Get that Cross-Reactor Out of Here!
Written by Michele Vieux
You may be gluten free but are you cross-reactor free? Do you even know what I’m talking about?
I had no idea what a gluten cross-reactor was until recently when I read this article about them in coffee. Oh no! Not coffee! Yes, I’m sure this is what you’re thinking but you need to take this message seriously if you have gone gluten free but are still experiencing some autoimmune response or are not feeling as great as you expected to be.
Just to kibosh some misinformation off the bat, gastrointestinal symptoms are the least common presentation of gluten sensitivity. The most common presentations (according to the article) of gluten sensitivity are neurological symptoms such as migraine, vertigo, seizure, epilepsy, neuropathy, ADD, ADHD, and endocrine/hormone symptoms but can present itself in so many more ways that you might just think are a part of everyday life.
What happens with gluten sensitivity is that your immune system thinks gluten is an invader, attaches gluten antibodies to it, and it mounts an attack on it. The inflammation caused by this reaction can affect your body in many negative ways. Unfortunately, gluten is not the only thing that can cause this reaction. Gluten cross-reactors cause the same reaction as gluten because your body thinks it is gluten and attaches the same antibodies to it as if it were gluten, leading to autoimmune and inflammatory response. Sadly, 10% of the proteins in coffee have been found to be cross-reactive with gluten.
Oh and by the way. The cross-reactor has nothing to do with caffeine so decaf is no bueno either. I’m definitely putting this on my list of reasons to quit the coffee. I did almost two years ago and have enjoyed many positive outcomes since, including discovering the delightful combo of lemon-green tea and peppermint tea in one!
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I have noticed some bad reactions the few times I do use coffee over the past few years as i have rid myself of gluten. I have had to go completely off the coffee path and have had good results. I admit to being a mate fiend and even imbibing in some tea drinking in a pinch. While there is no scientific proof, experientially I have noticed the upside of caffeine coupled with the problems of the caffeine source. Not one thing works for all people, please stay in tune with yourself.. Whilst Courtland brings up some valuable points, my… Read more »
PS- Good post M, I have never tried to put into words what coffee was doing to me
Its cool, I don’t drink coffee anyways, the alcohol content is too low…wait, what kind of intervention was this?
p.s. if you want someone to quit something, you probably shouldn’t give it such a COOL ASS NAME, c’mon, cross-reactor?! thats so sweet.
😀
Ok, I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and ask a question pertaining to your list of reasons to quit coffee, since I love coffee so much 🙂 You state: “Daily use of coffee results in the secretion of cortosol, the “stress hormone.” High levels of this hormone can lead to adrenal fatigue, weight gain (around the abdomen)…etc”…..I understand the concept that high levels of cortosol are a no-no but exactly how much coffee do you need to drink to achieve these high levels? I know that other things can lead to cortosol creation (like low sleep quality) but if… Read more »
I’m not sure how much coffee it takes. It probably doesn’t affect everyone the same way. I knew I was getting enough sleep, not “stressed”, and good on the other normal cortisol indicators so coffee was the only thing left to try (and I had other reasons for quitting as noted in the article). You would really only know if you quit for a decent period of time (6 months to a year) to test it out.
I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t drink coffee. *cough* Cody Burgener *cough*
Caffeine is a drug, why would I or anybody who is health concious want to put that in their body anyway? And coffee “beans”? They make my heart jumpy. 😉
Many of the greatest health-conscious endurance athletes in the world swear by caffeine, and it has proven performance enhancement effects in this realm. Besides, the article references “coffee” and not caffeine, though the secret protein is, apparently, an internal secret.
Really is quite sad…the green tea option is a good one for those that want a hint of caffeine.
I’d also be interested to find out what other foods have this cross-reactor proclivity.
#1) He’s not a real doctor. Titles like “Functional Endocrinologist” or “Chiropractic Neurologist” mean nothing in the abstract. Have these titles been vetted and issued by certified peer scientists and doctors? He’s board certified–really? By what board? Why does his bio not list his academic credentials? Very highly suspect at first glance. #2) He does state that other “medical doctors” are stuck in a time warp or are solely educated by the pharmaceutical industry, yet he does even bother to name the offending protein, and thus deprives the reader of the opportunity to research for its presence in other food… Read more »