5 ms·

I'm convinced the uptick in "gluten sensitivity" is actually sensitivity to mold on grains. I often get a stuffy nose, and then next-day brain fog after eating

I'm convinced the uptick in "gluten sensitivity" is actually sensitivity to mold on grains. I often get a stuffy nose, and then next-day brain fog after eating bread, anything with soy sauce, etc. Had a complete allergy test panel and I have zero reactivity to gluten, etc. Grains (especially flour and oats) are particularly susceptible to mold contamination, and it's interesting to note that the US allows significantly more mold contamination in grains [0] (see Table 3). 5x higher Aflatoxin for all foods, 33% higher Deoxynivalenol in bread, and ZERO maximum amount for Ochratoxin A in any foods in the US. If you have problems eating grains in the US, it's very likely a mold sensitivity, not anything related to gluten/gliadin. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6163171/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6163171/

seanw444 3y ago
Very interesting. Thanks.
sizzle 3y ago
I thought I was going crazy cause grains seriously mess me up and got all the gluten sensitivity testing as well with no reactivity. I just started avoiding most grain based carbs and as a result my life is 100% better with none of the brain fog symptoms and lethargy. The mold contamination is something I never really considered and could explain a lot. Thanks for sharing!
- electrondood 3y ago
  You're welcome, was hoping it could help others. For what it's worth, I did have an above-average exposure to environmental mold growing up; that may contribute to creating a sensitivity in some people.
atlgator 3y ago
Isn't the gluten issue because farmers changed over to using dwarf wheat to increase crop density? Dwarf wheat has more gluten than traditional types.
faeriechangling 3y ago
A sensitivity to grains can also be a sensitivity to oligosaccharides... especially if you present with digestive issues. Bread can cause multiple problems. I also don't think people are quite aware that part of the reason gluten-free foods are so popular is they can help with conditions that are not caused by gluten sensitivities as they omit ingredients which cause multiple health problems. Multiple of which were poorly understood at the time gluten free foods exploded, which drove scepticism because people could not understand why so many people were buying these foods if they did not have celiac disease and often seemed to be often be able to tolerate some amount of gluten. If you have food sensitivities I'd visit a doctor & do deep research and do trial/error.
- modeless 3y ago
  I wish there was a website where you could input your food sensitivities and it would tell you what digestive dysfunction you have. Personally I am sensitive to restaurant pad thai and also tonkotsu ramen. Eating either of those will guarantee prompt digestive problems for me. But I'm at a loss to explain why those two things are bad. Especially the pad thai when it's seemingly just another noodle dish.
  - jahsome 3y ago
    That exists, it's called social media. Just publicly post "I suffer from x" and you'll summon a baker's dozen experts to tell you "it's not x, it's y" in no time.
    - modeless 3y ago
      It's not working
      - jahsome 3y ago
        I'm sorry :( I hope you don't mind my joke. I meant no disrespect towards you and would never wish to minimize any suffering you experience. I was poking fun at self-appointed experts who are more concerned with "um actually-ing" than rendering any help, and I now realize my comment doesn't help either. I hope you find the answers and relief you deserve.
Aurornis 3y ago
> Had a complete allergy test panel and I have zero reactivity to gluten, etc. We don't currently have any accepted and reliable tests for the condition known as gluten intolerance. Note that you can order celiac disease screening and you can order certain gluten allergy testing, but gluten intolerance is considered a third condition. You cannot currently order a test for this, so the negative test results you received were likely either for celiac disease or a traditional gluten allergy. Also, note that there are more compounds in grains that you can be allergic to beyond gluten. Gluten gets the spotlight because it was the hot topic for many years, but it's possible to be fine with pure gluten but allergic to grains. It all gets confusing, but the important thing is to remember that Celiac disease, gluten allergy, and gluten intolerance are three separate conditions and excluding one does not mean you can't have the others. It's also important to remember that there are many more compounds in grains than just gluten. > If you have problems eating grains in the US, it's very likely a mold sensitivity, not anything related to gluten/gliadin. That's quite a logical leap without any evidence. For what it's worth, I also have similar allergic reactions to grains but my experience doesn't differ at all when I travel to the EU.
- omgwtfbyobbq 3y ago
  I'm my experience, the blood tests for Celiac are also used for Gluten Intolerance. If a blood test for Celiac is positive, the biopsy is negative, and nothing else can account for your symptoms, and removing gluten improved your symptoms, then you end up in the Gluten Intolerant category.
- electrondood 3y ago
  That's interesting, because I have no issues with imported wheat, or imported soy sauce, etc. YMMV. The only foods that cause me issues are foods made with US-grown grains, and I've had negative allergy tests for every grain-related immune reaction. Ochratoxin A is a carcinogen, a mold that regularly contaminates grains, and there's no legal limit in the US whatsoever. That's insane to me. (edit: feel free to `sed s/very likely/possible/`)
colordrops 3y ago
I sometimes wonder if it's the glyphosate on wheat. Would be interesting to do a study on organic vs glyphosate treated wheat.
ropable 3y ago
You might also have some level of intolerance to the so-called FODMAPs[0] (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols). Speaking from personal experience, excess consumption of foods containing one or more (not necessarily all) of these carbohydrates can produce some quite unpleasant effects. None of these issues will present as an allergy because they aren't that. Dietary intolerances can be tricky things to pin down. Not to discount the mold sensitivity suggestion either; it seems quite plausible to me as well. [0]https://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/ https://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/

seanw444 3y ago

Very interesting. Thanks.

sizzle 3y ago

I thought I was going crazy cause grains seriously mess me up and got all the gluten sensitivity testing as well with no reactivity. I just started avoiding most grain based carbs and as a result my life is 100% better with none of the brain fog symptoms and lethargy. The mold contamination is something I never really considered and could explain a lot. Thanks for sharing!

electrondood 3y ago
You're welcome, was hoping it could help others. For what it's worth, I did have an above-average exposure to environmental mold growing up; that may contribute to creating a sensitivity in some people.

atlgator 3y ago

Isn't the gluten issue because farmers changed over to using dwarf wheat to increase crop density? Dwarf wheat has more gluten than traditional types.

faeriechangling 3y ago

A sensitivity to grains can also be a sensitivity to oligosaccharides... especially if you present with digestive issues. Bread can cause multiple problems. I also don't think people are quite aware that part of the reason gluten-free foods are so popular is they can help with conditions that are not caused by gluten sensitivities as they omit ingredients which cause multiple health problems. Multiple of which were poorly understood at the time gluten free foods exploded, which drove scepticism because people could not understand why so many people were buying these foods if they did not have celiac disease and often seemed to be often be able to tolerate some amount of gluten. If you have food sensitivities I'd visit a doctor & do deep research and do trial/error.

modeless 3y ago
I wish there was a website where you could input your food sensitivities and it would tell you what digestive dysfunction you have. Personally I am sensitive to restaurant pad thai and also tonkotsu ramen. Eating either of those will guarantee prompt digestive problems for me. But I'm at a loss to explain why those two things are bad. Especially the pad thai when it's seemingly just another noodle dish.
- jahsome 3y ago
  That exists, it's called social media. Just publicly post "I suffer from x" and you'll summon a baker's dozen experts to tell you "it's not x, it's y" in no time.
  - modeless 3y ago
    It's not working
    - jahsome 3y ago
      I'm sorry :( I hope you don't mind my joke. I meant no disrespect towards you and would never wish to minimize any suffering you experience. I was poking fun at self-appointed experts who are more concerned with "um actually-ing" than rendering any help, and I now realize my comment doesn't help either. I hope you find the answers and relief you deserve.

Aurornis 3y ago

> Had a complete allergy test panel and I have zero reactivity to gluten, etc. We don't currently have any accepted and reliable tests for the condition known as gluten intolerance. Note that you can order celiac disease screening and you can order certain gluten allergy testing, but gluten intolerance is considered a third condition. You cannot currently order a test for this, so the negative test results you received were likely either for celiac disease or a traditional gluten allergy. Also, note that there are more compounds in grains that you can be allergic to beyond gluten. Gluten gets the spotlight because it was the hot topic for many years, but it's possible to be fine with pure gluten but allergic to grains. It all gets confusing, but the important thing is to remember that Celiac disease, gluten allergy, and gluten intolerance are three separate conditions and excluding one does not mean you can't have the others. It's also important to remember that there are many more compounds in grains than just gluten. > If you have problems eating grains in the US, it's very likely a mold sensitivity, not anything related to gluten/gliadin. That's quite a logical leap without any evidence. For what it's worth, I also have similar allergic reactions to grains but my experience doesn't differ at all when I travel to the EU.

omgwtfbyobbq 3y ago
I'm my experience, the blood tests for Celiac are also used for Gluten Intolerance. If a blood test for Celiac is positive, the biopsy is negative, and nothing else can account for your symptoms, and removing gluten improved your symptoms, then you end up in the Gluten Intolerant category.
electrondood 3y ago
That's interesting, because I have no issues with imported wheat, or imported soy sauce, etc. YMMV. The only foods that cause me issues are foods made with US-grown grains, and I've had negative allergy tests for every grain-related immune reaction. Ochratoxin A is a carcinogen, a mold that regularly contaminates grains, and there's no legal limit in the US whatsoever. That's insane to me. (edit: feel free to `sed s/very likely/possible/`)

colordrops 3y ago

I sometimes wonder if it's the glyphosate on wheat. Would be interesting to do a study on organic vs glyphosate treated wheat.

ropable 3y ago

You might also have some level of intolerance to the so-called FODMAPs[0] (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols). Speaking from personal experience, excess consumption of foods containing one or more (not necessarily all) of these carbohydrates can produce some quite unpleasant effects. None of these issues will present as an allergy because they aren't that. Dietary intolerances can be tricky things to pin down. Not to discount the mold sensitivity suggestion either; it seems quite plausible to me as well. [0]https://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/ https://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/