Helminthic therapy and gluten-related disorders
The term, gluten-related disorders, covers several diseases triggered by gluten, including coeliac disease / celiac disease (CD), non-coeliac gluten sensitivity / non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), non-coeliac wheat sensitivity, non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS), gluten ataxia, dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) and wheat allergy.
Coeliac / celiac disease
Coeliac disease (celiac disease in American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, in which individuals develop intolerance to gluten present in foods such as wheat, rye and barley. [1]
This disease can be helped, at least to some extent, by hosting helminths. For example, the presence of helminths can significantly reduce the severity of adverse reactions caused by accidental exposure to gluten while following a gluten-free diet.
The scientific evidence
NB. In spite of their double-blind, placebo-controlled design, some “gold standard” helminthic therapy trials may have produced unreliable results due to a lack of adequate consideration of the biology of living helminths and their interactions with their hosts. [2] For more about this, see: Problems with clinical trials using live helminths.
- 2020 Dec Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial of Experimental Hookworm Infection for Improving Gluten Tolerance in Celiac Disease -- Full text | PDF
- 2016 Nov 9 Changes in duodenal tissue-associated microbiota following hookworm infection and consecutive gluten challenges in humans with coeliac disease -- Full text | PDF
- 2015 Sept 18 Experimental hookworm infection and escalating gluten challenges are associated with increased microbial richness in celiac subjects -- Full text | PDF
- 2015 Feb Experimental hookworm infection and gluten microchallenge promote tolerance in celiac disease -- Full text | PDF (Also reported by EurekAlert [3] and ABC Austrailia. [4])
- 2011 Sept 16 Suppression of inflammatory immune responses in celiac disease by experimental hookworm infection -- Full text | PDF
- 2011 Mar 8 Effect of hookworm infection on wheat challenge in celiac disease - a randomised double-blinded placebo controlled trial -- Full text | PDF
The anecdotal evidence
Non-coeliac / celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS)
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) or gluten sensitivity [5] is "a clinical entity induced by the ingestion of gluten leading to intestinal and/or extraintestinal symptoms that improve once the gluten-containing foodstuff is removed from the diet, and celiac disease and wheat allergy have been excluded". [6]
NCGS can respond well to helminthic therapy.
The anecdotal evidence
Gluten ataxia
Gluten ataxia is an autoimmune disease triggered by the ingestion of gluten. [7][8]
The anecdotal evidence
Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH)
Dermatitis herpetiformis is an autoimmune skin condition related to coeliac disease that manifests in chronic blistering of the skin. This condition is not related to herpes, but was given its name because the skin inflammation that it causes has a similar appearance to herpes.
The anecdotal evidence
See also
A useful adjunctive measure to reduce adverse reactions to accidental gluten exposure - the Aspergillus niger‐derived prolyl endoprotease (AN‐PEP).