host's immunity,” concluded the researchers.
...
Digestive health

Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, First View article, doi:10.1017/S0007114509371767
“Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult human subjects”
Authors: G. De Palma, I. Nadal, M.C. Collado, Y. Sanz

Thanks Ken, it's interesting that someone is actually studying this issue. I kind of think they didn't do the study for a long enough time really. One month is not enough time in my opinion. Maybe they will extend the study to 3 or 6 months and get a better understanding.

When they say the diet didn't stimulate the host immune system, I would take that as a positive statement, vs. their seeming to think it is a negative thing. Seems like backward logic to me.

[Salax]

Interesting. I find it very odd that they didn't explain Celiac better or more clear. The auto-immune response to Gluten wasn't even mentioned. As I read this I tried to look at it as someone without Celiac or knowledge of and to be honest I took this article as a slam on the gluten-free diet. I think that people could perceive this as a life style choice rather than something we have to do.

Just my 2 cents, very interesting though.

[FMcGee]

It seems that, with so many celiacs also being lactose intolerant, that maybe we're just not getting enough probiotics from our food, especially from yogurt. I love yogurt and eat at least a serving of it a day, but I'm lucky in my tolerance for lactose, and I also take a probiotic supplement. When I was a kid I had to take long courses of antibiotics for various problems, and my mom (a doctor) always drilled it into my head that if you're taking antibiotics even for a short period of time, that you need to eat at least two cups of yogurt a day to keep the good bacteria healthy. But, since so many celiacs can't tolerate yogurt (and apparently a lot of people who can't tolerate dairy also can't tolerate soy, but I don't know anything about that - it's just what my doctor told me), and can't tolerate/afford probiotic supplements, but probably have to take antibiotics at the same rate as the general population, wouldn't that be a possible link? Is there another safe way for celiacs to get probiotics from their food?

[Gemini]

kenlove, on May 19 2009, 11:50 AM, said:

Gluten-free diet not friendly to gut bacteria: Study
By Stephen Daniells, 19-May-2009

Following a gluten-free diet may be detrimental to gut health, which may also affect immune health, according to a new study from the Spanish National Research Council.
According to results of a small study with 10 people consuming a gluten-free diet, populations of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, decreased, while counts for Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli increased.


“Thus, the gluten-free diet may constitute an environmental variable to be considered in treated coeliac disease patients for its possible effects on gut health,” wrote the authors in the British Journal of Nutrition.


Coeliac disease, a condition characterized by an intolerance to gluten in wheat, is reported to affect up to 1 per cent of children and 1.2 per cent of adults, according to a study in the BMJ’s Gut journal.


“Coeliac disease is a permanent intolerance to cereal gluten proteins and the only therapy for the patients is to adhere to a life-long gluten-free diet (GFD),” explained the authors, led by Giada De Palma.


According to a recent report from Packaged Facts, the gluten-free market has grown at an average annual rate of 28 per cent since 2004, when it was valued at $580m, to reach $1.56bn last year. Packaged Facts estimates that sales will be worth $2.6bn by 2012.


New data


The Spanish researchers analysed the gut microflora of ten healthy subjects with an average age of 30 assigned to consume a gluten-free diet for one month. Consumption of the gluten-free diet did not change significantly the normal dietary intakes for the volunteers, except for polysaccharides, which were reduced.


Analysis of the participants’ faeces showed that Bifidobacterium, Clostridium lituseburense and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii populations decreased following the gluten-free diet patter, while populations of Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli increased.


Markers of immune health, such TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-8, which would be produced when the host’s immune system is challenged, were also reduced following consumption of the gluten-free diet.


“Therefore, the GFD led to reductions in beneficial gut bacteria populations and the ability of faecal samples to stimulate the host's immunity,” concluded the researchers.


Digestive health


Products aimed at gut health have traditionally been much more popular in Europe than North America, but this is changing as Americans embrace the idea of boosting gut health via foods and beverages.


Europe still leads the way in terms of product launches and market value, but North America is catching up fast, due in part to the remarkable success of Danone’s DanActive in North America. The gut health product was launched there in 2005 and built on its Activia presence.


Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, First View article, doi:10.1017/S0007114509371767
“Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult human subjects”
Authors: G. De Palma, I. Nadal, M.C. Collado, Y. Sanz

If a person is eating a HEALTHY gluten-free diet, and not composed of substitute, high sugar, high fat foods, then their gut health should not be an issue. I find it hard to believe that this, compared to the crap that most people eat on a daily basis, would produce worse results. Whether a person is gluten-free or not, if your diet doesn't consist of a large quantity of fruits and veggies, you may end up with an imbalance anyway. There isn't enough information here....what were the study subjects eating on a daily basis? I don't even eat yoghurt and I don't have a problem with gut health....just stay away from eating too much sugar as that feeds the bad bacteria.

[ravenwoodglass]

Gemini, on May 19 2009, 11:57 AM, said:

If a person is eating a HEALTHY gluten-free diet, and not composed of substitute, high sugar, high fat foods, then their gut health should not be an issue. I find it hard to believe that this, compared to the crap that most people eat on a daily basis, would produce worse results. Whether a person is gluten-free or not, if your diet doesn't consist of a large quantity of fruits and veggies, you may end up with an imbalance anyway. There isn't enough information here....what were the study subjects eating on a daily basis? I don't even eat yoghurt and I don't have a problem with gut health....just stay away from eating too much sugar as that feeds the bad bacteria.

I feel the same way about that article. I am wondering also if they tested any of those folks for other intolerances. Since I dropped soy, the other thing that gave me issues I have had absolutely no gut issues....unless I consume either gluten or soy.

[Jestgar]

Quote

Subjects were submitted to a GFD by replacing
gluten-containing foods by equivalent ones certified as
gluten-free (20 parts per million maximum gluten content)
by the Spanish Federation of Coeliac Association (FACE)
over a 1-month period. Food diary records were kept for
72 h (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) both before the start
of the intervention and after 1 month to monitor dietary
changes. At the front of the diary, detailed information on
how to record food and beverages consumed using common
household measures was provided. When completing the
food diary records, subjects were instructed to record
everything they ate or drank. Food diary records were returned
to the dietitian as soon as possible after completion
when they were reviewed, and analysed for energy, water
and macronutrient contents based on the CESNID food
composition database of Spanish foods

http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php...22b52fd9ff5084a

soooo....I'm pretty sure I've done this study on myself, although not as tightly controlled as theirs. I have data on my baseline inflammatory cytokines, and the response of the same cytokines to assorted bacterial stimuli. I could not see any difference that could not be attributable to "noise" (assay variation).

My diet went from 'normal' to gluten-free without substitutes (no bread-like foods made without wheat).
If I have time, I'll dig around and see if I can find those data.

[kenlove]

I had a mixed reaction to this article too. Being here in India working for the month and staying at a 5 star hotel where they have a section at the morning buffet with a chef to deal with health related issues is amazing. It was incredible for me to just tell someone that I have celiac and diabetes and please fix me something good to eat- They assured me not to worry and all I CAN SAY WAS WOW -- The first thing they did was to make sure I had a tiny glass of bitter melon juice each morning -- followed by INdian yoghurt (very much like Greek) -- Some panner cheese with a mint sauce -- so on and so on.
I was amazed that the bitter melon effect was quick. I can see myself doing this daily ..
When I went gluten-free it was the haigh carb version -- so I didnt have wheat, I had everyone grain and sweet thing that was market gluten-free. After 4 years of gluten-free and 2 months of diabetes
I've got moire to learn now than when I was first diagnosed.

[happygirl]

Salax, on May 19 2009, 01:12 PM, said:

Interesting. I find it very odd that they didn't explain Celiac better or more clear. The auto-immune response to Gluten wasn't even mentioned. As I read this I tried to look at it as someone without Celiac or knowledge of and to be honest I took this article as a slam on the gluten-free diet. I think that people could perceive this as a life style choice rather than something we have to do.

The article was a short write up of an article in a scientific peer reviewed journal article and not in depth. I'm sure the whole article goes into more detail about Celiac. The purpose of the brief write up was not to provide a detailed explanation of Celiac, but to provide information on recently published research (18 May 2009).

The abstract is:
Diet influences the composition of the gut microbiota and host's health, particularly in patients suffering from food-related diseases. Coeliac disease (celiac disease) is a permanent intolerance to cereal gluten proteins and the only therapy for the patients is to adhere to a life-long gluten-free diet (GFD). In the present preliminary study, the effects of a GFD on the composition and immune function of the gut microbiota were analysed in ten healthy subjects (mean age 30·3 years) over 1 month. Faecal microbiota was analysed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and quantitative PCR (qPCR). The ability of faecal bacteria to stimulate cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was determined by ELISA. No significant differences in dietary intake were found before and after the GFD except for reductions (P = 0·001) in polysaccharides. Bifidobacterium, Clostridium lituseburense and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii proportions decreased (P = 0·007, P = 0·031 and P = 0·009, respectively) as a result of the GFD analysed by FISH. Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium longum counts decreased (P = 0·020, P = 0·001 and P = 0·017, respectively), while Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli counts increased (P = 0·005 and P = 0·003) after the GFD assessed by qPCR. TNF-α, interferon-γ, IL-10 and IL-8 production by PBMC stimulated with faecal samples was also reduced (P = 0·021, P = 0·037, P = 0·002 and P = 0·007, respectively) after the diet. Therefore, the GFD led to reductions in beneficial gut bacteria populations and the ability of faecal samples to stimulate the host's immunity. Thus, the GFD may constitute an environmental variable to be considered in treated celiac disease patients for its possible effects on gut health.

[happygirl]

This isn't the first study to link different "gut ecologies" with Celiac (treated and untreated) with non-Celiacs. The following is certainly not all inclusive. This indicates that the findings seen wrt different gut ecologies are not based on diet alone, and may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disorder, as well as a result.

http://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/v100/n12...jg2005505a.html
"CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of the SCFA pattern in fecal samples from children with celiac disease. The results indicate that there is a difference in the metabolic activity of intestinal microbial flora in children with celiac disease compared to that in HC. The finding of a different pattern of some short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in celiacs both at presentation and during treatment with GFD indicates that it is a genuine phenomenon of celiac disease not affected by either the diet, the inflammation, or the autoimmune status of the patient.

http://jmm.sgmjourna...ract/56/12/1669

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal...=1&SRETRY=0

Reference to this discussion in 1958 http://www.bmj.com/c...ract/1/5074/803

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~c...79662760~db=all

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1910276...Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal...407910/abstract

[one more mile]

I also take probiotics. Generaly when I feel stuffed or have not gone bm in the morning. Personally I no longer trust baselines or the ranges they say I should be in. They told me my thyroid was ok but after I had it removed( had a goiter) and went on meds I felt better then I ever had. They tell me that My protein levels are to low. I spent three months eating nuts and meat at every meal. Guess what my leval is oddly the same as it was before I added all this meat. They tell me my blood sugar is to high. Funny thing to me is that it has been at that same range every time they test me since I was 17. For 30 years my sugar is always around 117. My diet has changed some times for the worse, sometimes for the better but my blood sugar is the same. only my HDL and triglycerides seem to move around. Can you tell I am frustrated by all the testing. Personally I think the ranges are off, or at least off for me.

[VioletBlue]

"The Spanish researchers analysed the gut microflora of ten healthy subjects with an average age of 30 assigned to consume a gluten-free diet for one month."

If I'm understanding this study correctly, I don't see how it could be relevant to people with Celiac Disease. For starters, how did they determine these people were "healthy"? Did they test them for Celiacs first? How about other digestive or auto immune issues?

Secondly what does it matter what a gluten free diet does to healthy NON Celiacs? How about testing Celiacs to see what the gluten-free diet does to Those of us with Celiacs before we conclude that a gluten-free diet is an issue for everyone. It may well have a very different effect on the gut of someone with Celiacs; their study certainly doesn't tell them that. It assumes every gut is the same?

I mean am I missing something? Were these "Healthy" subjects also diagnosed with Celiacs? That would be the only way I'd see the relativity of the study. And what am I supposed to do with this info anyway? I certainly can't stop the gluten-free diet because the side effects of that would be far worse.

[TownieHeather]

Honestly, I'm surprised this even made news. 10 people is a TINY amount of subjects to be considered seriously. Further, we're given no information as to the nature of their diet - who's to say it was healthy? And were they eating white grains before or whole grains? And white grains after or whole grains?

And those are just the questions that jump to my mind first. Honestly, I wish the media would have slightly higher standards when it comes to reporting on the most recent scientific "findings." This one sounds to me like a survery that was done to get funding for a larger study, nothing conclusive in the least.