Quinoa is
grown in the Andes and is typically thought of as a grain. But that is a
misnomer. Despite cooking up as a grain-like substance, quinoa is factually a
seed from a plant similar to spinach and Swiss chard. Considering how healthy
those two vegetables are, it is not then surprising that quinoa has a high
protein content and contains all the necessary amino acids – making it one of
those ‘near perfect’ foods that is nutritious, economical and easy to make. AND
it’s gluten-free… or is it?
Hold on,
before you stop reading because you think this is going to be depressing and
you’re going to lose another of your ‘go to’ gluten-free staples, let me
explain. The data that I’m about to present was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
in August 2012. And I think that it’s important that you know.
The
researchers, from Kings College in London, designed their study to analyze
quinoa since little experimental data existed to support its safety as part of
a gluten-free diet.
One of the
reasons that quinoa has been on the gluten-free list is based on its protein
content. Remember it is the protein in a food that tends to be problematic –
gluten, more correctly gliadin, is a protein, as is casein, the problematic
portion of dairy products. When someone ‘reacts’ or is allergic to a food, it
is typically a reaction to the protein portion.
Wheat,
barley, rye as well as non-glutinous corn, sorghum and oats, fall into the
category of being high in something called prolamins.
What are
prolamins? They are storage proteins that contain high amounts of the amino
acids proline and glutamine – and are found standard in glutinous grains. It
is known that prolamins may induce celiac disease and gluten sensitivity in
susceptible individuals.
Quinoa is
known to be low in prolamins, therefore it is little wonder that quinoa, with
its low prolamin content, seemed a quite safe alternative on a gluten-free
diet.
In this
study the scientists looked at different cultivars of quinoa, 15 of them in all.
A cultivar is a cultivated variety of a plant that is produced from a naturally
occurring species and then maintained by cultivation. It turns out that
different regions of the Andes produce different cultivars and it was the goal
of this research to see if any of these cultivars had varying amounts of
prolamin, enough that the immune system of a celiac-prone patient might react
to it.
As
mentioned, it is the protein portion of foods that can cause reactions to
occur. When a substance such as gluten is causing a reaction, it’s called an
antigen (think of it as a toxin to the body). The immune system tries to attack
the toxin or antigen by making an antibody (it works against the toxin). The
region on the antigen where the antibody attaches itself is called an epitope.
Okay, done with all the new words!
In this
study the researchers’ aim was to determine if any of the 15 cultivars
contained prolamin epitopes (so it’s acting as a toxin and the body’s immune
system has to attack it) in enough quantity to be deemed on par with a
gluten-containing food.
Here are
their results:
Of the 15
quinoa cultivars tested, 4 had measurable concentrations of toxic epitopes, but
they were below the maximum permitted for a gluten-free food. In other words,
the 20 parts per million (ppm) threshold of gluten that by definition allows a
food to be deemed ‘gluten-free’, was not exceeded.
However, two
cultivars, Ayacuchana and Pasankalla, did stimulate the immune system to react
in a way that is comparable to a gluten-containing food.
What’s our
take-away from this research?
1. In the main, quinoa seems to be a
safe food, with most of its cultivars not causing the immune system reaction
consistent with a gluten-containing food.
2. Four cultivars fell below the 20 ppm
of gluten, but they still did contain enough of the protein to cause a
reaction, albeit a mild one.
3. Two cultivars were downright bad –
they causes a gluten response that was above the 20 ppm threshold and
unfortunately acted upon the immune system consistent with someone who was
eating gluten.
Here is what
I tell my patients about quinoa:
First of
all, I ensure that they have been gluten-free for long enough that we have
mostly healed their gut. Then we do a trial with quinoa to see how they feel.
Most people do fine, but not all. If someone has a reaction, we wait until they
have ‘healed’ from the assault and then attempt it one more time. If they react
again, we deem them sensitive to quinoa and recommend abstinence.
Finally, if
someone is very suspicious and wants to know for sure, we can run a
cross-reactivity blood test that tests for a quinoa reaction along with many
other such foods whose protein structure can mimic gluten. It’s an excellent
test and a great tool to be able to take someone to their desired next level of
health.
While writing
this piece I was curious to see if one could easily find out what cultivar a
quinoa company used. An online search didn't yield any data, but I think it
would be worthwhile to contact a company to see if they utilized either of the
two cultivars mentioned above that caused a reaction.
It is
possible that if those cultivars were avoided, a seemingly reactive individual
might be able to tolerate quinoa quite well.
Do you react
to quinoa, or do you enjoy it as a part of your gluten-free diet?
If anyone
wants to do a little research and find out if any companies are forthcoming
regarding the cultivars they use, please let me know. It’s definitely
information I’d like to pass along.
I hope you
found this helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you need
assistance to improve your health. Our destination clinic treats patients from
across the country and internationally. If you want a free health analysis,
contact us at 408-733-0400.
To your good
health,
Dr Vikki
Petersen, DC, CCN
Founder of HealthNOWMedical Center
Co-author of
“The Gluten Effect”
Author of
the e-Book: “Gluten Sensitivity – What you don’t know may be killing you!”
Reference:
American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition. 2012
Aug;96(2):337-44. Variable activation of immune response by quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa
Willd.) prolamins in celiac disease.
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