Having a food intolerance or sensitivity is so common these days that people may mistakenly think it is easy to fully adapt your diet. While there are many more products on the shelves and awareness in restaurants than ever before, hidden gluten is still something that haunts those with coeliac disease or are non-coeliac gluten sensitive.

This can be due to lack of awareness of the importance of gluten free diet maintenance in the food industry, situations when food preparation is out of your control with friends or family or due to different international standards for gluten free products.

91% of participants reported they experienced
gluten exposure at least once a month.

As demonstrated in a 2016 study, 91% of participants – all of whom were gluten sensitive to varying degrees – reported that they experienced gluten exposure at least once a month. For 63% of them, they were unaware they had consumed gluten until they experienced symptoms – this indicates just how common cross-contamination and gluten exposure can be.

Obstacles to gluten free diet compliance:

1. Issues ordering in restaurants
2. Relying on others, including friends or family
3. Neglecting to properly read food labels
4. Foreign language barriers while travelling

With these obstacles in mind, gluten free diet adherence can be made easier when the diet is comprised of delicious, nutritionally-rich foods that are free of the possibility of cross contamination, and by consulting a healthcare professional about dietary requirements. However, avoiding all of these barriers only to inadvertently consume cross contaminated food, is a scenario that is familiar to everyone on the spectrum of gluten sensitivity.

It is for this reason that enzyme supplements such as GluteGuard have the potential to enhance the quality of life of those who experience gluten sensitivity. By detoxifying any inadvertently ingested gluten particles, GluteGuard prevents the symptoms and long-lasting damage associated with all levels of gluten sensitivity, acting as one more safeguard that ensures gluten free diet compliance. To read more about the science behind GluteGuard or for further information about cross contamination and gluten-free diet compliance, visit https://glutagen.com/gluten-updates/.

Comino, I, Fernández-Bañares, F, Esteve, M, Ortigosa, L, Castillejo, G, Fambuena, B, Ribes-Koninckx, C, Sierra, C, Rodríguez-Herrera, A, Salazar, J, Caunedo, Á, Marugán-Miguelsanz, J, Garrote, J, Vivas, S, Lo Iacono, O, Nuñez, A, Vaquero, L, Vegas, A, Crespo, L, Fernández-Salazar, L, Arranz, E, Jiménez-García, V, Antonio Montes-Cano, M, Espín, B, Galera, A, Valverde, J, Girón, F, Bolonio, M, Millán, A, Cerezo, F, Guajardo, C, Alberto, J, Rosinach, M, Segura, V, León, F, Marinich, J, Muñoz-Suano, A, Romero-Gómez, M, Cebolla, Á, & Sousa, C 2016, ‘Fecal Gluten Peptides Reveal Limitations of Serological Tests and Food Questionnaires for Monitoring Gluten-Free Diet in Celiac Disease Patients’, The American Journal Of Gastroenterology, 111, 10, pp. 1456-1465.