Posts Tagged ‘gluten-free research’

The body has its own digestive enzyme for gluten known as dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPPIV).  When this enzyme is supplied, it greatly assists in the hydrolysis of propy peptidase assimilating proline-rich proteins.  “What’s this?” you ask?

Read on:

Now this may all sound like a foreign language to you but let me clarify what it all means.  These are the exact “remnants” that can cause severe troubles for the celiac.

The DPPIV enzymatic activity actually assists in breaking down the difficult to digest peptides.

Reports in the July 1993 American Journal of Physiology says that the sequence of digestion which leads to partial digestion of gluten proteins exasperates the gastrointestinal condition and one of the enzymes required to break down these peptides has been identified as DPPIV.  The lack of this enzyme in the small intestine prevents this digestion and can result in an immune response which inflames the small intestine.

There’s additional support from the October 2002 Journal of Physiology Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology stating that DPPIV was instrumental in the breakdown of the gluten’s peptides.  The possible strategy for celiac sprue has been recognized through enzyme therapy.  Up to now only a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet has been the only therapeutic option.

In the May 2007 Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, the researchers made note and confirmed that gluten intolerant individuals definitely have a deficiency in the necessary gluten digesting enzymes.

There are a number of new products on the market currently offering supplementation with products containing DPPIV such as Metabolic Response Modifiers (MRM), Gluten-Free™, and Enzymatic Therapy to name a few.

Any celiac is warned that to date, a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet is the only prescription to follow for optimum health and repair of the delicate tissue lining of the small intestine and the villi.

There may be hope with new research into this area of enzymatic therapy and DPPIV.

Tina Turbin
www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

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