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Interesting Study on Effects of Casein/Gluten on Glutathione levels

bertiedog

Senior Member
Messages
1,738
Location
South East England, UK
Because I have had problems recently with being able to tolerate milk in any form plus gluten I have been trying alternatives like coconut milk which in fact didn't suit me as it gave me almost daily migraines.

It was suggested to me that I might be able to tolerate A2 milk which I had never heard of before. Anyway I have bought some today and will see what happens.

The A2 company website have posted a research paper which linked problems with methylation related to the proteins found in casein and A1 milk which is the protein found in normal cows milk as well as gluten found in wheat, barley, and rye.. Methylation issues have been spoken about for years in our community and I learned a lot from the late Rich Van K so I found it fascinating that this study showed just how the problem with lower glutathione might arise. I notice that integrative doctors talk about issues with methylation and one's health status all the time these days.

It would appear that the problem starts from birth which nicely correlates with the fact as a tiny baby I couldn't tolerate standard milk formula as it gave me severe diahorea and vomitting (as happened with both my children).

Many of the tests I have had done over the years have indicated I do indeed have the problem of low glutathione levels which is a very bad issue as it is a major antioxidant in the body and is also involved in DNA silencing. (Probably one of the reasons why I am a poor detoxifier and ended up with mercury poisoning).

Here is the study mentioned -


J Nutr Biochem. 2014 Oct;25(10):1011-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2014.05.004. Epub 2014 Jun 6.
Food-derived opioid peptides inhibit cysteine uptake with redox and epigenetic consequences.
Trivedi MS1, Shah JS1, Al-Mughairy S1, Hodgson NW1, Simms B1, Trooskens GA2, Van Criekinge W2, Deth RC3.
Author information

Abstract
Dietary interventions like gluten-free and casein-free diets have been reported to improve intestinal, autoimmune and neurological symptoms in patients with a variety of conditions; however, the underlying mechanism of benefit for such diets remains unclear. Epigenetic programming, including CpG methylation and histone modifications, occurring during early postnatal development can influence the risk of disease in later life, and such programming may be modulated by nutritional factors such as milk and wheat, especially during the transition from a solely milk-based diet to one that includes other forms of nutrition. The hydrolytic digestion of casein (a major milk protein) and gliadin (a wheat-derived protein) releases peptides with opioid activity, and in the present study, we demonstrate that these food-derived proline-rich opioid peptides modulate cysteine uptake in cultured human neuronal and gastrointestinal (GI) epithelial cells via activation of opioid receptors. Decreases in cysteine uptake were associated with changes in the intracellular antioxidant glutathione and the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine. Bovine and human casein-derived opioid peptides increased genome-wide DNA methylation in the transcription start site region with a potency order similar to their inhibition of cysteine uptake. Altered expression of genes involved in redox and methylation homeostasis was also observed. These results illustrate the potential of milk- and wheat-derived peptides to exert antioxidant and epigenetic changes that may be particularly important during the postnatal transition from placental to GI nutrition. Differences between peptides derived from human and bovine milk may contribute to developmental differences between breastfed and formula-fed infants. Restricted antioxidant capacity, caused by wheat- and milk-derived opioid peptides, may predispose susceptible individuals to inflammation and systemic oxidation, partly explaining the benefits of gluten-free or casein-free diets.

Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:
Autism spectrum disorder; Casomorphin; Celiac disease; Gliadin; Glutathione; Gluten-free/casein-free diet; Schizophrenia

PMID:

25018147

PMCID:

PMC4157943

This appears to me to be quite a confirmation of the problem many of us have in tolerating basic things like milk and grains though doctors tend to be sceptical because it isn't an actual allergy.

Pam