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Can Casein Do "silent" Damage Like Gluten?

jnclelland

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jnclelland Contributor
jnclelland
Posted

I've been gluten-free and casein-free for awhile. I'm just wondering: if I eventually try adding casein back into my diet, will I definitely be able to tell if it's a problem, or can casein do "silent" damage without symptoms like gluten can?

Jeanne

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jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

I have not read a lot on the subject but I have seen accounts of documented villous flattening in those with a casein intolerance. Study on this has focused on children mostly. Casein can definitely also effect permeability in the intestines too. Your question is a bit of a hard one, as not a lot of definitive answers have been found yet. If you want to delve more into casein, Dangerous Grains discusses it quite a bit. It groups casein with gluten in a lot areas, as increasing gut permeability and being linked to some of the same diseases that celiac is. These studies might give you some more info.

Open Original Shared Link

This study mentions villous hypotrophy due to casein: Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link (article from medline)

jnclelland Contributor
jnclelland
Posted
  • Author
I have not read a lot on the subject but I have seen accounts of documented villous flattening in those with a casein intolerance. Study on this has focused on children mostly. Casein can definitely also effect permeability in the intestines too. Your question is a bit of a hard one, as not a lot of definitive answers have been found yet. If you want to delve more into casein, Dangerous Grains discusses it quite a bit. It groups casein with gluten in a lot areas, as increasing gut permeability and being linked to some of the same diseases that celiac is. These studies might give you some more info.

Open Original Shared Link

This study mentions villous hypotrophy due to casein: Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link (article from medline)

Thanks for the references! That last one was interesting, especially a study where, when the offending substance was reintroduced after 2 years without it, 61% of casein-intolerant children had developed tolerance, whereas 96% of gluten-intolerant children were still gluten-intolerant. That would suggest that casein intolerance is MUCH more likely to subside eventually than gluten intolerance, huh? Still no insight as to whether casein can do damage without obvious symptoms, though. Ah well, I'm probably better off without it anyway!

Jeanne

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