Gluten May Soon Be On The Table for Celiac Patients

 Cassidy DeMasi

Dr. Barbato

11/26/2025

                                           Gluten May Soon Be On The Table for Celiac Patients 

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the body reacts abnormally to gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When someone with celiac disease eats this protein, their immune system attacks something called the villi in the lining of the small intestine. These are tiny structures that help absorb nutrients. This damage not only makes it hard for the body to get the nutrients it needs but also can deteriorate the intestinal lining. 

Researchers are believed to have found a way to control these proteins from binding to each other using the identification of genes in genetics. They have found a new drug that could potentially block this protein from binding. This was done using genetic testing.

"In celiac disease, gluten causes inflammation and damage to the intestines. This happens because gluten attaches to specific proteins in the body called human leukocyte antigens (HLA). Before gluten can attach to HLA, an enzyme in the small intestine called transglutaminase 2 (TG2) changes the structure of gluten through a process called deamidation. In people with celiac disease, this deamidation makes gluten more harmful, leading to damage and inflammation in the small intestine. The drug ZED1227 could help by blocking TG2, preventing the harmful changes to gluten, and reducing intestinal damage. (New Hope for Celiac Disease: Promising Drug Shows Progress in Clinical Trials | Celiac Disease Foundation, 2024).

The patients who received the drug in the clinical trial were able to reintroduce gluten back into their diets with no issue. This science is groundbreaking because, unfortunately, even when trying to keep gluten out of a patient's diet, they are inadvertently exposed. This new finding could help save patients who are accidentally exposed to gluten.

Sources 

Celiac Disease - Allergy & Asthma Network. (2024, October 22). Allergy & Asthma Network. https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/health-a-z/celiac-disease/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22862937281&gbraid=0AAAAADoPaAJhxa7QG5BQag22V_I9uw1_7&gclid=CjwKCAiA55rJBhByEiwAFkY1QG_27D-Fo0HKAZUs6uoH5i_W9Xp_kzc8XqMqb2A6OYFkpIO28xhBahoCDPoQAvD_BwE

‌New Hope for Celiac Disease: Promising Drug Shows Progress in Clinical Trials | Celiac Disease Foundation. (2024, July 24). Celiac Disease Foundation; Celiac. https://celiac.org/2024/07/24/maki-trial-2024/

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Gluten-Free Wheat?

Who would've thought gluten-free wheat could become a reality...

    A recent article published in July 2023 by the European Union details plans to utilize genomic techniques to alter the genome of an ingredient found in many of our delicious foods: wheat. Those with Celiac Disease and gluten-intolerance have been struck with the unfortunate loss of eating wheat-containing foods, and at an unfortunate price (almost 200% more than what the average person spends on food/groceries). For reference, gluten is a protein found in wheat, which those who are sensitive to/allergic to gluten cannot consume. Recently scientists in the EU; however, have proposed using cisgenesis -- a method to cross beneficial alleles from one plant to another -- to not only make wheat grown in the EU gluten-free, but also pesticide free as well. This is an immense step forward in the field of economic agriculture and the environmental well-being of citizens everywhere, as food for those who are gluten-free can become more affordable and levels of pesticide toxicity will slowly cease to impact those in the EU, in addition to the rest of the world who consumes their agricultural products. Cisgenesis has greater implications than just gluten-free wheat and pesticide-free plants, and as a matter of fact, this is what humans have been doing for centuries, except it has now become more mainstream due to pertinent implications in our everyday lives. 

    As someone with Celiac Disease and (unfortunately) not living in the EU, I found this article to be really promising and I am secretly hoping the U.S. starts taking some notes. I personally like this approach of utilizing genomic techniques that are not harmful like some GMOs, and don't require the introduction of chemicals into the food we consume on a daily basis. The European Union has clearly thought this decision out, and I appreciate that they have considered the economic burden of this autoimmune disease as it is not really discussed in the media. Having this representation makes those of us with Celiac more inclined to speak up and condone the improvements being made on the agricultural forefront. As I mentioned previously, the United States should truly consider implementing this in our domestic crops, especially considering how expensive gluten-free food is (for reference, try buying a $10 loaf of bread that needs to be frozen, with only 10 slices, and half of which have holes in them so they become useless anyways...doesn't sound so appealing, right?). I also believe this becomes a public health concern due to 1) the prevalence of the disease and 2) the food available and the affordability factor that comes with it. The EU is taking things in the right direction, and I can only hope that the U.S. will consider using similarly effective genomic techniques in our wheat sometime soon! 

To read up more on this topic:

1) https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/new-genomic-techniques-can-help-cut-pesticides-use-or-shield-celiac-disease-2023-07-05_en 

2) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2014.00389/full

Virus may cause celiac disease

A study recently done in mice shows that a very common virus, T1L may cause celiac disease. This goes along with many studies in the past, that viruses can alter the immune systems response to food. This virus when affected could trick the immune system into attacking the food molecules. Terence Dermody did the study at University of Pittsburgh. He found that the virus first blocks the immune systems regulatory response that tells the body the food molecules are safe. After that is blocked, the virus sends a harm inflammatory response. Individuals who are infected with celiac disease, their body sees gluten as a harmful substance and attack it. Dermody says there are more viruses than just the T1L virus that can manipulate the immune system. The key part is when the gluten cells meet the mesenteric lymph nodes. This is where the decision to attack or not happens. The virus effects these nodes and cells and makes them think that the gluten food molecules are dangerous. This article is very relevant to most people today. A lot of people have stopped eating gluten due to the fact that it makes them sick. This may lead to further knowledge on diagnosing  celiac disease, and even preventing it.  

Related article: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6333/44
Article: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/common-virus-may-be-celiac-disease-culprit

Life With Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a hereditary disease dealing with the body’s villi getting damaged. Individuals with a parent, child, or sibling with the disease have a 1 in 10 risk of developing the disease themselves. While “disease” sounds scary or contagious, this disease, while rather annoying, is as simply defined as the inability to digest gluten and is not contagious. 

https://www.glutenfreegigi.com/celiac-disease-versus-gluten-sensitivity/

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. This disease is not easily diagnosed as it is often mistaken for other disorders. One would think that in every case of celiac disease the individual would fall very ill after consuming the gluten protein but this is not always the case. When illness is shown after eating the protein researchers call it classic celiac disease. Non classic celiac disease is when individuals show a variety of health problems, such as infertility, joint pain, osteoporosis, skin rashes, and ADHD, but does not display any gastrointestinal problems. Researchers now state that non-classic celiac disease is more common than the classic form showing gastrointestinal issues. I personally believe that individuals will become more and more aware of this disease. It is not extremely rare, considering one in one hundred people do have it. I am seeing more “gluten free” tags and labels in restaurants, the grocery store, and even on makeup and hair products. I believe it is wonderful for the individuals that do have this disease they can be presented with stronger facts about the disease and have a larger variety of food and daily life products while living with it.

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/celiac-disease

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1790189-overview

The link between coeliac disease and wheat

When eating at a restaurant in America, one cannot ignore all the items that contain bread or pasta. Wheat is a crop that has become the soul of Americans; however, it can be toxic to people who suffer from coeliac disease. This is because wheat is a type of grain that contains gluten, which is a mixture of proteins that can be toxic to those individuals. When consumed, patients that have coeliac disease experience an immune response in their bodies to the gluten.

Coeliac disease is common in the US and affects people of all age groups both male and female. It is an autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestines becomes inflamed and flatted which leads to bowel damage.

Scientist are on the search for the elements that make gluten toxic. In an article published in the journal "Food Chemistry" scientists wanted to learn about the link between different wheats and their toxicity. They did this by analyzing various kinds of wheat from several countries; specifically epitopes which is a component in wheat that is responsible for the autoimmune response in patients. T-lymphocytes are a type of cell in the immune system that contain an antibody that is capable of recognizing the toxic component in wheat. The scientists look at how the T-cells responded to different wheats to determine its toxicity. Their results revealed that it is difficult to select for a variety of wheat with no toxicity because the genetic diversity is too great. The property of gluten is also related to the strength of the flour and the viscoelasticity of the bread dough. This study is a step towards revealing the potential of production practice for wheat safe for celiacs. It suggests the selective modification of toxic components.

Hopefully, this enables products to be developed that are safe for celiacs. It would improve the nutritional diets and quality of life for those people.

Are You Gluten-Free?

Celiac disease is characterized by a food allergy to products containing gluten, a main component in wheat. Individuals plagued with this disease often suffer from chronic vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Sounds horrible, right? To reduce this agony, suffers are forced to follow a strict diet regimen avoiding all foods containing even the scarcest amount of wheat. Interestingly enough, this past year doctors and researchers have announced that there is a new, non-celiac gluten sensitivity condition arising in individuals across the nation. Diagnostics, long-term side effects, and complete epidemiological statistics are still not entirely known. However, there have been more and more cases involving individuals eliminating wheat and gluten products from their diets and seeing major improvements including: weight loss, reduced fatigue, clearer skin, and decrease in pre-existing food allergies. Skeptically, all of the reported positive side-effects could just be results of increased exercise, different dietary changes, and several other environmental factors. Until further medical research can confirm these results to be valid and reliable, it is suggested to remain consuming gluten normally if it does not adversely give physical symptoms.

[A gluten-free diet] is not a healthier diet for those who don’t need it,” Dr. Guandalini, [medical director at the University of Chicago's Celiac Disease Center] said. These people “are following a fad, essentially.” He added, “And that’s my biased opinion.”

Historically, gluten was only introduced 10,000 years ago into normal diets, following the rise of agriculture and farming of wheat. This can evolutionary explain why some may develop a gluten sensitivity, considering that our most primitive ancestors were never exposed to the substance. Gluten's main proteins are glutenin and gliadin, and gliadin contains "repeating patterns of amino acids that the human digestive system cannot break down." Sufferers of Celiac disease have genetic mutations which causes intestinal villi to atrophy in the presence of these proteins.  Researchers and geneticists are analyzing gliadin antibody blood samples in individuals with this new, non-celiac gluten sensitivity and are trying their hardest to find answers. Unfortunately, blood tests are of little value as they only "indicate the presence of the fragments in the blood, which can occur for a variety of reasons and do not necessarily indicate a chronic illness." It's safe to say that permanently treating this arising condition, like many others, will still have to wait until further genetic sequencing and medical research are preformed.

[For more on this article and topic, check out the following links: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/gluten-free-whether-you-need-it-or-not/& http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain?page=2 ]