ATI: The New "Gluten": Part 2, Dr. Richard Nahas of the Seeker's Centre Shares

Over at the Seeker's Pain Centre Dr. Richard Nahas writes about his approach. 

Is wheat affecting your brain?

We have supervised hundreds of patients during a trial of a gluten-free diet. What we have seen has been nothing short of amazing. About half of patients report dramatic improvements. This does not just include GI problems like bloating, gas, heartburn, constipation, stomach pain and diarrhea. We see improvement in fatigue, muscle aches and joint pain. Less depression and anxiety. Better sleep. Swelling and edema, blood pressure and blood sugar, and many other problems improve.


In medical school, we are taught that gluten allergy is called celiac disease, and that it affects about 1% of people. Recent studies, and the experiences of millions of ordinary people, point to another problem with wheat and other gluten-containing foods. It is called Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS), and it appears to be a silent epidemic. No one knows exactly how many people suffer from NCGS, but it is one of the most common reasons why some people who suffer a minor injury are not able to ‘bounce back’.


When we suspect NCGS, we recommend a strict, 100% gluten-free diet for three months. This means no wheat, rye, barley, spelt or kamut. This means no bread or beer, pizza or pasta, cookies, pies, cakes, donuts or muffins. It means reading ingredients, talking to servers in restaurants, and sometimes saying ’no thank you’ at social gatherings. But for people with NCGS, these small sacrifices pay huge dividends.


We have blamed all of this on gluten, but this new study points to a new possible cause. Researchers have reported that amylase-trypsin inhibitors can trigger inflammation in tissues. This may help explain why a gluten-free diet can improve symptoms throughout the body. Inflammation is at the root of Alzheimer’s, diabetes, depression and dozens of other chronic diseases. While we know that gluten can disturb the immune system, this new finding suggests that ATIs may cause additional problems, leading to a one-two punch.


If you have any health problems at all, you should definitely consider a trial of a gluten-free diet. If it does not help, then you can try other dietary approaches to see if they make a difference. Avoiding nightshades, going vegetarian, occasional fasting, raw food diets and low-carb ‘Paleo’ diets have also helped many of our patients.


In the words of Hippocrates, the great Greek physician, ‘let food be thy medicine’. And keep seeking.

Those of you who have been reading me faithfully know that I recommend a trial of gluten-free, dairy free, nightshade free, grain-free, sugar-free diet similar to Paleo, called GAPS (www.gaps.me) which has a step wise approach to ensure smooth sailing and success. Why because I have seen remarkable successes with this. 

Avoiding grains ( and more particularly the GAPS way) makes more and more sense as more scientific research comes in. Like the info on the Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity being a new and different immune reaction than Celiac disease and now the Anti Trypsin Inhibitors found in wheat causing inflammation. 

There is more and more reason to go for a trial of GAPS ( or a GAPS/ Paleo version) 

 

To Your Health

Dr. Barbara (TM)

CeliacBrain (TM) is the trademark and copyright of Dr. Barbara Powell. The right of Dr. Barbara Powell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.

Meet ATI, The New "Gluten". New Wheat Protein Found to Aggravate Chronic Health Issues, New Study!

Another wheat protein has been found that causes gastrointestinal problems and problems in other parts of the body like inflammation of the brain, lymph nodes, kidneys, spleen and other organs. It is called ATI or amylase trypsin inhibitor. ATIs make up no more that 4% of wheat proteins, but can trigger powerful immune reactions in the gut that can spread to other tissues in the body. The implications are massive.

Evidence suggests that ATIs can worsen the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, lupus and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as inflammatory bowel disease.
That explains why some people eating wheat but don't have non celiac gluten sensitivity nor wheat allergy nor celiac are getting sick. 

This is another reason for the success of the GAPS or Paleo (without specific carbohydrates, legumes or chocolate) in resolving many health issues. 

More research has to be done to see if ATI is also found in other grains or cereals. According to Dr. Schuppan lead researcher of the study:

Wheat amylase-trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) have been identified as the most likely triggers of NCWS [Non Celiac Wheat Sensitivity]. They are highly protease resistant and activate the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) complex in monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells of the intestinal mucosa. Non-gluten containing cereals or staples display no or little TLR4 stimulating activity. Wheat ATIs are a family of up to 17 similar proteins of molecular weights around 15 kD and represent 2-4% of the wheat protein. With oral ingestion they co-stimulate antigen presenting cells and promote T cell activation in celiac disease, but also in other immune-mediated diseases within and outside the GI tract.

Read the news report from WorldHealth.net  entitled -Wheat Protein Linked to Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.  

Read the press release from United European Gastroenterology. from October 17th, 2016.



References:

1. Zevallos V, Weinmann-Menke J, Meineck M et al. Alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) accelerate murine systemic lupus erythematosus. Poster presentation at the 16th International Coeliac Disease Symposium, 21-24 June 2015, Prague, Czech Republic. Poster P168.

2. Zevallos V, Yogev N, Nikolaev A et al. Consumption of wheat alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) enhances experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice. Oral presentation at the 16th International Coeliac Disease Symposium, 21-24 June 2015, Prague, Czech Republic.

3. Junker Y, Zeissig S, Kim S-J et al. Wheat amylase trypsin inhibitors drive intestinal inflammation via activation of toll-like receptor 4. J Exp Med 2012;209(13):2395-408.

4. Fasano A, Sapone A, Zevallos V et al. Nonceliac gluten and wheat sensitivity. Gastroenterology 2015;148(6):1195-204.

5.Schuppan D, Pickert G, Ashfaq-Khan M et al. Non-celiac wheat sensitivity: Differential diagnosis, triggers and implications. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2015;29(3):469-76.
To Your Health
Dr. Barbara (TM)

CeliacBrain (TM) is the trademark and copyright of Dr. Barbara Powell. The right of Dr. Barbara Powell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.