Gluten intolerance causes intestinal symptoms such as excess gas, stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation, but as these signs also appear in various diseases, intolerance is often not diagnosed. What few people know is that it can also cause hair loss and other skin problems.
According to Inaê Cavalcanti, a dermatologist specializing in hair, hair problems may be more common in gluten intolerant people. “Both diffuse hair loss (telogen effluvium), due to some nutritional deficiency caused by the alteration of the intestinal wall due to the presence of gluten, and alopecia areata (popularly known as plaques on the scalp) are some examples of an autoimmune origin”, she explains. .
Recently, some research has been published that points to the link between hair loss and celiac disease.
“This is because both have an autoimmune origin (T lymphocyte dysregulation); and the alteration of intestinal mucosa permeability in gluten intolerant individuals leads to an increase in the absorption of various substances capable of triggering an immune reaction, causing alopecia areata (formation of antibodies capable of destroying the hair follicle)”, explains Inaê.
People who have health problems related to gluten can more easily develop some diseases such as:
- Chronic telogen effluvium (diffuse hair loss): it can occur due to a deficiency in the absorption of nutrients, which is important for the hair growth phase.
- alopecia areata (formation of antibodies with the ability to destroy the hair follicle): Chronic inflammation of the intestinal wall causes a kind of failure in the intestinal wall, which in addition to decreasing the absorption of nutrients also increases the penetration of toxic and allergic substances. Thus, the defense system initiates the production of antigen-antibody, which attacks healthy structures, causing, for example, this type of alopecia.
- Association between alopecia and celiac disease: both have an autoimmune origin; the alteration of the permeability of the intestinal mucosa in people who are intolerant to gluten leads to an increase in the absorption of several substances capable of triggering an immune reaction, causing alopecia areata.
How to live with gluten intolerance
Symptoms can be confused with other problems considered relatively common, so the diagnosis may be delayed. It is necessary to be aware and after the discovery, all foods containing this protein, for example, wheat flour, pasta, cookies, cakes, etc., should be removed from the diet.
The good news is that you can find special products that replace this protein. Also remember to look at ingredient labels to identify the presence of wheat, barley or rye, and gluten residues in the composition.
Text written by Natália Nocelli from the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team
