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Coffee and gluten sensitivity can combine to trigger symptoms for some with Celiac disease according to research published in a peer-reviewed journal. 
Gluten is a difficult to digest plant protein found in some grains such as wheat, rye, triticale and barley. It was discovered by Buddhist monks in the 7th century who were searching for a substitute for meat and found that when dough is submerged in water, the starch washes off and a meat-like gummy mass remained – the gluten.
Dough containing gluten has elastic properties that help it rise and keep its shape when baked. Hence, breads, cookies, crackers and other refined grain products containing gluten are favored by food manufacturers as they are ideal for mass production, shipping long distances without crumbling and stocking on supermarket shelves for long periods of time.
Unfortunately, the modern diet overloaded with gluten containing foods combined with the epidemic of digestive disorders and autoimmune illness has forced many people to go completely gluten free to regain their health. Emerging and rapidly evolving research in this area has uncovered the fact that the proteins in other foods can sometimes cross-react with gluten antibodies in sensitive individuals much like those with peanut allergies can potentially also react to soy, its legume relative.
In similar fashion, coffee and gluten have been found to be common cross-reactors with processed coffee eliciting the most severe reaction of all, triggering symptoms in those who are otherwise completely gluten free.
I initially discussed this new research last year with Primal Body, Primal Mind author Nora Gedgaudas CNS, CNT, who is an expert on coffee and gluten sensitivity and subsequently wrote an article about it in the Spring 2012.
This 2012 article recently triggered a firestorm of additional discussion on social media based on a paper published in the Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences in January 2013, authored by Aristo Vojdani.
I emailed Ms. Gedgaudas about this latest research on coffee and gluten cross-reactivity to obtain her input and received this very helpful and detailed response which she gave me permission to reprint here:
This is a very confusing and complex topic and it takes some effort to stay on top of all the most recent developments.
In my conversations with Aristo Vojdani and others at Cyrex labs, plus talking to people that have been trained by them to teach others this is what seems to be the current understanding:
The coffee used in their testing was the highly processed variety (i.e., pre-ground and/or instant). Apparently, there is something that occurs during processing to make this particular type of coffee highly cross-reactive. It seems to be most likely having to do with cross-contamination with gluten during the processing and storage of this type of product. It may possibly have to do with the effect that processing has upon the proteins contained in coffee beans. It’s still being investigated, last I heard. Also, it seems to be a different story for organic, whole roasted coffee beans (i.e., the good stuff).
The other side to this question has to do with coffee’s degree of cross-reactivity. Interestingly, of all the cross-reactive compounds, this particular type of coffee seems to elicit the most severe cross reaction. It is not the most common cross-reactive compound, but it does have the most pronounced cross-reactivity of all of them. Confusing, I know. The single most common cross-reactive substance with gluten is dairy, hands-down (and, more specifically, casein). Roughly half of all people having gluten sensitivity also have a dairy sensitivity. And if you’re sensitive to any protein component of dairy, then dairy is off-limits–permanently. All gluten cross-reactivities are considered permanent sensitivities, as they will react in your body as though they contained gluten– all generating zonulin and inducing intestinal permeability. The body’s immune system simply cannot tell the difference. That is the nature of cross-reactivity.
Do Coffee and Gluten Ever Mix?
Ms. Gedgaudas advises caution when consuming coffee if you are gluten sensitive. Â If you absolutely must drink it, she recommends the following protocol:
- Avoid greasy spoon coffee joints like the plague, as well as cheap coffee brands like Folgers and Maxwell House, etc (i.e., the processed varieties) permanently.
- Once some of the antigen load is cleared from the body by being gluten free and coffee free for a period of time, a cup of organic, whole bean coffee can be cautiously tried to see whether any symptoms of cross-reactivity are experienced or not.
Reference
Cross-Reaction between Gliadin and Different Food and Tissue Antigens, Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
Sources and More Information
Why You Need to Change WHEN You Drink Coffee
How Bulletproof Coffee Shoots You in the Foot
Is Caffeine Causing Your Chronic Back Pain
The Truth About Your Morning Coffee Fix
Healthy Coffee Substitutes
Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac? Don’t Drink Coffee!
Sarah, I am just overwhelmed by all the information, so please forgive me if I am asking something that has already been addressed elsewhere. I have type 2 diabetes, but I am going to beat the typical Conventional Wisdom protocol and someday not have to take meds. I LOVE my morning coffee and know it is only because it is sweet and creamy. I would never drink black coffee, though I have tried. My question is, what sweetener can I use that won’t affect my blood glucose, or affect it much? I was using splenda, then went on to Stevia in the Raw, now I have SweetLeaf Stevia, powder form. If the last is bad for me, and if you don’t have an answer as to what I CAN use, I’ll just have to give up my coffee. Not the end of the world, but the little pleasure I get to have is taken from me. Do you have some counsel for me? Thank you so much for all you do!
Hi Merry, if your blood sugar is well controlled, coconut sugar might be a good one to try as it is low glycemic. Check with your doctor first however.
Please research xylitol. I remember reading that it follows a different absorption pathway in the body, and doesnt cause the negative sugar reactions. For this reason, xylitol is used in Scandinavia countries for diabetics.
The product I refer my patients to is Kal brand pure stevia. It is the best with no aftertaste. What you will find in a lot of other products is fillers and even other sugars.
I started drinking coffee after nursing school. I’m not fond of taste but grew to tolerate it. I immediately noticed a change in my body. Years later, I was still convinced that coffee had some kind of strange reaction for me. This helps me understand it more. I do feel coffee also has a negative effect w/ the PH of our body also. Please keep us informed on this subject. My father was celiac but I have been tested negative . However, I can tell that there is some type of sensitivity so I try to stay gluten free. I alway feel better.
This is surprising because im a coffee lover. I am more becoming serious and cautios in choosing gluten-free coffee. Thanks a bunch Sarah!
Moderation has nothing to do with a severe gluten allergy. Even a tiny bit for some people can cause an extreme reaction. In my case, I have DH, a specific type of gluten intolerance and if I even have a tiny bit, or anything with a lot of iodine, I will be in hell, sores all over my body, migraines, and skin that feels like it is on fire. I appreciate your comment Steven, but not sure what it has to do with people who actually have an issue with gluten. Nice to know that someone who does not have the issue that this article is discussing feels free to share his bread experience, but I can assure you that “moderation” is not going to be helpful for people who have an issue with gluten. Sounds like you enjoy your coffee and bread, thanks for sharing. Not helpful though.
If you have Celiac, even not having a reaction is not adequate. A celiac should not have any wheat or gluten because reaction or not you are definitely causing bowel and stomach inflammation and damage to the villi. There is no “moderation”.
I have been off gluten & dairy for several decades. I do not have a diagnosis and would not be interested in what science has to say about m gut, my experience is what guides me. What I know is that if I avoid gluten & dairy I am healthy, if I consume them I am not. While scientists are busy researching here is what I know to be true: It does not matter what form of coffee it is or how it is brewed/treated/etc. I do believe I have experimented with them all, including green fermented organic beans. If I consume it in any form then my gut reacts just as if I have consumed gluten. I am a professional nutritionist and this is the experience of the majority of my gluten free patients. My suggestion: Do yourself a favor, drop the coffee for a week or so (if you miss the caffeine drink tea) and listen to your own body. It knows best.
I couldn’t agree more with the idea that you can do tests on yourself and then ‘listen’ to what your body is saying about what you are eating or drinking. I think for some people though, they don’t know how to listen to their bodies. Some feel something sometimes, it’s just a little something and for some it is ignored. Either it is not a strong enough feeling to acknowledge as something wrong or they have become used to whatever it is they are feeling and they are blocking it out. I know for my gluten intolerance, there was something going on for years, but that feeling, the feeling that I know now as gluten sensitivity, I didn’t think it was anything more than some benign digestive disturbance. I think the key message in listening to your body, is you should not feel anything, nothing at all, only then can you say your body is good. Any minor disturbance should be suspect.
I have a severe gluten sensitivity (need to be tested for celiac) and have been off gluten for a year and a half. I am extremely anemic and am still having gut/health issues. I drink 1 decaf cup of coffee a day but am wondering if I need to cut that out as well. Also, when tested for gluten sensitivity, they said I had a mild (or moderate…can’t remember) dairy sensitivity and could have it a few times a week but not to overdue it. I’ve been struggling with giving up the dairy and coffee – two of my favorites. Do you think giving up these two things could help with my anemia? How can I know for sure if dairy and coffee are a problem for me – are there any tests? Finally, the dr. wants me to get a colonoscopy and biopsy to check for celiac. Is this the best way to check even though I’ve been off wheat for so long? Thanks!
OT for this post, but please look into iodine for your breast fibroids. I had a terrible case and the iodine took it away completely in just a couple of months!
I am originally from Miami where people drink cuban coffee all around the clock. It’s a highly concentrated coffee similar to italian espresso. I am 34 years old now and when I was young I couldn’t stand drinking cuban coffee. It never sat well with me and I found it to be very bitter. At 28 years old, I was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis and since 1 year ago , I have been on the GAPS diet. I have healed myself tremendously even though I still have a way’s to go. I went through a phase of 1.5 years when I was about 26-27 where I couldn’t function without american coffee in the mornings. THis is a much diluted version compared to the cuban coffee. THankfully, that only lasted about 1 year and I dropped it after that. I think for me there was some type of cross-reactivity for me because I always felt awful after I ate grains and cuban coffee was repulsive for me.
What I discovered about dairy and gluten intolerance is because of a grandmother wanting unpasteurized (REAL) milk for an 8 mth old grandson that was severely gluten intolerant. My knowledge of gluten intolerance was from my s-i-l who just talked about wheat. My goats don’t get wheat. So I delivered milk and grandma called and asked what my goats ate. I checked the label and told her barley, oats, a little corn, peas and a protein pellet. That is when I learned about gluten.
I called feed mills all over southern ID with no luck except from my regular supplier. He made up a ration of milo, corn (only a little…goats don’t do well on very much), peas and the protein pellet. This supplier buys only locally grown, non-GMO grains for feed. So, after a week on the new diet, grandma and grandson came down. Because he was projectile vomiting when the milk hit his stomach, she fed him some of the new milk by my kitchen sink. We were amazed when he kept it down! While talking, we found out we were close in age and when our children were born in the 70’s, doctors didn’t encourage breast feeding and pushed formulas. Both of us breastfed with no real help from the medical community. My doctor did tell me to watch what I ate. Certain foods I ate would affect the baby. The light bulb went off. What is fed to dairy cows and goats are barley & oats and that gluten is going out in the milk.
I fed that little boy for 1.5 yrs and he grew, slept and played very well. I would have continued but my feed mill was out of milo and I dry my gals up for 60 days til they kid in the spring. They went to almond milk as it was a bit cheaper than my milk ($7.50/gal). They were happy I was willing to experiment with the gals feed. Since I was on milk test monthly and weigh daily, I could track their production and they did just fine.
Something to think about.
Laura
I went gluten free and coffee free a few years ago. I noticed no difference in my health. I do not have celiac. I enjoy both again now. We grind our own coffee beans. Don’t know if that makes a difference or not. We also make our own bread from freshly ground grains primarily because I like the fact that I know the ingredients. Our favorite loaf is made with a cup of whole wheat, a cup of oats and a cup of bread flour, water, yeast and salt. It is really good bread for toast. We add almonds from time to time. We have made gluten free breads before but they were not all that good (perhaps we have not found the right recipe). Anyway, we practice moderation. I only drink a cup or two of coffee a week. I mostly drink tea. And for the bread, it is mostly for breakfast and the occasional sandwich. Not more than a loaf a week.