- In a groundbreaking study, researchers in New Zealand observed that wheat gluten can cause brain inflammation in mice.
- Their recent work showed that gluten added to a low- or high-fat diet triggered inflammation in the brain’s hypothalamic region, which regulates metabolism.
- Experts theorize that gluten may elicit an inflammatory immune response similar to what people with celiac experience.
- This research ties inflammation of nerve cells, to the onset of metabolic disease.
- Because mice and humans have similar systems, this study may carry important implications for human physiology.
Gluten is a protein present in wheat, barley, rye, and other widely consumed grains. This component is also added to many processed foods.
According to University of Otago researchers in New Zealand, wheat gluten may trigger central inflammation in the brain as well.
In their study in mice, the team fed male rodents either a low-fat diet or a high-fat diet, later adding gluten.
Associate professor Dr. Alexander Tups, the lead author, said that the addition of gluten to either diet “led to a marked increase in the number of microglia and astrocytes in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus, a key brain region for metabolic control”.
Their findings appear in the
Astrocytes and microglia are two types of immune cells in the brain. They are similar to macrophages, found in the blood, that play a part in inflammation.
The brain’s hypothalamic region is responsible for regulating metabolic functions that control weight and blood sugar.
The University of Otago researchers hypothesized that gluten-induced hypothalamic inflammation can lead to brain damage, body weight gain, and impaired blood glucose regulation.
In turn, these conditions may increase the risk of impaired memory function.
While this research was conducted in…
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