Currently, many doctors, nutritionists and dieticians recommend a gluten-free and casein-free diet to help restore health. According to their theory, it seems that under the influence of various genetic and/or environmental factors (denatured modern food, cooking at high temperatures, frequent intake of chemical substances...), the intestinal mucosa is attacked, weakened and made too permeable.
Over time and in certain predisposed subjects, this intestinal hyperpermeability, according to Dr. Seignalet's term, favors the passage of bacterial and food macromolecules into the bloodstream. This leads to a chronic inflammatory process and an "abnormal" immune response that causes more or less serious health problems.
Other physiological abnormalities have been observed during the ingestion of these two food molecules. Gluten often raises blood sugar levels abnormally and casein causes huge insulin surges, which are conducive to aging. Casein also raises growth and inflammatory factors, the former increase the risk of cancer, the latter unbalance the immune system. In addition, these two food molecules promote tissue acidosis, which is itself the source of many imbalances and health problems.
Gluten is particularly present in wheat, rye and barley, as well as in some types of oats that are harvested or processed in the same way as gluten-containing grains. Casein is found in dairy products. These two elements occupy a very important proportion in our Western diet. However, even though for some people, going gluten-free and dairy-free may seem difficult, it is not impossible and the benefits in terms of well-being and feeling are well worth it. In fact, the application of these dietary measures in the daily diet leads to an immediate improvement in some people, even if the complete disappearance of gluten in the body can take up to six months and that of casein one month. Proponents of this plan advocate making this effort for at least a year, as some organizations need that long before they feel an improvement. This change in diet allows for cellular regeneration of the stomach and intestinal walls, which may take time.
Although the phenomena of sensitivity to certain foods have been scientifically known for several decades, they are rarely taken into account in diagnosis and therapy, despite the additional scientific evidence of this hyperpermeability provided as recently as 2004 in studies on celiac disease. In practical terms, the elimination of casein and gluten has shown for some years now astonishing improvements in many health problems: autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue or hyperactivity syndrome, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, or even behavioral, psychic or psychotic problems (autism, schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome...).
Even if this theory of a gluten-free and casein-free diet does not seem to be well-founded in the eyes of some scientists, what is undeniable is that cereals and dairy products are foods that have recently been integrated into the human diet. The human species has developed and conquered the planet for nearly seven million years, fed especially raw and without gluten or casein. Cereals and dairy products were not included in the diet until the Neolithic period, less than ten thousand years ago.
It is obvious that the medical community remains skeptical about this very interesting theory despite the significant and convincing results of these theories.