Glucose syrup, friend or foe?

[petsgalore]

My first post please be kind. I am getting more and more frustrated by being told that I can not react to glucose syrup derived from wheat when I know I get a bad reaction every time I eat it. Am I missing something or are these people correct and my reaction is down to something else? I also react to malt vinegar even though it's said to be safe.

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, petsgalore!

May I ask in what context are you encountering glucose? Is this in a medical setting like what is given to counteract insulin overdoses?

Glucose is the simplest of all sugars and is normally not found in high concentrations in foods. It is a metabolite of more complex sugars that are found in grains, fruit and vegetables or milk.

[petsgalore]

Glucose syrup derived from wheat that is found in food. I am not diabetic. 

[trents]

Bear with me here. So, your talking about pre-packaged manufactured things like energy bars. I assume on the ingredient labels it gives the source of the glucose as being wheat or you have contacted the manufacturer to investigate the source?

You question is an interesting one as it has a parallel in this forum community in the debate about the possibility of getting glutened from distilled alcoholic beverages.

[petsgalore]

Things I have eaten recently that have caused me problems are snickers bars, a Gluten free chocolate cake that states on the ingredients that it has glucose syrup but not what it was derived from, and a soft drink that is made from fruit with glucose syrup listed. I have contacted the makers of snickers bars and this is their response. I am in the UK incidentally.

This is the reply we have rec’d back from our manufacturer.

 

Glucose syrup is made from corn and wheat, but it’s processed so the final product (glucose syrup) doesn’t have to be labeled as allergen (it contains less than 20 ppm gluten -> non declarable, even as a trace).

[trents]

Now, I am assuming you have been diagnosed with celiac disease or at least NCGS. Given that assumption, you would seem to be in that subset of people with a gluten disorder who are quite sensitive such that even traces of gluten cause a reaction. On this forum we see this with people who seem to have a celiac reaction when consuming distilled spirits and "gluten-free" pizzas made from wheat that is supposedly de-glutened by hydrolysis processes during manufacturing. Many or most celiacs don't have reactions when consuming these things but the more sensitive ones do. Apparently, manufacturing techniques used to remove gluten from gluten-containing flour is less than perfect but good enough to meet the 20ppm "gluten-free" standard. 

[petsgalore]

Thank you for acknowledging there are people who affected by this small amount of glucose. I have been told that because  coeliac.uk says it's OK then that's it, it must be true. No one will believe that there are people who can be affected. My messages were blocked on a facebook group because I was asking about others that are also sensitive. I was told it's not possible so they would not allow my message. I see people saying they have reacted to things or their children have reacted and they can't understand why because everything they ate was marked gluten free.

[Raquel2021]

6 hours ago, petsgalore said:

My first post please be kind. I am getting more and more frustrated by being told that I can not react to glucose syrup derived from wheat when I know I get a bad reaction every time I eat it. Am I missing something or are these people correct and my reaction is down to something else? I also react to malt vinegar even though it's said to be safe.

I am also very sensitive.  So it is possible you could be reacting to it. I thought malt vinegar was a NO no.

[petsgalore]

1 hour ago, Raquel2021 said:

I am also very sensitive.  So it is possible you could be reacting to it. I thought malt vinegar was a NO no.

Here is what coeliac UK says about malt vinegar https://www.coeliac.org.uk/frequently-asked-questions/what-about-barley-malt-vinegar/#:~:text=Foods that contain small amounts,a meal or on chips.. 

[Raquel2021]

Yes but some of us can react to even those traces

[petsgalore]

16 minutes ago, Raquel2021 said:

Yes but some of us can react to even those traces

That's my question. I was trying to post a message on a facebook page asking if anyone else was sensitive to small amounts found in Glucose syrup derived from wheat and the admin refused to let the message through saying there is no one affected because there are not enough particles and coeliac UK classes it as gluten free. I began to question my sanity and thought I must be wrong. But I know I react to food containing glucose syrup and malt vinegar. Because of this we don't know if the glucose comes from wheat or not so I have to avoid all foods that are labelled as having glucose syrup in the ingredients list.

[Raquel2021]

9 minutes ago, petsgalore said:

That's my question. I was trying to post a message on a facebook page asking if anyone else was sensitive to small amounts found in Glucose syrup derived from wheat and the admin refused to let the message through saying there is no one affected because there are not enough particles and coeliac UK classes it as gluten free. I began to question my sanity and thought I must be wrong. But I know I react to food containing glucose syrup and malt vinegar. Because of this we don't know if the glucose comes from wheat or not so I have to avoid all foods that are labelled as having glucose syrup in the ingredients list.

Hi there 

Every individual is unique even in the celiac community,  so don't feel bad. We might even react to other foods as well. Corn, dairy soy and eggs. 

[petsgalore]

16 minutes ago, Raquel2021 said:

Hi there 

Every individual is unique even in the celiac community,  so don't feel bad. We might even react to other foods as well. Corn, dairy soy and eggs. 

Yes I and lactose intolerant too. I also suffer a violent reaction to duck and mussels. I vomit within 20 minutes of ingestion.

[trents]

The link about barley malt says the fermentation process breaks down the gluten into smaller particles (i.e., it becomes a different molecule) and therefore is safe but that may be begging the question. Apparently, even when gluten is altered and broken down, the immune system of some celiacs seems to recognize it as gluten. This also may explain cross reactions of any kind I'm thinking. Or perhaps the dysfunctional immune system is just expanding it's list of proteins that it interprets as invaders even if they don't resemble gluten peptides.

Edited October 1, 2023 by trents

[glutenmaestro]

Glucose syrup is definitely a problem for some, including myself. Given it’s made from wheat starch (where gluten content varies) and further processing renders most of the gluten undetectable (but not necessarily absent), it’s no surprise some of us have problems with it. Different people react to different gluten components (including components not detected on testing) so in my experience anything from wheat is an issue. Don’t get tripped up thinking it’s unrelated until proven otherwise. If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, quacks like a duck… 

[Wheatwacked]

In the US it is listed as High Fructose Corn Syrup and was introduced in the 70's as a "healthier, less expensive alternative" to sugar cane.  It is made using a procedure similar to that of biodiesel fuel.  Sadly virtually all soft drinks in the US are made with it.  It has to be processed by the liver so if you have low choline, which 90% of the UK population does, it can clog you up.  I avoid vinegar, causes itchiness in my throat.  Eat fermented pickles, not quick pickled with vinegar pickles to increase your gut beneficial lactbacillus to fix lactose intolerance.  Use 100% grass fed milk to lower digestive discomfort from the added palmitic acid used to increase milk fat and volume.  Currently Ireland and New Zealand are the only countries that don't use it in commercial dairies.

     What Is Palmitic Acid?  Palmitic acid has a bad reputation, primarily because it has been shown to have negative health effects...Palmitic oil can also cause digestive issues, primarily in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This issue is known as eosinophilic esophagitis.