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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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Coffee Enema
Morning Coffee Fix
Caffeine and Chronic Back Pain
Healthy Coffee Substitutes
Shoot me in the face.
lmao i know right, i dont know what to do without coffee, as i dont really like tea either. So i find myself drinking red bull, which is horrible to your teeth and who knows what it will do to you in the long run, but for the meantime it gives me energy and i like it.
I just had the cross reactive test done on Monday. Two long weeks until I get the results. I hope coffee is not on my list.
It’s not a bad thing to cut out caffeine you know. I liked this article, very useful for my partner who only recently found out he has gluten issues. His life has changed for the better since avoiding all wheat. 😀
Please update this! The whole cross-reactivity myth has been debunked! Yes, coffee (and alcohol and other foods) can make celiacs feel sick, but it has nothing to do with gluten!
Please can you share more details about this, Claire? I haven’t heard that.
Where are you getting this research from? Because for someone who is a celiac and at high risk of suffering 7 and maybe more autoimmune diseases which could lead to early death that would be a pretty bold statement of disregard.
Yes, please provide references to this claim. I would love for this to be false, and to continue drinking coffee.
Michael
paleomovement.com/19-gluten-cross-reactive-foods/
This article shows how some of the conclusions of the original study were considerable reaches to be sure. However, if you eliminate something from this list and you feel better, by all means continue to avoid it. As to the coffee connection, instant coffee does contain gluten. Whole bean? It didn’t cause a reaction and is probably fine. Everyone is different and YMMV.
Honest to God. You might as well just eat and drink anything you want and simply be miserable. The list of acceptable things you can put into your body and NOT be miserable is getting smaller and smaller.
Now now, that’s not true. By simply replacing wheat with rice, nut or potato flours you can enjoy all the good stuff!
The problem is that if you go by all the articles like this you end up not eating any grains, any dairy, eggs, nightshades, soy, and the list goes on. All this information is controversial. Most that claim it to be true say only some parts will be true for some people. Other people say those who think they have problems with all these other foods are simply getting glutened without realizing it due to cross contamination. I don’t know the answer, but I have actually cut most of this out of my diet. While I still have plenty of issues, I have also noticed some amazing changes that eliminating gluten alone did not provide.
Very true, “don’t eat corn, don’t eat oats, eggs, nightshades, potatoes, brown rice is bad too and makes you feel tired,” the list goes on and on. With that being said, I am a celiac and the only things i am allergic to in the gut or the brain is Weed (marijuana), COFFEE, and of course gluten. Even gluten i can cheat a little on and not notice it too much, only when i start eating gluten over time does it cause the damage to my intestines, brain fog, depression etc. But coffee, immediately it runs through me to my gut and makes me tired, feel skinny, etc. So i beileve you have to tinker with this and listen to your body and see how you feel, and weigh out the benefits to the downfalls of things like consuming coffee.
For me, i liked the rush coffee gives me, but its just not worth it slowing me down physically, i like sports and stuff so, i’ll cut the bad fruit off the tree so to speak, as much as it sucks..
Interesting article. I believe I’m clear of gluten intolerance or allergy. Thank you Summer!
Bretthew Thomas
Lela.
Gaetano Carcarello – you might want to sit down for this!