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Coffee should be avoided by those who are Celiac and many who suffer from wheat sensitivity as it contains cross-reactive proteins to gluten.
If you drink coffee, even bulletproof coffee and have gluten sensitivity or celiac, you might want to sit down for this one.
There is a surprising connection between gluten and coffee that is by and large ignored by the health community. This revelation holds ramifications for other autoimmune disorders as well.
The problem has nothing to do with caffeine, so decaf coffee would be included in this discussion.
In a nutshell, fairly recent lab research has revealed that 10% of coffee is a protein that cross-reacts with gluten antibodies.
This means that if you are gluten sensitive or celiac and are avoiding gluten-containing grains or perhaps have even gone completely grain-free if you still drink coffee there is a strong likelihood that the protein in the coffee is triggering the very same gluten-related health problems you are trying to avoid.
In other words, even if you think you are doing fine with your current gluten-free diet, it is very possible that skipping the coffee could take your health to the next level.
Symptoms of Gluten Sensitivity
Most people who are gluten sensitive don’t realize it because gastrointestinal problems like burping, gas, tummy upset, or toilet issues are the least common way for gluten issues to present themselves!
The most common symptoms of gluten sensitivity?
Migraines and other neurological issues – even MS!
Hormone and endocrine problems are another common way for gluten issues to manifest themselves.
How Coffee Triggers Gluten Sensitivity
So what exactly happens when a gluten sensitive person eats gluten?
Folks with gluten antibodies react to any gluten in the diet by mounting an immune response. This means that gluten is perceived by the body as an invader and the gluten antibodies attack the gluten itself trying to destroy it.  This gluten attack is an inflammatory response and inflammation issues can occur anywhere in the body in any tissue or organ.
Here’s the real shocker I came across when researching the coffee/gluten connection:
According to Dr. David Clark DC, functional neurologist and endocrinologist:
There’s not a disease or health condition you can think of that does not have an association – in the research literature – with gluten sensitivity.
That’s a very strong statement!
In essence then, if you are gluten sensitive in any way shape or form, and it seems that most people are whether they know it or not given the epidemic levels of autoimmune issues today, gluten antibodies have the potential to react to proteins in other foods as if they are gluten thereby triggering an immune and inflammatory response.
The protein in coffee is the most common cross-reactor for gluten. Because it is the protein in the coffee that is the trigger, switching to decaf coffee does not solve the problem. Apparently, instant coffee is the worst offender.
Is it possible to be gluten sensitive and not cross-react to coffee? Yes, it’s possible but you’ll have to do some expensive lab testing with a knowledgeable doctor to find out.
Reference
Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
More Information
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Morning Coffee Fix
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Healthy Coffee Substitutes
If it’s all about the protein, how can we know if other proteins (meat, etc.) are cross reactive with gluten?
A past doctor of mine told me to take betaine when I eat a high protein meal. I wonder if it has something to do with this. (This doc is the one who diagnosed me with gluten intolerance.)
CyrexLabs does a comprehensive test to tell you all the proteins you individually cross react to. Coffee is the biggie though.
You know what, though? Why not just heal/seal the gut with the GAPS Diet for a year or two and then you don’t have to worry about cross reactivity anymore. Avoiding foods that are a problem is definitely a way to go and coffee is health menace regardless of whether you react to the proteins or not, but having a perforation free gut wall with healthy little intestinal villi is the key to lasting health.
Hi Sarah, can you please explain how GAPS would PREVENT cross reactivity?
thanks,
Joyce
When you heal/seal the gut wall with the GAPS Diet, there is no more leakage of undigested bits of protein into the bloodstream which then trigger the antibodies to mount an immune and inflammatory response.
Simply going grain free or being Paleo does NOT heal/seal the gut by the way.
Sarah, do you know of anyone with true Celiac that has actually healed completely from GAPS? I restarted GAPS recently after being interrupted for a couple years by pregnancy/nursing. Just the 6 months of GAPS the first time around did such an amazing job of healing other issues, but it did not touch the Celiac problem. I still react horribly from even a trace, so I continue to live a paranoid life.
I just want to know if there’s any hope of total healing. I’ve asked this question in many places and nobody knows anyone who has healed from Celiac.
And no, I’m not asking because I want to have coffee again, LOL, but it sure would be nice to get to eat a little cheese someday (dairy is another cross-reactor).
Sarah, why does the Gaps diet take so long to work? thanks, Joyce
Well, it took years to get the gut in such bad shape … a year or two isn’t such a long time to heal is it?
Cures told me that the supposed cross reactivity test is just like a regular IgG food sensitivity test. If it indicates you react to coffee, you won’t actually know if it’s because of gluten cross reactivity or because you simply developed a sensitivity to said food. The test is $225 for the few foods they test. For that price you can get a lot more foods tested at other labs that include coffee, dairy, etc. also, IgG food sensitivity testing is not very accurate.
That was supposed to say Cyrex not Cures.
Hi Sarah, How long did they say it takes to notice improvement in your health if you give up coffee? How soon have others found a measurable difference?
Here is the link to David Clark’s Blog about Coffee and Gluten: http://drclark.typepad.com/dr_david_clark/2011/09/coffee-and-gluten-sensitivity-surprising-news.html
thanks,
Joyce
It depends on the person. I have never consumed coffee so I can’t answer that personally.
Could we have a list of medical papers cited on this research? Hoping they’re available since there was a conference.
If you are sticking to the gluten free diet, then you should not be making antibodies to cross-react, so coffee would be safe. I am a biopsy diagnosed Celiac, a classic case with flattened villi. I get followup endoscopies and biopsies every few years. I have been all clear with no flattened villi and no detectable antibodies for three years now. I drink coffee like it is water. I’m extremely skeptical of this assertion.
I would totally agree with Marie. I also am an endoscopy diagnosed coeliac who has yearly check ups. I was diagnosed in 1995 & have never stopped drinking coffee & have had no problems. When i went onto my gluten free diet my migraines ceased despite regularly drinking coffee. I am very sceptical about this research & will continue with my 2/3 cups of coffee a day. When i lived in Australia for 5 years I did try the alternative to coffee, when on a health food kick, but I must say that I thought it was horrid. That was in the late 70’s early 80’s & found that i benefitted in no way from drinking it.
Please leave us some pleasures in life & remember that a lot of coeliacs cheat with their diet!
Oh, Gwyn, I meant to post that at the bottom of the post, but here is a list of Dr. Vojdani’s publications. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&cmd=DetailsSearch&term=vojdani+aristo&save_search=true
I personally am highly skeptical of this. Seems a way to get a lot of people to pay for tests they don’t need and smacks of some sort of anti-coffee bias.
Can someone please point us to a clear description of what is meant by “cross reactive”? After reading these comments I’m just more confused.
So glad to see some informed common-sense and healthy skepticism re these very sweeping assertions. We all might all be coeliac, but generalizing beyond that common ground is foolish at the very least. Individual experiences and “side effects” can vary considerably, even in the one family, my own extended family – across five generations – included.
was an Internal Medicine doc for 7 years, and I too am “extremely skeptical” about this. I see no peer-reviewed medical literature on this at all. nothing but a blog entry from a chiropractor citing “internal research.” sketchy.
“Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” – Benjamin Franklin
It’s not to late to get creative in the kitchen a product called Dandy Blend is a great place to start. A coffee flavor made from dandelion roots, you add hot water and enjoy. And while you are at it add in a little Shilajit for it’s mineral content and support action in the bladder area. Any Mum who has delivered a child or two will understand. Those sneezes get us everytime! It also has a great deep fresh smell of coffee when it is not. The key to using this ingredient is to have a fat with it. Coconut, raw milk are good choices. Ah heck a kittle whipped cream with a dash of raw cocoa on top.c Enjoy!
Leslie Hamud, NTP
Dandy Blend states that the gluten from the barley and rye in their product is removed because it is water soluble. According to some sources, gluten in barley and rye is not water soluble. Therefore it is reasonable to assume it would not be removed from the product.
I will err on the side of safety and not drink a product that contains rye and barley as Dandy Blend does.
Actually, the Dandy Blend consistently tests at or below 5ppm gluten and gliadin in the ELISA testing. It’s on the website, along with links to the test results.
Yes, I love my roasted dandelion root “tea/coffee”! Have not tried the product, but enjoy harvesting dandelion roots, roasting them and boiling 1 TBSP in 2 cups water for 15 min for a delicious hot drink with a bit of local honey and raw milk. 🙂 Love it!
Thanks for the recipe for dandelion root tea without the rye and barley 🙂 I’m looking for a coffee substitute for my husband but couldn’t find a commercial dandelion one without rye and barley.
B, I would try some chicory root. I am lucky enough to live in an area where it grows profusely and can make my own. However, I also sometimes run out or like the convenience of purchasing it somewhere else. I get a 1 # bag from Mountain Rose herbs for about $9 and it lasts me for a very long time. Since it’s a root you don’t brew it, but instead ‘decoct’ it by simmering it on the stovetop gently. I make myself a concentrate blend with about 4 rounded tablespoons of roasted chicory root and simmer it for 30 minutes. When it’s cool I put it in a gallon jug along with some vanilla, 1 TB sugar, stevia to taste, 1 quart half and half, and water to fill it. I add the sugar because just a tiny amount cuts the bitterness of the stevia and makes it taste more like plain sugar. This is my ‘iced latte’ blend that is always ready to drink. In the winter I just keep the plain concentrate on hand and add it to some warmed milk and water for a hot drink. Very versatile and no gluten reactions of which I am aware. Plenty of inulin fiber and minerals. You can always cut it half with coffee and gradually phase the coffee out if your husband is resistant and/or addicted to the caffeine jolt. Hope this helps!
Thank you for the “coffee” recipes, Mrs. Yoder. We will definitely try these.
Yes, thanks! I am going to have to try this. I used to love Roastaroma from Celestial Seasonings, but that has barley in it.
Dear Sarah: I really appreciate so much your insight about nutrition. I agree with you in all you practice. I come from a father who died at 46, and i determined not to go that road. If i do not take care of my health the way i do, i would be in a very bad shape or maybe dead, as two of my siblings, younger than me already succumbed to autoimmune diseases. Your bloggs are like gold to me. God bless you. I live in Homestead, and i do not find good places where i can purchase raw milk, find organic poultry, organic raw livers; certified grass fed beef and livers too, which i believe would improve my health in a very great manner. I can only count on Whole Food, wich i really know it is not the best. I would appreciate any advice.
If Whole Foods is all you have, then that is what you must do. I do think there will come a day when folks have to pick up and move to be healthy .. in other words move to areas that are friendly to the production of nutrient dense local foods and have freedom to practice nontoxic, holistic healthcare. Perhaps moving might be an option for you? Something to consider at least even if not an option at the present time.
So what is the implication for those of us who use coffee enemas for recovering livers, etc….. Do you have an alternative to coffee that would open the bile ducts like coffee? Thanks! Your site is a godsend.
Exactly what I was about to ask! I hope I haven’t been doing damage to myself while trying to cleanse my liver. This would be good to know.
yes, please comment if coffee enemas are out! yikes!
Say it isn’t so!
I know what you mean there! I really don’t want to hear it but maybe I should. I have an auto immune disease that made me loose my kidneys but I still drink my morning coffee– think its time to give it up. So sad!
I’d like to read the research on this if you have a link handy. Coffee is one of the very few things I allow myself so it would be very hard to advise others to give it up… Lol However so many people don’t want to associate an allergy of any sort (food or otherwise) with gluten sensitivity so it’s sometimes a struggle to help them understand.
Good post!
The research is from Cyrex Labs and Dr. Aristo Vojdani. Contact CyrexLabs directly for the research (link in the post). The research is from Feb 2011.
Does it raise a b.s. flag for anyone else that the people who did this ‘research’ (and the only place you can get the research results from) are the very same people who offer “some expensive” testing to see if you’re one of small group of people who don’t react to coffee?
It’s not necessarily BS just because the lab offers testing for this condition. I couldn’t find a lot about this subject, but I did find a study that showed that drinking coffee is followed by effects mediated via opiate receptors. That’s the same thing that happens for some folks that are allergic to gluten or casein when they consume those foods. It’s why many people crave these foods when they are allergic to them. This would seem to add more weight to the findings that gluten-sensitive people can cross-react to coffee.
You are very Astute
You have to wonder if America’s coffee addiction has a lot to do with the autoimmune epidemic. When one has sensitivity to certain foods, those are the foods that are craved hence the very difficult time folks have getting off coffee particularly if they have gone grain free from what I’ve noticed.
Better to know this and move forward and reclaim one’s health. While coffee is certainly a pleasure for some, getting out of bed in the morning and feeling fantastic would be an infinitely better pleasure for sure!
That’s funny that you mention &&&&bucks. I feel THE WORST after drinking one of their brews. My non-gluten-intolerant husband has noticed that too. I winder if some beans have a higher percentage of the cross-reactive proteins…
Starbucks roasts their beans until the pop twice. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with it but they also brew their coffee like 2x as dark as an average person. It is VERY darkly brewed. Other than that- they take pride in how perfectly cared for their beans are compared to the products sold by most large commercial companies. I’m guessing it’s the concentrate. I love my morning cup and worked for the for 2 years and couldn’t drink their regularly brewed coffee unless cut in half with steamed milk.
I visited that guy’s link. It does not seem very… professional. Though this research seems easily testable. I have a gluten intollerence and it’s obvious, as I’m sure it is to the rest of you, what my symptoms are. If you cut it out and don’t see any difference then there is no reason to not enjoy your habit. Sometimes in an effort to achieve perfection we take out pleasure unnecessarily. Perfection isn’t always attainable.
I agree with you Sarah…How many times have you read…”OMG I cannot give up my coffee, anything but the coffee!!