Glutenfree

​Switching to a gluten-free diet is something I have chosen by myself. I haven't taken any tests that indicates I need to eat gluten-free and the rheumatologist doesn't think I need to eat gluten-free. The reason I chose to switch to a gluten-free diet was after I read the book called "A new look at autoimmune diseases". The book describes how gluten can have an inflammatory triggering effect on the mucous membranes in the intestine that makes it "leak" and that this may be a contributing factor to autoimmunity. A Norwegian study at the University of Oslo found that the same type of immune cells that drive the disease in celiac disease are also found in high numbers in people with other autoimmune diseases, including lupus. Healthy people did not have as many of these cells, a type of T-cells, which differentiate between what is dangerous and harmless. The study does not say that gluten is involved in other diseases than celiac disease and there seem to be some disagreement surrounding the concept of "leaky gut" and autoimmunity. But keeping these studies in mind, combined with the fact that I have a brother who finally got healthy after going gluten-free, I had to give it a try. 

Replacing the lunch sandwiches with salad, soup or gluten-free crispbread quickly became a habit. And with gluten-free rolls or gluten-free sourdough bread, I don't really miss anything. In addition, there are lots of gluten-free alternatives available, though quite expensive. Overall my digestion is better, and I suspect that some of the weight I shed is because of the gluten-free diet. Some believe that the reason for this is because when you switch to gluten-free, some of the gut bacteria that live on and feeds off the gluten disappear, and that this change in gut bacteria leads to increased metabolism. A Danish study found that gut bacteria adapted and changed when you switched to a low / gluten-free diet. But this, like everything else, is highly debated. Regardless, the gluten-free diet seems to have done wonders for me personally, so I'll be sticking to it.

Sources:
Hexeberg, S. & Hexeberg, E. (2019). New look at Autoimmune disease - Use food as medicine. Cappelen Damm
https://nhi.no/forskning-og-intervju/lekk-tarm/
https://fedon.no/temaartikler/lekk-tarm/
https://funksjonellmedisin.no/2017/09/hva-er-lekk-tarm/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07019-x
https://forskning.no/celler-immunforsvaret-partner/cellene-som-er-sentrale-for-coliaki-koblet-til-andre-autoimmune-sykdommer/1335291