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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
You Probably Need to Change WHEN You Drink Coffee
Coffee Enema
Morning Coffee Fix
Caffeine and Chronic Back Pain
Healthy Coffee Substitutes
Thanks, Sarah, for this post. My acupuncturist has been urging me (I’m off all grains, eggs, nightshades and nuts) to kick the coffee to see if it would be helpful with my thyroid symptoms. Feeling that coffee was one of my last pleasures, I resisted mightily. There is a lot of research pro and con regarding the effects of coffee. Your post convinced me to give a coffee-free period a shot. Four days in, I haven’t died yet! Looking forward to assessing the effect of no coffee as I get further along. I appreciate your sharing the thought-provoking information. I understand why some people hate it, though!
Thanks for sharing this Sarah. I found a similar article a little over a year ago regarding this same thing with coffee and gluten. Unfortunately I can’t remember where I found it. I have been off gluten for about 5 years but I was still having a lot of GI problems. Prior to finding this connection I had given up coffee because of the caffeine. And I noticed within a few days some of my stomach issues had gone away. I loved coffee! And have a grinder for my beans, french press, mapped out all the Starbucks etc., So I didn’t at first think the coffee was the problem. It wasn’t until I started drinking it again during the holidays when I had family visiting. I got horribly ill from it. I couldn’t believe it. So much so. I would try coffee once in awhile just to see. And every time I would get sick! For those of you who can’t see a life without coffee it can be done. I am now a tea drinker. Tea doesn’t bother me at all. It’s been about a year and half now no coffee and majority of my stomach issues have cleared up. It was last winter when I happened to come across the study about cross reactive foods. I wish I could provide a link. It very well maybe the same study you’ve shared. I feel so much better and I truly don’t miss it anymore. Believe me I would have never ever thought I would have life without coffee and here I am. I suppose at one time I would have never have thought I would have a life without gluten too. I tell everyone I know who has celiac to eliminate coffee.
Io sono italiana e ho una grave sensibilità al glutine, l’anno scorso sono stata in cura con il dottor Volta, maggior ricercatore italiano, insieme a dottor Fasano, della gluten sensitivity, lui mi ha proibito il caffè e mi ha detto di non berlo perchè fa molto ma molto male a chi è sensibile al glutine.
Cross reacting to gluten antibodies suggests that the only way coffee would create a reaction is if gluten antibodies were present. Typically 3-6 months on a gluten free diet a person with Celiac will no longer have those antibodies. So how does a protein cross react with something that is no longer there?
Amen, Ktb! Btw, I consider people who have gut issues from gluten the lucky ones (in a way) because their symptoms are overt. I have auto-immune diseases caused and/or aggravated by gluten. When I stopped the gluten my sore, puffy multi-nodular goiter shrank in size and stopped hurting. My reverse T3 levels diminished. And my aching joints ached a lot less.
My point is that gluten is harming susceptible people in many areas of the body, not just the gut. Although, I understand that the impaired gut is probably causing the other symptoms. I guess my real point is that anyone who thinks gluten sensitivity is just about stomach issues is way off the mark. This stuff does multi-organ damage in susceptible people and is very serious. Sometimes people seem to think it’s just about having fewer gas symptoms or something. To the coffee issue I say that forewarned is forearmed.
You’re absolutely right B—-the non GI symptoms from gluten are FAR worse! Out of our family of 4 Celiacs, our daughter was the only one who got overt stomach issues with eating gluten. Only with eating the GAPS diet for 6 months have our leaky gut problems healed enough that we are now ‘lucky’ enough to get gut problems first.
I tried the GAPS intro and it was working but family issues came up and I got off of it. I guess I need to try the intro again. Right now I’m pretty much on GAPS but I think I need the intro first. Thanks for reminding me of how successful it can be.
What a load of crap. This topic has been thoroughly discussed at celiac.com: http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/91779-dont-drink-coffee-healthy-home-economist/page__pid__787048#entry787048 The “doctor” promoting this idea is a chiropractor. Where’s the research to back up his claim? With as much coffee as I drink, I’d know if I was still having problems. Folks need to do their homework before they jump on every internet bandwagon. Enjoy that cuppa joe!
So then why do my husband, son and I react to coffee as if it was gluten??? Heartburn, itching, moodiness and more typical gluten symptoms from coffee. If it was simply some sort of CC, then switching brands should help, but in the last 2 years I switched brands continually with no changes! When I saw this report last year, I was very angry and pretty much devastated. But lo and behold, quitting the coffee really DID show my family that there really is something to this cross reactivity. Adding one cup of coffee in every day last week has left me with terrible eczema rashes all over my body, with night sweats and multiple night wakings now going away. We have not had any testing done other than our own biological testing.
It means you’re sensitive to coffee, not that the problem is related to the issue with gluten. Coffee doesn’t agree with everyone, and those whose systems are compromised tend to be more sensitive to a lot. My symptoms with soy and dairy are similar to my reaction to gluten. This means I have, in addition to celiac, intolerances to dairy and soy. It doesn’t mean that dairy and soy cross react. Their protein structures are similar, however they are separate issues. If something bothers one’s system, one removes it. Not every problem is related to gluten.
you gut may not be healed yet and it is reacting to the acid in the coffee it takes awhile for the gut to heal—that is why a good GI doc who is knowledgeable in celiac will say to stay away from milk for at least 6 months to allow the body to heal—-If it helps to leave coffee alone then it helps but it is NOT repeat NOT a gluten reaction on Delphi Forums the celiac community is also dealing with calming our new members down with this…..this coffee thing has been going around and around the internet for awhile now, and is false rumor it is like the false rumor on ketchup, mustard, blue cheese all of those are safe
please remember check the source of the information not just believe everything you read on the internet.
p.s. if coffee was a source of gluten then Dr. Fansso (the foremost authority in celiac research) would be aware of it don’t you think? and he says coffee is safe—so why listen to a doc that is not even in the field of celiac disease celiac disease research or even a GI doc?????
Thank you for saying this. I hope everyone else sees it. What isn’t safe re coffee is the flavorings, additives, sugar and creamers that get dumped into it. Even Dr Oz, a leading cardiac surgeon, just the other day extoled the virtues of coffee. Bottom line, if you are having gastro issues in reaction to something, no matter what it is, don’t eat it until your gut has healed and you are feeling better. And always consider the source of the information you see out there. Dr Fasano may be reached at the University of Maryland, and Dr Peter Green at Columbia.
Dr Fasano does NOT know it all!!! Sorry, but when I talked to him about why gluten makes my kids have severe bleeding issues, often within less than 24 hours of eating gluten— he had NO answers for me as he had never seen this problem. I was floored as our family is just one of many I know of with kids or others who get bleeding problems with gluten ingestion. A Dr. In the lab is not necessarily in touch with real humans and each persons individual reaction to gluten or these newly identified cross reactors. There simply could NOT be gluten cross contamination in the many different brands of coffee our family has tried, and this is why I am a firm believer in gluten cross reactivity, especially since we drink our coffee black. I personally would be more than happy to prove to Dr. oz or Dr. Fasano the fact that coffee IS cross reactive with my unique gluten symptoms that kick in within a couple of days to a week with daily consumption of coffee, depending on how strong it is.
I honestly don’t understand all the whining and freaking out— if you feel rotten still even after being GF or even grain free GF for a while, just quit the darn coffee for a week, see how you feel, add it back in and see how you feel. If you feel much better without the coffee—-it’s an issue. Period.
fine stay off of coffee then— but do not tell everybody to stay off of coffee because coffee is not a problem most of people who have celiac and really if you know so much then you would really quit spreading rumors of things that are not true.
people that have had problems with coffee before DXed with celiac may not of even known they had problems with coffee because of the celiac now that they are GF and are still having problems it is the acid or alkali in the coffee not the coffee being a gluten problem. It is an issue with the caffeine not the coffee.
Having celiac is hard enough for food with out people spreading rumors on the web about food that is safe for most people. that is a big issue PERIOD!!!!
Actually, having Celiac is MUCH harder when some people don’t want ALL information on cross reactivity and cross contamination out there for everyone! Who’s telling you to not drink coffee? The point being made here is that SOME people have a problem with coffee and may not realize it until they are given this ground breaking information about cross reactivity, give up the coffee, and then get much better. I never EVER had a problem with coffee, drinking a pot and a half of VERY strong black coffee every day for over 20 years—- it wasn’t until about 2 years ago i started getting many mystery glutenings that i couldnt pin down and September 2011 I could not ignore that the coffee was ReALLY a culprit—–finding this out on my own with an elimination diet before i had even read an article announcing this news. For years, we were NOT getting better on standard GF. I thought we were just crazy because all the rest of our GF friends could eat all the Chex, Betty Crocker and Kinnikinick crap that made us sick. One day a simple Google search for gluten reactions from GF foods opened my eyes to cross contamination issues. Not everyone has overt reactions to gluten and can eat small amounts of daily gluten without getting sick—-but many of us can’t and it sure is nice to know that our reactions are validated with real humans like us. Dr. Fasano would have all Celiac’s believing that there is a safe daily threshold for gluten and any symptoms you might be having are either psychosomatic or from another condition. I prefer to trust REAL pioneers in the Celiac field like Dr. Clark or Dr. Peter Osborne or Dr. Natasha mcBride who actually listen and understand that all foods are not safe for Celiacs and can offer REAL healing for all and aren’t sell outs for food manufacturers.
In Italia i dottori esperti come Fasano e Volta lo dicono già da tanto tempo di non bere caffè!!!
A me lo hanno detto, io mi sto curando con loro.
The “doctor” promoting this idea is a chiropractor.
Um. Chiropractors ARE doctors. Please do your homework 🙂
I wish Dr. Clark had commenting on his blog. A friend of mine pointed me to your post on this topic, and like everything else related to wheat it got me researching. I don’t know that the protein found in coffee is a cross-reactor, I simply don’t have access to the works done. What I do know is that most (if not all) of us who are troubled by wheat have a broken/leaky gut. What that means is that the things we ingest do not get digested properly, and raw proteins hit the blood system directly. That will cause an autoimmune reaction. Heal the gut. Fermented foods and probiotics are our bestest buddies. xoxo
Have you considered using glass straws? They’re super classy and toxin free. my favorite is simply straws, i love the travel case each straw comes with http://bit.ly/simplystraws
Let’s not be so quick to jump to these conclusions. This claim is based on Cyrex Labs’ own internal study. Not very convincing.
I’ve had the cyrex lab tests done and it confirmed what I thought to be true because I personally felt like I was getting glutened while eating quinoa. Sure enough, I was reacting to it.
Ashley, I’m curious; what kind of symptoms were you having that felt like you were being glutened when you ate quinoa? I have severe gluten sensitivity per genetic testing, but never notice a reaction to anything I eat. I don’t have any GI symptons, etc. thanks,Joyce
Hi Joyce,
I usually get a pain in my stomach and I don’t digest very well. I also get very lethargic and sometimes my joints will hurt the next day and I feel anxious and depressed for a few days. It has been awhile since I’ve felt that way so I’ve kind of forgotten how bad it can be!
Here’s the reasonable approach, in my opinion. Outside of foods that clearly contain gluten and need to be avoided by anyone with celiac, listen to your body. None of us are going to react exactly the same to everything that someone says “could” cause a problem. If you think something is making you feel sick, do an elimination trial with a food diary to make sure you have the right culprit. If you do figure out that something truly is bothering you, don’t eat it! Pretty simple. But just because it causes a problem for you does not mean it will cause a problem for everyone, or that it is doing silent damage like gluten can. By all means if someone pops into a forum and asks if any one is bothered by XYZ and you are, say yes! Share your experience! But needlessly eliminating foods from what may already be limited diets for some of us based on potentially biased information, especially something like coffee, which has been proven by multiple unbiased studies to have many health benefits, is premature.