I know, here we go again with gluten intolerance.
Seriously, I've seen people get their tongues ripped out and stomped on at other sites, with no serious answers, for asking about the "malady-du-jour" as someone called it. But I did a search... really I did, but didn't find anything about its distribution. Though I found this thread
HLA-DQ2 : distribution map, subtypes, SNPs, and associated medical conditions. I checked my Promethease report for the SNPs listed in the post, but I don't find any of them. Yet I am convinced I have non-celiac gluten intolerance. I get all the symptoms. I've always joked that's it pathetic that an Italian can't eat pizza and pasta.
What I'm wondering is how prevalent gluten intolerance (celiac or non-celiac) is among Mediterraneans. My yDNA is T, my mtDNA is HV4. I have some Northern European (North Atlantic and Baltic) by the Eurogenes K13 and K15. I am surprised, having a T yDNA which originated in the Near East, where agriculture started, and being half Sicilian (afaik Sicily is an agricultural hot spot), that I cannot handle grains. Or is it a legacy from the bit of Northern European DNA I carry?
Thoughts, comments, knowledge? This is really just a curiosity on my part.
I feel your pain; I also have adverse reactions to certain foods!
Yet, I have no markers indicating there should be a problem. The biggest offender is dairy. I have both alleles conferring European specific lactase persistence, and yet in mid-life found that not only could I not tolerate milk (which I never drank anyway) or butter, but I also could no longer eat cheese, not even the cheeses which are very low in lactose, and this was after years and years of eating tons of them. I then investigated whether I am allergic to milk proteins, but it seems not. So, I'm at a loss.
I've never noticed any reaction to gluten products, but perhaps that's in the future because I wonder if the development of these issues is somehow age related...less production of certain chemicals or hormones within our own bodies.
I also seem to have developed an intolerance for nuts (just mild symptoms, nothing drastic), and certain fruits like pineapple and cantaloupe. Too much raw garlic or onions, and raw peppers also bother me and have done for a long time.
Specifically as to gluten, I don't know if you've read this:
http://www.gastrojournal.org/articl...n.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-related_disorders
The culprit seems to be what they call FODMAPS
This is the Stanford diet for gastrointestinal "disorders". They basically tell people to limit the FODMAP foods.
https://stanfordhealthcare.org/cont...nutrition-services/docs/pdf-lowfodmapdiet.pdf
As you can see, both dairy and gluten are in the high FODMAP column. Interestingly, so are artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup, although apparently corn flour products are ok. If you think about the American diet, which is high in both dairy and wheat, whether through cheese, milk, ice cream, bread or desserts, not just pasta and pizza, the artificial sweeteners that are consumed, the high fructose corn syrup that is in all the prepared foods that are consumed, and consider the sugar eaten, (virtually everything has sugar added to it, even catsup) and then add in all the beer and grain based alcohol that is drunk, and I think you may have a case where the digestive system is just overloaded. There's also the fact that the more you eat, the more problems you'll have, and Americans I think consume the most calories of anyone in the world.
From the Stanford University Diet: "FODMAPS are osmotic (means they pull water into the intestinal tract), may not be digested or absorbed well and could be fermented upon by bacteria in the intestinal tract when
eaten in excess."
I think this explains why people say they feel better and have fewer symptoms if they cut out dairy, or gluten, or dairy and gluten, or become vegetarians. I just think they're lessening their over all "load" of these substances.
I don't want to totally cut anything out, and not just because I like all those foods, but because I think you need a balance for good nutrition. So, what I've done is pick and choose my battles, so to speak.
Both dairy and the meats I particularly like are high in fats, so I don't drink milk (not that I ever did), severely limit cheese intake, particularly soft cheese, and get my fats from meat and olive oil. I continue, as I was raised, to rotate my starches...one day pasta, one day potatoes, one day risotto, one day polenta from corn meal, and only eat a slice or two of traditional Italian bread (no sugar or dairy in it) a day. I already knew to go light on garlic and onions, and certain of the "avoidance" fruits I knew gave me a problem, like watermelon, and even apples. Beer and whiskies are not a problem as I never drank them, and I don't eat sweets or desserts except once in a blue moon, as they say.
I find that sticking to this helps me maintain my weight and feeling good. Everyone has to find their own balance based on their food preferences, I think. Moderation is very important, in overall calorie intake and in types of foods, I think.