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Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Think you're gluten intolerant? You might be imagining it, study suggests
Not all patients with irritable bowel syndrome may be sensitive to gluten, despite numerous studies identifying it as a potential trigger. According to new research, patients with IBS who have been led to believe that gluten—the protein in wheat products like bread and pasta—triggers their symptoms may have been misled. According to Canadian researchers, too many IBS patients are restricting themselves to different diets to avoid perceived food triggers—despite not having clearly identified which foods actually worsen their symptoms. In the study, researchers analysed 28 participants with IBS from McMaster University Digestive Disease clinic, who believed they had a gluten intolerance and as such followed a strict gluten-free diet. Participants were given cereal bars to eat everyday for a week—made from either purified gluten, whole wheat or gluten-free flour—without knowing which was which. After completing a week eating one type of cereal bar participants had a two-week break before starting on the next bar, until all three had been trialled. Researchers found that there was no significant difference in the worsening of symptoms between the three groups, including the gluten-free placebo. They noted that even after eating the gluten-free control cereal bar, nearly 30 per cent of patients experienced a 50-point worsening of symptoms according to the IBS symptom severity scale. Professor Premysl Bercik, senior author of the study, concluded: 'Some patients truly have a sensitivity to this food protein, but for many others, it's the belief itself that's driving their symptoms and subsequent choices to avoid gluten-containing foods'. Despite this, even when participants were informed of the results, most continued to believe that gluten and wheat trigger their symptoms and continued to eat a gluten-free diet. This in turn could perpetuate symptoms of IBS, leading to malnutrition and lower quality of life, Prof Berick warned. This is because gluten-free foods typically contain more fat, salt and sugar and less gut-friendly fibre and protein than their equivalents. Writing in the journal Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, researchers advised that psychological counselling should be incorporated into treatment plans for patients suffering with IBS. 'What we need to improve our clinical management of these patients is to work with them further, not just tell them that gluten is not the trigger and move on. 'Many of them may benefit from psychological support and guidance to help destigmatise gluten and wheat and reintroduce them safely in their diet,' Prof Bercik added. The researchers added that social media could be behind the trend, with many influencers sharing how eating gluten worsened their symptoms. Around one in 100 people in the UK suffer coeliac disease, whereby the immune system overreacts to gluten. What is coeliac disease? Coeliac disease is a genetic autoimmune disorder in which gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. Gluten provokes inflammation in the small intestine which affects the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food. The condition is estimated to affect one in 100 people worldwide. One percent - or three million Americans - are living with coeliac disease. There are more than 200 symptoms of coeliac disease but the more common ones are: Abdominal bloating and pain Chronic diarrhea Vomiting Constipation Pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool Weight loss Fatigue The only treatment for the disease is a strict gluten-free diet. Only foods and beverages with a gluten content less than 20 parts per million are allowed. Source: Celiac Disease Foundation But for others, Prof Berick said avoiding gluten could be a coping mechanism. 'Continuing the gluten-free diet might have provided patients with an actionable method to try to control their symptoms, despite the risk of unnecessary diet restrictions.' Professor Sigrid Elsenbruch, an expert in neurological and behavioral sciences who was not involved in the study, added: 'Changing health-related behaviours is notoriously challenging. 'Persistent dietary choices might reflect the complexity of IBS symptom management rather than an unwillingness to adjust beliefs.' The researchers of the current study concluded that their findings support the role of psychological factors in symptom responses and dietary behaviours in IBS. But common limitations of diet studies were observed with lab tests indicating that only around a third of participants followed the gluten-free diet as instructed, and some may have skipped bars altogether to avoid symptoms. IBS is a common debilitating condition that affects the digestive symptom, causing agonising stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation—with few effective treatments available. Over time, damage accumulates in the gut, often leading to serious nutrient deficiencies and nerve damage. The long-term condition is thought to affect around 1 in 5 adults in the UK, but experts say this figure could be much higher. Around one in 100 people in the UK suffer coeliac disease, whereby the immune system overreacts to gluten. It's thought that a further 13 per cent of people suffer what's known as non-specific gluten sensitivity (NCGS). This is when eating the protein triggers unpleasant symptoms like bloating and irregular bowel habits. Scientists aren't yet sure the reason why some people are affected by this, and some believe it could be due to a nocebo effect — when expecting to suffer symptoms brings them on.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Scientists share how a cup of coffee can change the brain
Decaf coffee may not be what you want if you want a caffeine boost to get through the end of the day but if you want to wake feeling rested, you should reconsider. New research has found that drinking just two cups of coffee after midday could be enough to shift the brain towards a more excitable and dynamic state during the night, wreaking havoc on your energy levels. Canadian researchers said that caffeine - one of the most widely consumed stimulants in the world - can change the structure and complexity of brain activity during different stages of sleep. Lead author of the study Professor Philipp Tholke said: 'The widespread use of caffeine among the public makes this topic an important health consideration. 'Understanding how caffeine affects sleep architecture and brain dynamics can help clarify its impact on neural health.' The researchers, from the University of Montreal, analysed the sleep health of 40 healthy adults with moderate caffeine consumption aged 20 to 58. Participants spent two nights at a sleep clinic one after ingesting 200mg of caffeine - approximately two cups of coffee - and another after having a placebo. The researchers used a double-blind design so that they also did not know whether participants were coming into the clinic caffeinated or caffeine-free. The participants' sleep quality was monitored using an electroencephalogram (EEG) which records brain activity by picking up electrical signals produced by the brain. Using a sleep EEG, researchers focused on several markers of brain complexity looking at how random a brain signal is, how easily the signal can be compressed and how consistent a signal is over time. They also looked at the distribution of electrical activity across different frequencies. The results showed that caffeine mostly affected brain activity during non-REM sleep - the stage of the cycle which is considered the quiet or restful stage. This stage is split into three distinct phases: a person falls asleep, and then moves from a light sleep into a deep sleep. At this point a person's breathing, brain activity and heart rate typically slow down, body temperature drops and eye movement stops. This is a very restorative phase helping the body repair tissue and muscle and strengthen the immune system. However, researchers found that consuming caffeine after midday had a negative impact on this crucial stage, resulting in less restorative sleep. 'Caffeine delays but does not prevent sleep, so even though we can sleep under the influence of caffeine, the brain, and therefore also sleep, is impacted by the drug,' Prof Thölke told PsyPost. 'It leads to shallower sleep with increased information processing during the sleep stages where the brain normally enters deep restorative rest.' The researchers also noted certain brain signals were flatter, suggesting that the under the influence of caffeine the brain more closely resembled a 'critical state' - where the brain is most responsive and adaptable. They also analysed how age affected caffeine's impact on the brain and sleep health. Generally, younger adults aged 20 to 27-years-old were more susceptible to caffeine's stimulant effects during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep compared to middle-aged adults. Researchers theorized that this could be because older people have less adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a chemical that builds up in the brain during waking hours eventually making us feel tired. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors, making us feel more awake. The researchers suggested that because older adults have fewer receptors, the blocking effect of caffeine may not be so effective especially in REM sleep. During non-REM sleep however the effects of caffeine were broadly the same across all age groups. Researchers concluded therefore that caffeine has the ability to restructure the brain and impact how well we sleep. However, they acknowledged that their study only included healthy individuals so concluded that the findings could not be extrapolated to individuals with neurological or psychiatric conditions like restless leg syndrome or Parkinson's.
