For anyone watching the news in this century, you have probably noticed we have an opioid crisis in the US. Largely due to the addiction to methamphetamines and prescription opioid drugs. What you probably don’t know is that some foods create a similar dopamine reaction in the brain. This could be why you are struggling to quit gluten. For certain people, quitting things like soy, gluten, and dairy feels terrible. This makes quitting extra challenging. In fact, a small percentage of the population has genetic markers making them more sensitive to addiction, whether it be drugs or gluten.
What science is learning about quitting gluten
Science is slowly uncovering the way certain foods, such as gluten, dairy and soy, can create opioid peptides, known as exorphins. Humans receive opioids internally and externally. Endogenous opioids occur internally and exogenous arrive externally, but both operate similarly. Opioid receptors work kind of like a car garage. The garage was built for a very specific type of car (called endorphins), by the manufacturer (the human body). When these endorphins park in the garage, it activates our reward or pain centers by giving us a surge of dopamine.
You may know dopamine as the “feel good” neurotransmitter. These endorphins come from many places like sex and orgasm, to exercising. They tell our brain something feels good and the endogenous opioidergic system controls the entire process. However, with our modern lifestyles, our “opioid garages” overflow with things like oxycontin and ultra processed foods (UPFs). Unfortunately, these exogenous squatters are clogging up our garage and threatening the way we operate internally.
The nerdy stuff – digesting gluten
Our body uses dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPP IV / CD26) to digest gluten proteins. You can think of it as a pearl necklace and the enzymes, like DPP IV, are the scissors. Our digestive system digests one pearl at a time. While our enzymes cut the pearls off into individual pearls, DPP IV is unable to cut all the “pearls” of gluten into individual pearls. This is because it has a molecular profile unlike most other foods we eat. As a result, “pearls” float around causing harm, because our body can’t digest them. These “gluten pearls” are called gluteomorphins.
For folks struggling with dysbiosis a long time or those people diagnosed with intestinal permeability, these gluteomorphins can cross the intestinal barrier and create an immune reaction. When this happens, the immune reaction creates antibodies to gluten, called Memory B cells. Think of these cells like historians. Memory B cells never forget what gluten looks like and won’t let anyone else in your immune system forget either. Once these activate, the immune response begins.
Depending on the severity of your gluten sensitivity, you could have a variety of immune responses. Individuals with celiac disease may respond severely and must use extreme caution, but don’t underestimate the danger for those with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS). For some of us, we can get a double whammy and create gluteomorphin antibodies, which then activate our opioid receptors anytime we come into contact with gluten. When this occurs, we also get the added dopamine rush from gluten.
What I might expect trying to quit gluten
What this means is that some of us trying to quit gluten could struggle with several things. One, you could be one of the un-lucky individuals where gluten activates your opioid receptors and creates withdrawals when you quit. While these do go away in 3-10 days, it can be uncomfortable and discouraging to manage. Symptoms may resemble trying to quit caffeine, with headaches and brain fog, or it could feel like the flu.
Don’t give up yet though, because it’s temporary. You may also have to overcome the impact of removing pre- and probiotics in your diet, formerly from wheat. Not replacing these could result in additional gastrointestinal discomfort. That’s because good gut bacteria is starving, so supplementing with a high quality pre- and probiotic can help if you are experiencing gastro-intestinal distress. Finally, for those of us with autoimmune disease you are at further risk for molecular mimicry, so take extra care. For example, thyroid hormones resemble gluten hormones and if you already have antibodies for gluten and you have an overactive thyroid, you could find yourself in a flare.
There’s still hope for quitting gluten
There is hope, though. Even if you are one of the rare folks struggling with this particular physiology, by managing the symptoms and navigating withdrawals, you can successfully quit gluten. We are your partners in health and wellness and want nothing more than for you to succeed. Are you nervous about embarking on a gluten free life and want a little help? Book a breakthrough session today and see how we can help. For more support check out our “5 reasons why quitting gluten is so hard” or this blog post, for ways to create small habits for wellbeing.
Resources:
- Hydrolysis of food-derived opioids by dipeptidyl peptidase IV from Lactococcus lactis spp. lactis – Sevda Arısoy, Özlem Üstün-Aytekin
- Milk Intolerance, Beta-Casein and Lactose – Sebely Pal, Keith Woodford, Sonja Kukuljan, Suleen Ho
- The Dietary Intake of Wheat and other Cereal Grains and Their Role in Inflammation – Karin de Punder and Leo Pruimboom
- Opioid receptor ligands derived from food proteins – H Teschemacher
- Opioid system influences gut-brain axis: Dysbiosis and related alterations – Lola Rueda-Ruzafa, Francisco Cruz, Diana Cardona, Arik J Hone, Guadalupe Molina-Torres, Nuria Sánchez-Labraca,Pablo Roman
- Molecular mimicry as a mechanism for food immune reactivities and autoimmunity – Aristo Vojdani
- NIH – How opioid drugs activate receptors