Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Interesting New Research On Corn

Skylark

By Skylark
in Food Intolerance & Leaky Gut

Recommended Posts

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

There is a really interesting new paper on corn and celiac.

Open Original Shared Link

This paper carefully identifies fragments of corn gluten (zein) that could potentially bind to HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 in a subset of people with celiac disease. They removed all the gluten IgA antibodies from sera of some celiac volunteers and found some antibodies to corn zein were still present. They carefully tracked down what the antibodies were binding to, using mass spectrometry, and found the antibodies were recognizing poorly digested peptides from corn zein. This is similar to gluten, where the most immunogenic peptides are the ones that are not fully digested. Some computer work supported that the peptides would bind best to DQ2.5, and that they are similar but not identical to wheat gluten fragments.

The reaction is NOT a cross-reaction to corn. Let me repeat that lest there is any confusion. THIS IS NOT A CROSS-REACTION TO CORN. It is a completely separate set of anti-zein antibodies in some teens and adults with celiac disease. Interestingly, two of the five corn-sensitive people were still sick gluten-free. They don't mention in the paper if they got well off corn.

First, if you're feeling OK, don't freak out about corn. Corn is still safe for most celiacs. Only 5 out of 24 people they tested had the antibodies. Also, the corn antibodies don't tend to show up in kids suggesting that corn is not inflammatory like wheat. There is no evidence for corn causing celiac in someone who grows up without wheat. The authors suggest that a person needs to be untreated celiac for a while for the corn antibodies to show up.

There have been flaws in little bit of other corn research that has been done (like the one with 80 ppm gluten in their cornmeal), but this seems to be really solid study. It does raise a lot of questions though. Did the people who were still sick recover off corn? Is corn processed by TTG, triggering autoimmunity? Do the corn epitopes the authors identified stimulate T-cells? Can corn cause TTG antibodies to stay elevated in people with anti-zein IgA? If so, can corn trigger villous atrophy in people who have the anti-zein IgA?

This is extremely important for those of you who are gluten-free and still not well, or potentially being diagnosed with refractory celiac disease. We always tell people to eliminate casein. It's looking like we should also be suggesting people try a period of time eliminating corn (which is unfortunately even harder than eliminating gluten or casein).

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


AriesEmber Newbie
AriesEmber
Posted

Thanks for posting this Skylark. :) I have been gluten and casein free for a couple months now. I have had a huge relief of crippling symptoms that went far beyond GI troubles. However, I was still experiencing intermittent digestive upsets, and abdominal bloating with tenderness. Four days ago, I tossed corn to the curb. (It's scary how many ingredients have corn hidden in them.) I'm happy to report that the upsets, bloating, and tenderness are all gone. (I realize that I am fortunate to see results as quickly as I do. Everyone is different.) Since the end of January, I have been gaining strength and muscle back, and dropping weight from being ill for so long. Knowledge is power. Keep it coming. Thanks again. Cheers :)

Bubba's Mom Enthusiast
Bubba's Mom
Posted

I started reacting to gluten-free corn based granola and fritos. I've dropped corn for now..but it seems like corn is in most medicines and supplements? I haven't stopped those. Isn't dextrose and caramel color made from corn too? :o

jess-gf Explorer
jess-gf
Posted

I started reacting to corn a few months ago. Honestly I have no idea if it's a separate intolerance or if it has something to do with the GMO freakshow in corn. I just know, a year ago I could eat it just fine. Then over time if I ate "too much" popcorn I would get a slight stomach ache. Then a couple months ago if I even had a handful of popcorn or any corn-containing snack my upper stomach would erupt in pain so intense that it would wrap around to my back (behind my ribs). I don't usually get back pain from glutening. I've quit corn as best I can since then.

Skylark I read the abstract, it looks very interesting. I just wish I understood it :P I need to take a class to learn how to read that stuff!

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Thanks Skylark, very interesting stuff! Might explain a few mild reactions for me. Guess we are still learning every day. :)

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Well, that was why I was so confuzzled when I first started reacting to foods. It was after my introduction to Mexican cuisine, so I initially didn't know what to think, then I thought it was the beans, but no, so I thought, gee, I've only ever eaten corn on the cob before and that was okay, but corn became a question mark??? Then I ate corn on the cob in New Zealand and I was fine. Then I definitely reacted to corn in the U.S. I reacted to corn chips when we went out, or pretzels when we snacked when we were out, and every time I went to a Mexican restaurant, whether I had corn or flour tortillas (with or without beans). Hey, this was over 30 years ago when we didn't know much about food intolerances, okay? And I just thought I had a weird stomach and nervous system.

So this pattern continued for a long while, reacting (in retrospect) to both corn and gluten, and not figuring out where it was coming from :rolleyes: By the time I gave up gluten in hopes of curing my psoriatic arthritis I had already given up 99% of corn (including the non-GMO New Zealand corn) - I only ever ate popcorn. Then I had one of my infamous fainting/syncope spells at a party after eating popcorn so I had to quit that too (plus a lot of other things). I will not be at all surprised (if I live long enough to be surprised) if they do not found other zeins or similar proteins (like the lectins I am sure I react to) that are messing us up.

Hey, jess_gf, I was just this morning looking at the topic you started that has been runing all this time, and wondered what had happened to you. Good to see ya!

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

Skylark I read the abstract, it looks very interesting. I just wish I understood it :P I need to take a class to learn how to read that stuff!

It took me more than one class. :lol: I do science for a living.

I started reacting to gluten-free corn based granola and fritos. I've dropped corn for now..but it seems like corn is in most medicines and supplements? I haven't stopped those. Isn't dextrose and caramel color made from corn too? :o

Yes, that's why I was saying it would be hard to totally eliminate corn. It's in everything in the US. :unsure:

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

Thanks for posting that. I have heard about people with severe reactions to corn, so that would explain it.

jess-gf Explorer
jess-gf
Posted

Hey, jess_gf, I was just this morning looking at the topic you started that has been runing all this time, and wondered what had happened to you. Good to see ya!

Oh I've been around, mostly lurking. Thanks!

GFreeMO Proficient
GFreeMO
Posted

I am one of those corn reactive people. Corn is as bad for me as gluten. Makes so much sense. Thanks for posting this. ;)

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

Thanks for taking the time to decipher it all for us, Skylark! I always appreciate your research. :)

I am also glad you made it clear this is not about "cross-reactivity".

I was worried about corn at the beginning of my gluten-free life because nothing seemed to agree with me for many months. I had removed dairy and soy and I still felt lousy. I thought, oh crappers, corn too? :rolleyes: geesh, but it just took me a looooong time to heal my gut. I still have off days, but corn is not the problem.

Corn is one of my favorite summer pleasures and luckily, corn and I seem to be at peace with each other. :)

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

I had GI and DH flares on corn. I only realised the link, though, when I started getting the nerve shocks in my feet (which had stopped very soon after going gluten free). I knew I hadn't been glutened. I never eat out and rarely eat any processed foods (even gluten-free). GMO sucks. Excuse my language - I rarely swear. There is too much crap on the market and I'm sick of cooking/washing up .. being hungry ..unable to eat enough calories to keep my weight stable/healthy (I was overweight my entire life!!) etc etc <_<

Knoppie Apprentice
Knoppie
Posted

some people react ok to wheat starch and is considered gluten free because it obviously contains less gluten, would the same apply to corn? has anybody had experience with reacting to corn but not the starch?

Bubba's Mom Enthusiast
Bubba's Mom
Posted

some people react ok to wheat starch and is considered gluten free because it obviously contains less gluten, would the same apply to corn? has anybody had experience with reacting to corn but not the starch?

I react to corn which has been dried and processed..like Fritios..but ate corn on the cob last week with no reaction. :blink:

There's also corn starch in my medications and supplements, which I don't seen to react to?

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I react to corn which has been dried and processed..like Fritios..but ate corn on the cob last week with no reaction. :blink:

There's also corn starch in my medications and supplements, which I don't seen to react to?

Same here. I can eat plain corn and use corn starch in baking, but sometimes feel "off" after eating a processed product like corn chips. For me, it may be some of the oils.

...which leads me to wonder if the Fritos have something else in them that makes them bothersome for you? maybe? just thinking out loud with you :)

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

Aren't corn chips usually made with lime-treated corn? Lime treatment may change the corn enough that your body sees it differently.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Yes, the more highly refined the corn is the more likely that I can eat it. So the starches in pills don't bother me and I can have some starch in baked goods now. It is any corn product that has any of the outer skin covering, like corn chips, masa harina, etc. that get me. Sometimes I don't know where to draw the line. As in sometimes some corn in pasta will get me and other times it won't. I guess I should judge it by its color :huh:

Bubba's Mom Enthusiast
Bubba's Mom
Posted

Same here. I can eat plain corn and use corn starch in baking, but sometimes feel "off" after eating a processed product like corn chips. For me, it may be some of the oils.

...which leads me to wonder if the Fritos have something else in them that makes them bothersome for you? maybe? just thinking out loud with you :)

Ingredients in Fritos..Whole corn, corn oil, and salt.

No preservatives.

Makes me wonder about the drying process? :huh:

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

Ingredients in Fritos..Whole corn, corn oil, and salt.

No preservatives.

Makes me wonder about the drying process? :huh:

hmm....maybe.

Skylark is better informed that I am about this...Sky? :)

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

I don't even know what the phrase "drying process" means. If you have questions about Fritos you might write Frito-Lay.

  • 3 weeks later...
HoosierMother Newbie
HoosierMother
Posted

Interesting as I was checking here to see if anyone else has had a reaction to corn flour... I had bought Zatarain's seasoned fish-fri while vacationing in Florida.. I used it on lean pork chops baking them in the oven, plus we had freezer corn and fried potatoes... I knew I was in trouble instantly starting with stomach cramps and diarrhea... This really irked me... We had company and here I am sitting on the toilet... I was in misery as it was because, I had made a homemade apple pie and chocolate chip cookies

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,084
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Toddy
    Newest Member
    Toddy
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.2k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Kathleen JJ
      Options - 7 year old boy - Helicobacter pylori and serology

      By Kathleen JJ · Posted

      @cristiana Do you have any suggestions for the gummy bear type of candy? Because that is what is getting passed around. Someone told me "you will have to read all labels thoroughly from now on" but to be honest: I don't know what I'm looking for that should or should not be there? And is the notion "gluten free" trustable? And what about "may contain residual gluten"? Is that safe?
    • Kathleen JJ
      Options - 7 year old boy - Helicobacter pylori and serology

      By Kathleen JJ · Posted

      @trents The first thought indeed I had was 'thank god it's not cancer' and of course, there are many, many, many worse diagnoses to get. But this doesn't mean it doesn't come as a shock. I read a lot of the time 'the most common symptoms are...' and then all the things he doesn't have, but never do I find a list of less common symptoms (bar @Wheatwackeds examples - and also non of these are present). I get that severe pains can be a symptom, though the fact that they were omnipresent for 10 days (the exact time his viral values were up) and then 6 weeks later 1 episode also when the family was going through a stomach bug, and since then (nor ever before) none, this logically seems more related to a virus then a symptom of Coeliac, as I'd think this would have to be more present on a regular basis? He always has loved gluten-containing food and at that time was rather having less of it (due to the bug and feeling a little under the weather so eating more yoghurt and the likes then cookies) then more of it. It just doesn't sound all that logical. That being said, I comprehend AND accept that things can not always be logical.   I am trying to understand what you are saying about the tolerance - so as long as he eats gluten, he will have some tolerance to it, but when he stops, and say accidentally ingests something, he will react more as the tolerance is lower? It sounds so illogical (hmm, I see a pattern with myself: really looking for logic in a very illogical condition). And how do you interpret the values very 6 months as you maybe don't know there has been an accidental intake?  Do the values ever go down to zero or is it a question of getting them mainly lower and can they never go down to normal rates?   Normally results of his biopsy are coming in on monday, a little chance they come in today. I've been checking my mail every 10 seconds 🤦🏻‍♀️, this will not be a productive working day I fear 🙄. Then we know the values, but we only have an appointment with the specialized pediatrician and dietitian on December 6d (which in Belgium is a children's holiday comparable to Santa Clause). So we'll get the full "introduction" to the disorder and approach then.   I did talk to the pediatrician and gastrointestinal doctor who did the gastroscopy asking their advice about a plan I was having: to wait to start the diet after the holiday season, we will be abroad in a hotel and to start there in this very new world feels quite stressful for us, but even worse: it will start this journey in a lot of negativity. So our plan is to have a "yummy" party after we return from our trip, during Christmas holidays, inviting some of his friends and buying and making a vast array of gluten free goodies and having them sample and score it. This way it feels like a festive thing AND we can immediately find some things (hopefully) he genuinely like.   Both doctors agreed with this approach as this was truly an accidental find and hadn't we tested his blood 2 weeks ago chances were we'd only have found out in a year or 2 so those extra few weeks will not make the difference.   So now I'm gathering information, talking to people to know where there's good stuff...     But what keeps on being quite ununderstandable to me (I hope this will get explained on December 6th) is how it works. So it's auto-immune, meaning gluten trigger an immune response. Is this a black and white thing? Does 1 grain of wheat trigger the same response as a full bowl of spaghetti? And I mean this on a bowel and organs level, not on a symptoms level, as I gather (is this correct?) that not having any symptoms does not mean that his bowel doesn't get attacked?   I know it all could be worse, I truly do, but to be honest, this is the 4th "anvil falling on my head out of a clear blue sky" diagnosis that I got for one of my most loved people. First my mother was diagnosed with presenile dementia without anyone in the family having it. Then my unborn daughter turned out to have a chromosomal defect that made that she could only live inside of me and died when she was born, then my sister turned out to have (a tested non genetic 🤯) form of presenile dementia as well, with me being her only caretaker as my mother passed away a few years ago and she has no family of her own. And now this. And this is absolutely not only the least of this row but of course not even in the same ball park. But for my resilience and bearing capacity this just feels not little as it affects the life of my little boy...    
    • Wheatwacked
      Has anyone found Ozempic affected their symptoms?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Could be the Ozampic is masking your expected symptoms.  Like an analgesic masks pain.  Qzampic slows digestion to lower the rate glucose enters the intestine to slow its effect on glucose level.  It seems it might also slow down the gluten entry into the intestine, reducing its trigger level for the antibodies.  Ultimately the damage from gluten is the same, just not as fast so the pain is less.  Sourdough bread has less gluten.  Ozampic siows its entry.
    • Wheatwacked
      Options - 7 year old boy - Helicobacter pylori and serology

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      You can sell it better if the whole family does gluten free.  If he does have Celiac Diease, it is genetic so either you, your spouse, or both have a 40% chance of also having Celiac.  There are over 200 non classic symptoms also caused by celiac disease not often considered by doctors. Joint pain, muscle pain, muscle cramps, osteoporosis, and allergies for starters.  
    • Wheatwacked
      On the cusp of facing a new life of managing a life with Celiac Disease

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Hello @MHavoc, thank you for your question and welcome to the clinic. First, has the contstipation abated with the GFD? If your are pursuing further diagnostics you must continue to eat gluten. Each lab has their own reference range for their test, but they indicate an H for high.  Typically anything above 11 is considered positive. Mild chronic inflammation (gastritis) can interfere with intrinsic factor for B12 leading to low B12 causing low MCHC (anemia). So what is causing your gastritis?  A high tTG IgA level generally indicates potential gastrointestinal problems most commonly associated with celiac disease.  Although the biopsy is the Gold Standard for diagnosis, not finding damage in the biopsy does not rule out Celiac Disease. It means they did not find damage where they looked.  The small intestine is over 20 feet long. Many here have been blood positive and biopsy negative, it just delays the diagnosis until you have enough damage to find and fit their diagnostic profile. The Ttg-iga is not only sensitive (90%) but highly specific (98%) and won’t show positive until the damage is severe.  It is estimated that 40% of first degree relatives of diagnosed Celiacs have undiagnosed Celiac Disease, so your sister is a big risk factor in whether you have it. Are You Confused About Your Celiac Disease Lab Results?  This article explains it better and is quite readable. Celiac Disease can cause deficient vitamin D.  Low vitamin D compromises the immune system.  Any other symptoms? liver enzymes?  Recent cold or flue? Celiac Disease and the malabsorption it causes through vitamin and mineral deficiencies can elicit symptoms not usually associated with Celiac Disease. Case in point maybe your gastritis and anemia.  
×
×
  • Create New...