As high as 1 out of 10 persons may be suspectible to gluten. Not only
is gluten (found in wheat, rye, and barley) capable of flattening
intestinal vili, it can damage neurological tissue. Apparently the
antibodies that bind gliadin also bind to neurological tissue (ie
nerves in arms, legs, gut, spine, brain, etc) and may cause diverse
symptoms such as Irritible Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
FibroMyalgia Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Burning Mouth Syndrome,
Restless Leg Syndrome, Sciatica, Myopathy, Tinnitus, etc). At www.pubmed.com
search for "gluten neuropathy" for abstracts similar to below:

Immune cross-reactivity in celiac disease: anti-gliadin antibodies
bind to neuronal synapsin I.

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder triggered by ingestion
of wheat gliadin and related proteins in genetically susceptible
individuals. In addition to the characteristic enteropathy, celiac
disease is associated with various extraintestinal manifestations,
including neurologic complications such as neuropathy, ataxia,
seizures, and neurobehavioral changes. The cause of the neurologic
manifestations is unknown, but autoimmunity resulting from molecular
mimicry between gliadin and nervous system proteins has been proposed
to play a role. In this study, we sought to investigate the immune
reactivity of the anti-gliadin Ab response toward neural proteins. We
characterized the binding of affinity-purified anti-gliadin Abs from
immunized animals to brain proteins by one- and two-dimensional gel
electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and peptide mass mapping. The major
immunoreactive protein was identified as synapsin I. Anti-gliadin Abs
from patients with celiac disease also bound to the protein. Such
cross-reactivity may provide clues into the pathogenic mechanism of
the neurologic deficits that are associated with gluten sensitivity.
PMID: 17475890

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