Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, with 99% residing in teeth and bones where it constitutes 40% of skeletal bone weight along with 45% phosphorus.
As a component of hard tissues, calcium fulfills a structural role to maintain body size and acts as attachments for musculoskeletal tissues.
Q: What does the non-skeleton calcium do in the body?
A: The remaining 1% of calcium is present in blood and soft tissues. Calcium levels in the blood are maintained within very strict limits by dietary intake, hormonal regulation and a rapidly exchangeable pool in bone tissue. The many important functions are described below.
What Is Calcium Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Obesity is an inflammatory metabolic disorder that is characterized by body mass index greater than 30% resulting from excessive body fat stored in adipose tissue.
Q: What is body fat?
A: Body fat is part of the body that functions as a reserve of stored energy. It is composed of fat cells, called adipocytes, having thin membranes between these cells. Adipocytes expand to store fat and shrink as fat is released as needed into the bloodstream for other body cells to use for metabolizing energy.
Each adipocyte contains a drop of triglyceride which is a type of lipid (fat). Triglycerides are a normal component in the bloodstream and, as such, are transported wherever needed as a form of energy. Excess triglycerides are the form of fat that is stored.
Initially, fat that is eaten in the diet is changed by digestive enzymes into the triglyceride form which is a molecule composed of three fatty acids and glycerol. Triglycerides are then absorbed through the small intestinal wall to be delivered to the liver. Of note, the liver can make triglycerides from excess protein and carbohydrates eaten in a meal, especially sugar and alcohol. The liver on the other hand makes cholesterol from triglycerides.
Triglyceride levels in the blood generally increase as weight increases. It is thought that an elevated blood triglyceride level hampers the body’s ability to feel full or satisfied with food that is eaten. Elevated triglyceride levels also increase the risk of clot formation because they cause the blood to become thicker. A normal triglyceride blood level is 150 mg/dL.
The causes of obesity are complex and varied. Those related to gluten sensitivity are discussed below.
What Is Obesity In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Enlarged heart showing dilated cardiomyopathy at autopsy.
What Is Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy?
Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) is a disorder of myocardial (heart muscle) function characterized by dilation or enlargement of the cardiac chambers and reduction in the ability of the ventricles (lower chambers) to contract with the required force needed to pump blood out of the heart to the body.
Idiopathic means the cause is not known.
Q: What is the prognosis for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy?
A: This disorder often results in symptomatic heart failure due to the inability of the heart to pump blood as required to supply the body with oxygen and meet metabolic needs.
What Is Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Vitamin E is not a single vitamin but naturally occurs as a fat-soluble vitamin family that consists of at least 8 distinct molecules.
These molecules include 4 tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) and 4 tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta).
Generally, tocotrienols are more active against chronic disease while tocopherols are more protective of the nervous system.
Vitamin E (for short) is a powerful antioxidant that protects cell membranes and other fat-soluble compounds from oxidative damage by free radicals (molecules that damage cells).
Q: How does vitamin E protect cells from oxidative damage by free radicals?
A: As an example, the oxidative damage to low density cholesterol (LDL – bad type) appears to lead to the deposition of cholesterol in the arterial wall (plaque formation) leading to atherosclerotic disease, commonly called hardening of the arteries.
Regarding inflammation, mast cells are activated by oxidized LDL which results in increased expression of inflammatory cytokines. This finding suggests that vitamin E antioxidant activity in reducing oxidation of LDL lipoprotein may also reduce mast cell activation. Mast cells reside near small blood vessels and, when activated, release potent mediators involved in allergy and inflammation.1
In neutralizing free radicals, vitamin E itself is oxidized (changed) to a free radical. Importantly, conversion of vitamin E back to the original form occurs by reaction with vitamin C. These two vital anti-oxidants go hand in hand.
Vitamin E is essential for normal cerebellar brain function (lower brain), peripheral nerve health and healthy skin.
What Is Vitamin E Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Shaik-Dasthagirisaheb YB, Varvara G, Murmura G, Saggini A, Caraffa A, Antinolfi P, Tete’ S, Tripodi D, Conti F, Cianchetti E, Toniato E, Rosati M, Speranza L,Pantalone A, Saggini R, Tei M, Speziali A, Conti P, Theoharides TC, Pandolfi F. Role of vitamins D, E and C in immunity and inflammation. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2013 Apr-Jun;27(2):291-5. [↩]
Amino acids are small molecules, or subunits, that link together in various combinations to make up big, complicated proteins. As such, amino acids are commonly referred to as “the building blocks” of proteins.
Q: How many amino acids are used in our body?
A: There are 20 amino acids that are used within our body to synthesize or produce our unique human proteins. Of these amino acids, 9 are termed essential, meaning our bodies require them to live but cannot make them. Therefore, the essential amino acids must come from the food we eat, whether from plant or animal sources.
The essential amino acids include histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
What Is Deficiency Of Essential Amino Acids In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Hypomagnesemia means the level of magnesium in the bloodstream is too low to meet metabolic needs of the body for this mineral.
Q: What are the metabolic needs of the body for magnesium?
A: The metabolic needs of the body for magnesium are numerous which gives rise to very many distressing symptoms when this mineral is deficient.
A major function of magnesium is to stabilize the structure of an enzyme called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) within cells for the production of energy. In the brain, magnesium plays important roles in all the major metabolisms such as oxidation-reduction and regulation of ions (charged minerals).1
What Is Hypomagnesemia In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Bourre JM. Effects of nutrients (in food) on the structure and function of the nervous system: update on dietary requirements for brain. Part 1: micronutrients. J Nutr Health Aging. 2006 Sep-Oct;10(5):377-85. [↩]
Obnoxious gas, or flatus, is gas that is not only offensive when passed but also lingers in the air longer than ordinary gas does.
Gas is a natural digestive product within the colon that is composed mainly of hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases. These gases are given off in the necessary bacterial breakdown of undigested fermentable food entering the colon from the small intestine.
Q: What makes gas obnoxious?
A: The production of obnoxious gas depends on the type and quantity of undigested food residue that is passed into the colon from the small intestine, dysfunctional motility instead of normal peristalsis, and dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is the condition of having unhealthy or insufficient populations of microbes responsible for digesting (fermenting) foodstuffs in the lower gut or colon.
Gases produced by intestinal microbes may modulate intestinal motor function (muscle movement) in individuals with functional bowel disease. Methane, produced by enteric bacteria in the human gut, is associated with slowed intestinal transit and constipation.1
What Is Obnoxious Gas In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Jahng J, Jung IS, Choi EJ, Conklin JL, Park H. The effects of methane and hydrogen gases produced by enteric bacteria on ileal motility and colonic transit time. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2012 Feb;24(2):185-90, e92. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2982.2011.01819.x. Epub 2011 Nov 20.
Methane is produced in the colon by intestinal methanogens (microbes) that metabolize hydrogen, one of the end products of normal anaerobic (meaning without oxygen) bacterial fermentation. Fermentation of the undigested starchy part of carbohydrates produces hydrogen in the intestine, which is the food for methane production by intestinal methanogens.
Hydrogen and methane are excreted in the flatus and in breath giving the opportunity to indirectly measure their production using breath testing. ((Triantafyllou K, Chang C, Pimentel M. Methanogens, Methane and Gastrointestinal Motility. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Jan;20(1):31-40. Epub 2013 Dec 30. [↩]
Low plasma proteins found in blood indicates an abnormal blood level.
Plasma proteins are any of the proteins that constitute about 6% to 7% of the blood plasma in the body. They include albumin, fibrinogen, prothrombin, and the gamma globulins. All plasma proteins except the gamma globulins are produced in the liver.1
Q: Which protein is most abundant in blood?
A: Of the dozens of plasma proteins, albumin makes up more than half. Albumin level is the most frequently tested in the presence of weight loss and other signs of poor nutrition. Albumin helps maintain water balance that affects osmotic pressure, increase blood viscosity, and helps maintain blood pressure.1
Other commonly tested blood proteins are globulins which make up about a third of plasma proteins. Lab reports show the ratio between albumin and globulin, as well as, their individual values. Fibrinogen, essential for clot formation, makes 7% of plasma proteins while regulatory proteins, which include enzymes and hormones, make up 1%.
What Are Low Plasma Proteins In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Iron is an essential mineral that is required for normal body function.
Almost two-thirds of iron in the body is found in hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues. Smaller amounts of iron are found in myoglobin, a protein that helps supply oxygen to muscle, and in enzymes that assist biochemical reactions.
Iron is also found in proteins that store iron for future needs and that transport iron in blood.
Q: How are iron stores regulated?
A:Iron stores are regulated by intestinal iron absorption.1That is, whenever iron is needed, more iron is absorbed than when iron is sufficient. This mechanism prevents excess iron in the body which is harmful.
In the brain, iron is necessary to ensure oxygenation and to produce energy in the cerebral parenchyma (via cytochrome oxid. ase), and for the synthesis of neurotransmitters and myelin.
Iron concentrations in the umbilical artery are critical during the development of the fetus, and in relation with the IQ in the child.2
What Is Iron Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Bourre JM. Effects of nutrients (in food) on the structure and function of the nervous system: update on dietary requirements for brain. Part 1: micronutrients. J Nutr Health Aging. 2006 Sep-Oct; 10(5):377-85. [↩]
Potassium is a mineral that is crucial for life being essential for every cell, especially nerve and muscle function.
Most potassium is intracellular, meaning it is found within cells while sodium, its opposing mineral (both electrolytes), is found in the fluid surrounding cells.
In muscle contraction, exchange of potassium and sodium takes place so that potassium moves out of muscle cells and sodium moves into them.
With muscle relaxation, potassium moves back into the cells and sodium moves out. Functions are described below.
Importantly, a recent study investigating the association between the metabolic syndrome and potassium intake in the general population found a significant inverse association between potassium intake and metabolic syndrome in adults. That is, the lower the potassium intake, the greater the odds of developing metabolic syndrome. After adjusting for various lifestyle and dietary confounders, subjects in the highest quartile of potassium intake had 39% lower odds for metabolic syndrome compared to those in the lowest quartile. This association was consistent for both sexes. Among the components of metabolic syndrome, potassium intake was inversely related to abdominal obesity and fasting hyperglycemia in multivariate analysis.1
What Is Potassium Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Shin D, Joh HK, Kim KH, Park SM. Benefits of potassium intake on metabolic syndrome: The fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV). Atherosclerosis. 2013 Sep;230(1):80-5. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2013.06.025. [↩]
What Is Calcium?
