Is Gluten Intolerance Hereditary? – Being Parents

Gluten intolerance is an incurable disease that affects 1% of the population. There are different variants of the disease. For example, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, and celiac disease. How are they different?

These are in fact the symptoms that distinguish the three variants of the disease.
In all cases, the treatment is the same. This is about eliminating gluten from the diet to avoid symptoms and repair any damage it may have already caused.

What is gluten?

Gluten, glutenins and prolamins, are a group of proteins found in the seeds of grasses and especially in wheat. Glutenin is also the protein which gives elasticity to flour and which is responsible for the visco-elastic aspect of pasta to be cooked. Hence his interest in the food industry.

In the particular case of wheat, this protein represents 85% of its total protein content. In other cereals like rye, this percentage is also quite high, with a much lower content when it comes to oats or barley. What are the diseases caused by gluten?

Gluten intolerance and hereditary diseases

Non celiac sensitivity to gluten

It shares many symptoms with celiac disease, which can lead to confusion. In both cases, they cause diarrhea or constipation, cramps, bone and joint pain, and fatigue. However, gluten sensitivity is a disease that does not have a genetic component. Thus, during a screening test for autoimmune celiac disease, no biomarker appears.

The fact that her symptoms are similar to those of celiac disease made it difficult to identify. So it wasn’t until 2012 that it was classified as a disease separate from gluten intolerance, but the treatment is the same. It consists of eliminating gluten from the diet. Finally, the reaction to gluten can appear up to 48 hours after consumption and can last much longer.

Celiac disease or gluten intolerance

On the other hand, gluten intolerance and wheat allergy are both diseases with a genetic component. They can therefore be identified by DNA analysis to locate the biomarkers present in each of the diseases.

In the case of gluten intolerance, sufferers have mutated genes. These produce strong reactions in the digestive system with serious consequences, especially in children. The intestinal villi are then mainly affected. Thus, in the most severe cases, absorption of nutrients is practically zero at this level.

This then leads to stunted growth, rickets, anemia, and even sudden changes in mood and behavior. All of this is the result of severe malnutrition caused by damage to the small intestine. Sometimes these symptoms can take years to appear.

Wheat allergy

Wheat allergy is a genetic condition that causes a severe allergic reaction to foods containing wheat. Some symptoms are the same as those of celiac disease. These are mainly diarrhea and cramps. However, an appropriate genetic test does not reveal any of the biomarkers specific to those of gluten intolerance.

The specific symptoms of wheat allergy are linked, as the name suggests, to an allergic phenomenon. The symptoms of this allergy are as follows. A swollen or itchy mouth, anaphylaxis, difficulty breathing, or rash.

In addition, these allergic reactions are produced by all the proteins present in wheat and not only by glutenin. Finally, this disease is clearly linked to family heredity since biomarkers can be identified by genetic testing.

To summarize…

Celiac disease is therefore an autoimmune disease produced by the body’s intolerance to gluten. A genetic test can identify it, so this means that gluten intolerance is hereditary.

However, the genetic mutation that causes the disease can appear spontaneously. The disease may then not develop or manifest itself in adolescence or adulthood. The mechanisms that govern the functioning of the altered genes that cause celiac disease remain unknown at this time.