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The listowners have received an electronic version of a fascinating
article about the historic role of gluten intolerance in the structuring
of the genetic makeup of man. It was written by Dr. Luigi Greco, a member
of the well-respected Aurrichio team (Italy) which has done many
important celiac research studies. The article is 27k long (including an
useful list of 18 citations to other articles) as was judged too large
to post on the list, so anyone who wants a copy should send an email to:
[log in to unmask] with the body
GET CELIAC CUL-WHT CELIAC
Do not use the reply feature of your software, or 1050 people will get
your request!
I have posted the introduction to the article below, so you can get a feel
for its scope. If you use a monospaced font, like Courier, the right margins
line up perfectly. This is also true of the article itself.
Mike Jones ([log in to unmask])
for the Listowners
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION TO THE GLUTEN INTOLERANCE :
BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED TO THE CULTIVATION OF WHEAT.
Luigi Greco, D.C.H., M.Sc.(MCH), M.D.,
Dipartment of Pediatrics, University of Naples.
30.06.1995
WHY SO MANY INTOLERANT TO GLUTEN ?
We have recently reported on Lancet(1) a consistent cohort
of patients affected by drug-resistant epilepsy with cerebral
calcifications, half of which were cured by a gluten-free diet.
All had an atrophic jejunal mucosa, which recovered on a gluten
free diet. Gluten intolerance is now a recognized cause of brain
calcifications and epilepsy, of dementia, of psychiatric
disturbances : many researchers believe that, in genetically
predisposed subjects , gluten is not healthy for the brain
function (2).
This is just too much.
Having had over 25 years of variegated experience with
gluten intolerance I find hard to immagine that the single most
common food intolerance to the single most diffuse staple food in
our environment maight provoke such a complexity of severe
adverse immuno-mediated reactions in any part of the human body
and function. The list is endless, but malignancies, adverse
pregnancy outcome and impaired brain function are indeed
complications above the tolerable threshold of this food
intolerance .
On the other end today we know very well that the majority
( as many as 9 to 1) of gluten intolerant subjects, identified by
familial or population screening, do not manifest any complaint,
although they do have a flat intestinal mucosa (3).
In conclusion a sizeable proportion of our population (from
0.3 to 1%) is gluten intolerant and reacts with a wide spectrum
of symptoms from no apparent reaction to severe life-threatening
diseases.
This intolerance is strongly linked to specific genetic
markers which have indeed required thousands years to develop and
be selected : the 'population genetic' time is of this dimension,
while the changes in the environment and in the food we eat,
require centuries or less.
Where then they come from ?
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