Name: 【TED-Ed】What’s the big deal with gluten? - William D. Chey
Uploaded: 2015-06-17T05:28:33.000Z
Duration: 5 min 18 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Maybe you've recently seen the phrase "gluten-free" on food packaging,

or take-out menus, shampoo bottles, apartment listings, the tag of your shirt,

on a hammer, as a lower back tattoo, or in your friend's resume.

Next time someone starts telling you about their newfound freedom from gluten,

and the well-informed answers that your friend,

being a reasonable individual making educated dietary choices,

and by no means just following  the latest diet craze, will tell you.

made up of two proteins  named gliadin and glutenin.

Gluten is found in certain grains, particularly wheat, rye and barley.

What has gluten been doing for the previous entirety of human history,

Gluten is responsible  for the elastic consistency of dough

and the chewiness of foods  made from wheat flour,

For some people,  these foods cause problems,

namely wheat allergy, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

that occurs when a person's immune system

mounts an allergic response  to wheat proteins,

leading to mild problems, and in rare cases,

a potential dangerous reaction called anaphylaxis.

leads to inflammation and damage of the lining of the small intestine.

leading to problems like belly pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea,

weight loss, skin rash, bone problems like osteoporosis,

iron deficiency, small stature,  infertility, fatigue and depression.

Untreated, celiac disease  increases the risk

Celiac disease is present in one  in every 100 to 200 persons in the U.S.

When blood tests suggest  the possibility of celiac,

the diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy.

The most effective treatment is a gluten-free diet,

which helps heal intestinal damage and improve symptoms.

Some people don't have celiac disease or a wheat allergy,

but still experience symptoms when they eat foods with gluten.

These people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

and suffer from fatigue, brain fog, joint pain or skin rash.

A gluten-free diet typically helps with these symptoms.

So how many people actually have this gluten sensitivity you speak of?

Gluten sensitivity's occurrence  in the general population is unclear,

but likely much more common than wheat allergy or celiac disease.

Diagnosis is based  on the development of symptoms,

the absence of wheat allergy and celiac disease,

and subsequent improvement on a gluten-free diet.

There's no reliable blood or tissue test,

partly because gluten sensitivity isn't a single disease,

and has a number  of different possible causes.

that gluten can activate the immune system in the small intestine,

But sometimes, people claiming gluten sensitivity

are actually sensitive  not to wheat proteins,

but sugars found in wheat and other foods, called fructans.

The human intestine can't break down or absorb fructans,

so they make their way  to the large intestine or colon,

producing short-chain fatty acids and gases.

This leads to unpleasant symptoms in some people with bowel problems.

Another possible explanation behind gluten sensitivity is the nocebo effect.

This occurs when a person believes something will cause problems,

It's the opposite of the more well-known and much more fortuitous placebo effect.

Given how much bad press  gluten is getting in the media,

for some people who think they're sensitive to gluten.

it's clear that  the problems people develop

when they eat wheat and other grains aren't exclusively due to gluten.

So a better name than non-celiac gluten sensitivty

Okay, so if instead of telling people you're gluten-free,

you had to tell them you're wheat intolerant,

would I still have to hear about it as often as I do now?

is coming off  as wheat intolerance intolerance.