Can Gluten Intolerance Be Hereditary?

Gluten intolerance is an incurable disease that affects 1% of the world’s population, and there are several gluten-related disorders, such as:

• Celiac disease
• Gluten sensitivity without celiac disease
• Food allergy

The treatment for these is the same. First you have to follow a gluten-free diet. After that , the symptoms disappear, and the damage can in most cases be repaired. However, the symptoms are what tell you which of these disorders you may have.

So, what is the difference between these disorders?

What is gluten?

Gluten, glutenins and prolamines are proteins found in grains and especially in wheat. Glutenin is the protein that gives flour its elasticity and dough its fluffiness, so it is a popular additive in the food industry. In the case of wheat, gluten makes up 85% of the proteins.

Gluten intolerance and hereditary diseases

Gluten sensitivity without celiac disease

It shares many symptoms with celiac disease, so people often mistake one for the other. Both diseases can cause diarrhea or constipation, cramps, leg and joint pain and fatigue. Gluten sensitivity does not have genetic predispositions and does not have the same biomarkers as other gluten-related autoimmune diseases.

The fact that the symptoms are similar to celiac disease makes it more difficult to identify, even if the treatment is the same: eating a gluten-free diet. But in 2012, the disease was finally classified as something other than just gluten sensitivity. Symptoms may occur after 48 hours and be prolonged.

Celiac disease or gluten intolerance

Gluten intolerance and wheat allergy are diseases with genetic predispositions. These diseases are identified by DNA analysis and locate the biomarkers responsible for each of them.

Gluten intolerance can have major consequences for the affected digestive tract. It is worse in children because it affects the intestinal lining and makes it difficult to absorb nutrients.

This can delay growth, cause rickets, anemia, violent behavior and mood swings. This results in chronic malnutrition and damages the small intestine. It can also take years before the symptoms become noticeable.

Wheat allergy

Wheat allergy is a hereditary disease that causes an allergic reaction to wheat and its derivatives. Although some symptoms are consistent with celiac disease (such as diarrhea and seizures), it does not have the same biomarkers as gluten intolerance.

The specific symptoms of wheat allergy are related to an allergic process. This can be, for example, swelling or itching in the mouth, difficulty swallowing and breathing and rash.

This allergic reaction is caused by all the proteins found in wheat, not just glutenin. In summary, the identification of the genetic biomarkers gives the disease hereditary predisposition.

Conclusion

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by gluten intolerance. To identify this disease, doctors perform a genetic test and examine its presence in the family. In other words, there is a hereditary element in gluten intolerance.

However, the genetic mutation can also be spontaneous and undeveloped or show symptoms during adolescence or adulthood.

Nowadays, we know about the genes that cause celiac disease, but science is still unsure how they work.