Gluten and Mental Health

For much of my life I consumed large amounts of grains and wheat. My kitchen cabinets were once filled with breads, pastas, and sugary cereals. When I started hearing more about the “gluten-free” trends I largely dismissed them as dramatic, dietary fads.

Why in the world would I want to give up my honey nut cheerios? My Dunkin Donuts’ Cruller? Or my homemade banana bread? What good would that do?

Gluten: My Downfall

Well, my views drastically changed after I received a diagnosis of an autoimmune condition during my mid-20’s. I also soon discovered I had a sensitivity to gluten. During this time of my life, I started experiencing some significant physical and mental health symptoms that felt beyond my control. Only after giving up gluten, along with making some other dietary and lifestyle changes, did I feel better.

This sparked my curiosity and triggered a desire to better understand the connections between gluten and mental health, along with other symptoms of mental ill-health. Turns out, for many individuals, there can be a connection between gluten and certain mental health related conditions.

Before moving forward, please keep in mind that I am not your health provider, and nothing here should take the place of advice from your own provider. If you consume gluten on a regular basis, and do not experience any negative symptoms, then by all means, continue to do what feels right for you. But, if you are considering the role of your diet on your mental health, then consider the following information on gluten and anxiety.

What is Gluten?

To begin, it may be helpful to clarify what gluten actually is. Most people have heard of the term, “gluten” and associate it with foods such as breads and pasta. But, what would happen if we asked these same individuals to define gluten? Turns out, few Americans seem to understand what gluten actually is.

So what exactly is gluten, or this “thing” commonly found in foods such as pasta, pizza, and cereal?

“Gluten” is the Latin word for “glue” which is a complex mixture of hundreds of related but distinct proteins (Biesiekierski, 2017). It often acts as a binding agent, used as an additive in processed foods to improve texture, provide moisture retention, and enhance flavor.

Gluten itself does not provide any essential nutrients, rather, it acts as an adhesive material, holding flour together to make various bread products. The average daily gluten intake in a typical Western diet tends to be around 5–20 grams per day.

Rising Rates of Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity

You may have heard of the term, “Celiac disease,” which refers to a smaller portion of the population who experience extreme sensitivities to gluten. Some experts estimate that 1 in every 100 people worldwide meet the criteria for Celiac disease.

However, Dr. Perlmutter, author of The Grain Brain (2013), considers this number to be a conservative estimate. In reality, he states, this number is closer to 1 in 30 as many people with a serious form of gluten sensitivity remain undiagnosed. He reports than an estimated 2.5 million Americans suffer from Celiac disease and continue to consume regular amounts of gluten on a daily basis.

In addition, you don’t have to meet the criteria for Celiac disease in order to experience gluten sensitivity. As was the case with me. With many people carrying genes that code for even mild versions of gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity is a widespread problem. As outlined in The Grain Brain (2013), the following conditions could indicate the prevalence of gluten sensitivity:

ADHD
Alcoholism
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
Anxiety
Ataxia (loss of balance)
Autism
Autoimmune disorders (diabetes, Hashimotos, rheumatoid arthritis)
Brain fog
Constantly getting sick
Depression
Digestive disturbances
Migraines
Heightened sugar cravings
Infertility
Hives/rashes
Dairy intolerance

Gluten and Mental Health

Although controversial, research has highlighted connections between gluten sensitivity and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. As noted above, there is a surprising overlap between gluten sensitivity and symptoms of mental ill-health. By eliminating gluten completely, many individuals have experienced significant relief from mood disorders and other autoimmune related conditions (Busby et al., 2018). A gluten free diet can help reduce inflammation throughout the body, which can help improve mental health, focus, and energy.

A previous review also highlights the benefits of a gluten-free diet in treating individuals with mood disorders who have underlying gluten-related disorders. Which means, that people who have an underlying gluten sensitivity often experience relief from challenging mental health symptoms by going gluten-free. Further research is needed to make more definite conclusions on how a gluten-free diet may help individuals without an underlying gluten sensitivity. Many people do report feeling much better after consuming less gluten, or cutting it out altogether.

For me, going gluten-free has drastically reduced challenging mental health symptoms in my own life. For many years I lived with lingering symptoms of anxiety and depression which had at least some roots in my autoimmune condition and unaddressed gluten sensitivity. Many others continue to live with undiagnosed forms of gluten sensitivity and/or autoimmune conditions, unknowingly exacerbating the problem with a gluten-rich diet. Could this be you, too?

Gluten and Mental Health: The Bottom Line

Do you consume gluten on a regular basis and struggle with ongoing symptoms of anxiety or mental ill-health? You may be among many others with an underlying gluten sensitivity, and may benefit from going gluten-free.

Sometimes, the only way to find out is to cut out gluten for a month or two and see what happens. Then, slowly introduce it back into your diet. If you experience any negative symptoms (stomach cramps, anxiety, headaches) during the re-introduction process, you have your answer.

When cutting out or decreasing your gluten consumption, start by replacing gluten-rich foods with other sources of carbohydrates, which might include amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, corn, millet, potato, quinoa, rice, sorghum, soy, tapioca, and teff.

Have you tried going gluten free? What have been your experiences? Do you have any helpful resources to share? Please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Looking for more ways to address underlying causes to challenging mental health symptoms? Explore the world of epigenetics, and read some highlights from my post, “Cleaning Up Dirty Genes through Diet and Nutrition”

References:

Biesiekierski JR. (2017). What is gluten? J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. ;32:78–81. doi: 10.1111/jgh.13703.

Brogan, K. From Gut to Brain: The Inflammation – Depression Connection. https://kellybroganmd.com/from-gut-to-brain-the-inflammation-connection/

Busby, E., Bold, J., Fellows, L., & Rostami, K. (2018). Mood Disorders and Gluten: It’s Not All in Your Mind! A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 10(11), 1708. doi:10.3390/nu10111708

Perlmutter, D., Loberg, K. (2013). Grain Brain: The Surprising truth about wheat, carbs, and sugar – your brain’s silent killers. New York, NY: Little Brown and Co.