Researchers have developed a food supplement that neutralizes the gluten protein responsible for symptoms in intolerant people.
Will the booming market for gluten-free foods soon disappear? Perhaps, if we are to believe researchers from the University of Alberta (Canada), who have announced that they have developed a food supplement based on egg yolk that could allow people with gluten intolerance to eat again cereal-based products.
Neutralize gliadin
The principle of the pills developed by Hoon Sunwoo, associate professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Alberta, and by his colleague Jeong Sim, seems simple: to use an anti-body present in the egg yolk and capable block gliadin, a protein found in gluten, and responsible for the symptoms experienced by patients with celiac disease.
“This supplement binds to gluten in the stomach and helps neutralize it, which protects the small intestine and limits damage from gliadin,” says Hoon Sunwoo in a communicated. Gluten is present in so many foods, I wanted to find a way to improve the quality of life for my friends and anyone with intolerance. “It now remains to test the effectiveness of this dietary supplement in a clinical trial. Scientists hope to be able to carry it out as early as next year, and market their product within 3 years.
Gluten free, but balanced
Gluten intolerance is not an allergy, but an autoimmune disease. While gluten-free diets are increasingly popular, in reality, few people have celiac disease, less than 1% of the population would be affected. However, many people with functional digestive disorders report that they feel the benefits of excluding gluten from their diet. An approach which must however respect the nutritional balance. A recent Australian study warned against products labeled “gluten free”: their nutritional qualities are no better than traditional equivalent products. In particular, they contain as many sugars, salt and fat.
.
