New research reveals that a family of proteins in wheat may be responsible for activating inflammation in chronic health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists discovered that the proteins might also contribute to the development of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Share on Pinterest Amylase-trypsin inhibitors found in wheat may potentially lead to the development of inflammation in the lymph nodes, kidneys, spleen, and brain.

Findings were presented at UEG Week 2016 in Vienna in Vienna, Austria – a meeting organized by United European Gastroenterology for specialists to communicate the latest research in digestive and liver diseases.

Although wheat was only added to the human diet around 12,000 years ago, it has become a major dietary staple and is widely used in processed foods. One group of proteins found in wheat – amylase-trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) – has been shown to trigger an immune response in the gut that can spread to other tissues in the body.

ATIs are plant-derived proteins that inhibit enzymes of common parasites – such as mealworms and mealybugs – in wheat. ATIs also have an important role in metabolic processes that occur during seed development.

Many previous studies have focused on the impact of gluten on digestive health. However, lead researcher Prof. Detlef Schuppan, from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany, and team aimed to highlight the role that ATIs play in digestive health and beyond.

ATIs only make up a small amount of wheat proteins – around 4 percent – yet the immune response they induce significantly affects the lymph nodes, kidneys, spleen, and brain in some people, causing inflammation. ATIs have also been suggested to exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), asthma, lupus, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as inflammatory bowel disease.

“As well as contributing to the development of bowel-related inflammatory conditions, we believe that ATIs can promote inflammation of other immune-related chronic conditions outside of the bowel. The type of gut inflammation seen in non-celiac gluten sensitivity differs from that caused by celiac disease, and we do not believe that this is triggered by gluten proteins.” Prof. Detlef Schuppan

“Instead, we demonstrated that ATIs from wheat, that are also contaminating commercial gluten, activate specific types of immune cells in the gut and other tissues, thereby potentially worsening the symptoms of pre-existing inflammatory illnesses,” Prof. Schuppan adds.