The truth about gluten

A general definition is that gluten is a storage protein found in grains. In essence grains are the seeds of grasses. The job of gluten is to help perpetuate the species of the grass by supplying food for the embryo inside the seed but also it acts a protective chemical against potential predators. Wheat, Barley Rye and Oats are the commonly known grasses and they also represent the commonly known sources of gluten. Most people see these grains as representing gluten as they are the ones commonly linked to Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune disease of the small intestine. Some of the common foods that are seen to contain gluten include breads, pastas, cereals, crackers, beer ,donuts, cake, cookies etc as they are made predominately from wheat, barley and rye.

Let’s go a little deeper and see exactly what gluten really is.

Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in all grains. It is composed of two primary sub fractions:

• Promalines.
•  Glutalines.

The Promaline gliadin is the most studied piece of gluten in the medical literature as it relates to coeliac disease.

Promaline Definition

"Any of a class of simple proteins soluble in alcohol and usually having a high proline and glutamine content, found in the grains of cereal crops such as wheat, rye, barley, corn and rice."

Promaline are further sub classified into: alpha, beta, gamma and omega fractions.

Alpha and beta gliadins are the best studied in relation to coeliac disease.

Below is a table showing some of the common glutens found in different grains.

Grain	Type of Promaline subfraction of gluten	% Total Proteins
Wheat	Gliadin	69
Rye	Secalinin	30-50
Oats	Avenin	16
Barley	Hordein	46-52
Millet	Panicin	40
Corn	Zien	55
Rice	Orzenin	5

It is important to be aware that although it says the percentage of protein in rice is only 5; this can usually be much higher when looking at specific species of the rice. So when avoiding gluten if you are gluten sensitive it is imperative you avoid all sources.

This is an excerpt from “Nutritional Therapy” by Stephen J Gislason, MD:

“Grains are the seeds of grass. The seed has a bran casing, a starchy endosperm, which contains 90% of protein (including gluten), and a small nucleus, which is the plant embryo, waiting to grow. Any flour made from the starchy endosperm contains promalines and is potentially toxic to the grain sensitive/intolerant person.”

The take home point from this information is that gluten is found in all grains, and not just wheat, rye and barley.

Dominick Hussey

Osteopath and Functional Medicine Practitioner

Osteopathy and Functional Medicine

Ottawa Health Wellness Centre