Is GlutenEase Safe for a Gluten Allergy?

For some people, wheat poses a problem. Whether from celiac disease or a food allergy, these people may demonstrate symptoms such as abdominal cramping, fatigue and depression, among others, when eating foods that contain wheat. Some products, such as GlutenEase, say they contain enzymes that help a gluten-intolerant person break down gluten.

Gluten Intolerance

Gluten Intolerance is an auto-immune, genetically inherited disease in which a person's small intestine cannot properly digest the protein gluten. The presence of gluten damages small, tube-like projections in the small-intestine called villi. Symptoms include malnutrition, stomach pain and diarrhea.

Gluten Allergy

Gluten allergy is also an immunological response. It is marked, though, not by a specific point of damage (such as the villi), but instead has a widespread effect. The body, believing gluten to be harmful, produces immunoglobulin E (IgE), antibodies. These antibodies lead to typical symptoms of an allergic reaction: rash, swollen tongue, difficulty breathing, etc.

GlutenEase Claims

GlutenEase doesn't claim to aid those with celiac disease, but instead those with gluten intolerance or allergies.

The National Institutes of Health lists other names for celiac disease as "celiac sprue and gluten intolerance."

GlutenEase contains "a modified Protease Thera-blend with an enzyme activity called DPP-IV." This enzyme activity aids in the breakdown of gluten and helps to "normalize" the intestines' inflammatory response and aids in the digestion of nutrients.

GlutenEase also says that its product can help a person suffering from an allergy to gluten by acting as "scavenger enzymes" that remove the offensive gluten in the body before it can trigger the body's immunological response.

Research

In a paper entitled, "Combination enzyme therapy for gastric digestion of dietary gluten in patients with celiac sprue," the researchers determined that a similar type of protease treatment successfully aided rats in digesting gluten.

No specific study exists, though, of GlutenEase's protease method, either in helping gluten intolerance or allergy. Nor has it undergone FDA clinical trials.

Verdict

Some people report success in a lessening of symptoms using GlutenEase, but the safest and most effective method would be to talk with your doctor about following a gluten-free diet.