Neurogluten: Is There A Connection Between Gluten And Neurological Diseases?

Gluten promotes inflammation in people with altered protein sensitivity, which can lead to neurological diseases. What is the research saying on this topic?

In some cases, gluten consumption has been linked to increased symptoms of certain neurological disorders. Especially in the case of celiac disease, this protein is able to damage certain areas of the cerebral cortex, which can lead to migraines, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

However, this protein is not dangerous for everyone’s health. Only those people who suffer from gluten intolerance are susceptible to developing these conditions from eating gluten .

Gluten and epilepsy

According to an article published in the Journal of Neurology, epilepsy patients have an altered gluten tolerance. However, the researchers do not yet know exactly whether the disease itself triggers the change in protein metabolism or whether the changed metabolism leads to the development of this disease.

What they do know, however, is that it is advisable for patients with epilepsy to limit the consumption of foods containing gluten. In fact, the ketogenic diet has been linked to a significant decrease in the frequency of epileptic seizures.

Multiple sclerosis and gluten consumption

Some authors also see a link between multiple sclerosis and gluten consumption. However , to date there is no clear scientific evidence to support this assumption.

An article published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders provides information on the influence that gluten consumption has on the development of this condition. In addition, the authors design a pathophysiological model. However, more, more complex studies are needed to confirm this relationship.

Inflammation, gluten and neurological diseases

Over the past few years, researchers have consistently recommended removing gluten from the diet. This recommendation is based on the fact that this protein can cause an inflammatory reaction in the intestines in people who are gluten intolerant . This in turn can lead to dysbiosis, which is also known as damage to the microbiota.

In addition, the researchers know for sure that there is a link between the microbiota and mental health via the gut-brain axis. And this connection has led to the assumption that ingestion of gluten could contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

However , not everyone has to eat gluten-free. If humans can metabolize this protein correctly, gluten does no apparent harm. At least there is no evidence or evidence to the contrary so far.

The dangers of a gluten-free diet

If you remove gluten from your diet even though you are not gluten intolerant, there are certain risks involved. Because when you stop consuming this protein, the body stops producing the enzymes necessary to metabolize gluten. This in turn leads to intolerance in the medium term, which then actually makes it impossible for you to consume gluten.

For this reason , we do not recommend restricting your gluten consumption unless your doctor has told you to. There is currently no evidence that this substance causes inflammation in healthy people who are not gluten intolerant.

In addition, there are no well-founded scientific studies that link this nutrient to the development or worsening of any disease other than epilepsy. In this case, patients benefit from the ketogenic diet and not only because of the lack of gluten.

The relationship between gluten and neurological diseases is unclear

Gluten is a protein that is not harmful to a large part of the population. Therefore there is no reason to restrict consumption. However, the consumption of foods containing gluten can lead to increased inflammatory reactions in people with gluten intolerance, which are harmful to health.

In these cases, you should limit your consumption of this nutrient. However, the connection between the consumption of gluten and the development of neurological diseases is still unclear. This topic is controversially discussed in the scientific literature.

The concept of neurogluten, which associates the protein with an increased risk of neurological diseases, needs to be further explored in order to be able to make definitive statements.

However , so far there is no evidence that gluten can trigger inflammatory conditions in people without gluten intolerance. The inflammatory responses are attributed to the excessive consumption of simple sugars and trans fats.