This Is Your Brain On Gluten
Although just 1% of Americans have a diagnosis of celiac disease, it's most likely vastly under-diagnosed. In fact, only 10% of people with the disease exhibit obvious GI symptoms. And research now suggests that celiac disease can present itself strictly as a neurological problem.
In reality, celiac disease is the extreme end of the gluten sensitivity-autoimmune spectrum — there's also an estimated 1 in 20 Americans living with what's called non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Gluten has been shown to increase levels of the protein zonulin in the gut leading to leaky gut syndrome. This gut permeability allows undigested food proteins and bacterial endotoxins to pass into the blood stream, activating an inflammatory-immune response in your body.