Muscadines Celiac Disease, Glutathione and Antioxidants

Muscadines, Celiac Disease, Glutathione and Antioxidants

"If I take my muscadine pills I don't get sick from gluten..."  ( with another longer testimony shared at the bottom of this post...)

That is what has inspired the research for this article. 

Most of my articles get sparked by a testimony or a question from someone using the muscadine grape seed extract... and this one is no different. After hearing a testimony from a client suffering from stomach pains and symptoms related to celiac or gluten issues, and hearing that if she takes the MGS extract she can eat more of those foods with less discomfort, it put me on a search to see why this could happen.

It has been an interesting research and once again, I have learned that our bodies were definitely amazingly and wonderfully made!

Celiac disease affects children and adults and is a serious disease with severe and potentially dangerous digestive reactions to gluten, which is the major protein in wheat and many other grains.

As I researched celiac disease articles I kept coming across this word that I had no idea what it was...

Glutathione...

Glutathione and Celiac Disease are two words that you will find in most articles, and from what I understand this is due to the inflammation and lack of antioxidant enzymes that those suffering from Celiac Disease have, and it dangerously lowers the levels of the body’s master antioxidant, called Glutathione.... so as the intestines become more and more inflamed and iritated with the affects of gluten, the glutathione keeps getting lower and lower until it becomes a life-threatening issue.

Here is how Dr Mark Hyman describes Glutathione :

GLUTATHIONE (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own”) is the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer’s disease. I called it the mother of all antioxidants.

The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news is that toxins from poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione.*

The last part of Dr Hymans quote would give us reason to believe that the heavy load of chemicals and toxins associated with all our wheats and gluten foods COULD very well be the reason that we see such a huge increase in celiac disease and gluten intolerance from as little as 50 years ago.

It is no secret that we live in a very toxic and chemical world compared to half a decade ago and we can't help WHERE we live but we can help WHAT we do about it. :)  As we have mentioned before, unless we take SOME sort of antioxidants on a DAILY basis, most of us will have SOME sort of physical issues or disease. It is just something we have to deal with in this wonderful world of technology, fast foods, chemicals, toxins and stress!

I was suspicious that this glutathione is one of over 100 antioxidants found in the muscadines, turns out I was right! :-)

Research on antioxidant benefits provided by grapes or grape components includes the following findings. Grapes and grape components can:

• help prevent certain oxygen-related enzymes from becoming overactive. These enzymes include xanthine oxidase and catalase.
• increase our blood levels of glutathione (a critical antioxidant nutrient) and also increase the ratio of reduced-to-oxidized glutathione (one important measure of antioxidant capacity).
• help protect cell membranes from free radical damage.
• lower levels of oxygen reactive molecules in our blood.
• reduce oxidation of fat (lipid peroxidation).
• lower biomarkers of oxidative stress. **

According to a study done in 2009 ...and then published on PubMed – (a place that us regular folks have a hard time comprehending) on children with celiac disease and whether or not antioxidants might help– here is their conclusion: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19560448

Oxidative stress is an important factor in the pathogenesis of celiac disease. The antioxidant capacity of celiac patients is significantly reduced, mostly by a depletion of glutathione. Natural antioxidants and appropriate dietary supplements could be important complements to the classic therapy of celiac disease.

 

According to Natural News:

A landmark study, conducted by researchers from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, and published in the journal Clinical Biochemistry in 2009, suggested that treatment with antioxidants may be able to significantly reduce the symptoms of celiac disease.....

and they conclude their study with this quote:

All people can improve their health by boosting their intake of antioxidant-rich foods. Studies have shown that berries and fruits are among the foods highest in antioxidants, particularly goji berries, acai berries, pomegranates, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and apples. And here is the sentence that makes my muscadine heart leap for joy! :-) …. In general, the more deep red or purple the color, the higher the antioxidant content.***

Brunswick Laboratories stated that when they compared the muscadine grapes on the ORAC scale alongside most of the fruits and berries mentioned above, the muscadines were off the charts.
(ORAC is a scale used to determine how much superpowers is in the fruit or berry) 


So in conclusion...

My personal recommendations would be for anyone dealing with Celiac Disease to continue with whatever they are doing currently, as far as diet and medications... but to introduce SOME sort of antioxidant supplement and see what happens. Although we are very partial to the muscadine grape seed products, we still recognize that there are some other great supplements out there... ( just don't use the chemically processed stuff you can buy at Walmart - if it is FDA approved, I tend to run far away from it...)

There is always the chance it could change your life for the better, as it is doing for so many people that are becoming educated about the Superman powers of antioxidants... we hear crazy stories every week of people gradually getting off meds for everything from inflammation related issues such as fibro and arthritis to allergies and diabetes... not to mention what happens to cancer cells if you add enough of Mr Superman to your diet!

For some the road back to health is a gradual process and for others it is a life-changing, almost overnight happening, but regardless the process - feeling healthy, full of energy and pain free is PRICELESS!

Muscadine and Celiac story from a reader: My muscadine story is pretty new, but 6 months into it, I feel confident it's working very, very well. My son ( now 10) was born with bleeding ulcers and has since been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. He spent much of his life on ulcer medications, although changing his diet for Celiac did make a big difference. There would be episodes of him getting in contact with miniscule amounts of wheat, like one spoonful of food containing soy sauce (which has wheat) and it would land him in the hospital. His allergy to wheat was life threatening.

Last fall I did some research and found that Celiac is caused by the breakdown of an enzyme in the intestine, which then allows toxins to build up and actually flatten the cilia that pushes food along the digestive track, causing severe pain and blockages. Bingo, antioxidants! I talked to Viola and decided it was worth a try getting my son on the muscadine.

A month into it, we decided to "cheat" which was scary for both of us, but he ate a bite of regular bread and had no side affects. Later on we tried a whole piece of homemade bread and even a doughnut once. These were pretty extreme chances to take, considering the outcome earlier. The only side affects he had was about 3 days after each time he would be in some pain (manageable) and be constipated. I decided not to risk trying wheat in large amounts after that, because it wasn't the main goal. Our goal was his health. He has been on no ulcer meds or acid reducers since and I am much more relaxed about cross contamination. He also eats a lot of food that is not "certified gluten free" like oatmeal and etc.

My advice would be for someone who has a gluten sensitivity to try getting back to eating normally while taking the muscadine grape seed extract, introducing wheat slowly. But for someone with Celiac, remember you have an allergy to wheat that can quickly become life threatening and if you can use the muscadine  to calm down your symptoms and get some relief, please do! I saw photos of my son's lower intestines from a scope and I can tell you it's not what you want your stomach to look like long term. His was raw and bleeding. I am positive that is no longer the case and I will keep him on the muscadine for his overall future health, even if he can't eat everything. Keep in mind, eating your favorite things is not as important as keeping cancer out of that intestine. When your stomach is a raw wound, it is susceptible to just about anything. Thanks for listening!

Find high quality Muscadine products here

Disclaimer: Consult your health care professional about any serious disease or injury. Do not attempt to self-diagnose or prescribe any natural substance as a substitute for professional medical assistance. The information here is provided for better understanding of holistic health.

Resources:
*http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/what-is-glutathione-and-how-do-i-get-more-of-it/
** http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=40 
***http://www.naturalnews.com/040220_celiac_disease_antioxidants_treatment.html#ixzz2lcWHOQsX