This recent blog post on the Healthy Home Economist reports a finding that effects Gluten-free coffee lovers everywhere: 10% of coffee is a protein that cross reacts with gluten antibodies.
What does this mean?
In my mind(and I may be wrong on this correlation) it's somewhat similar to Oral Allergy Sensitivity, a condition where the person's body that has certain pollen allergies sort of misreads the proteins in certain foods because of a similarity in structure and reacts with (usually) itchy throat, ears, sneezing, runny nose, etc.. I've had lots of personal experience with OAS, unfortunately, and that cross-reaction makes sense to me.
The Coffee/Gluten situation effects the gut health and thus the immune system and the whole body.
I find this discovery intriguing. I didn't start drinking coffee until I was in college and got married. After having kids, the coffee intake increased (yawn), and so did my food allergies. I know that coffee was not the main contributor to my immune system having a heyday, but after quitting the coffee and feeling better.....and going through my allergy journey and current gluten-freeness...and having coffee as a treat last weekend and how I felt afterwards (yucky).... reading these findings makes everything make a little more sense to me.
So....to all my Gluten-Free friends out there....you might want to re-think your morning drink of choice. Cut back or omit it, if you can, and see if it makes a difference for you!
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