Dizziness and loss of balance can be caused by eating white bread: Study

White Bread
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By Rahul Vaimal, Associate Editor
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You may have come across many studies that show high consumption of carbohydrates such as white bread could have contributed to weight gain and increased the risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and other chronic ailments.

However, a recent study indicates that the ingestion of humble premade white bread may cause dizzy spells, clumsiness, loss of balance and falls.

No one would have dreamed of such a problem on the bread, which has been the world’s main food for centuries. Food lovers from the corner of the world consume bread because of its easy portability, convenience and of its unique taste.

Bread Sandwich

The explanation of the cause could be diet-related as many doctors have concluded that such problems caused by a common reaction to gluten, a protein contained in bread, pasta and cereal. The disease caused by the attack of gluten is known as Gluten ataxia. In this condition, patients can develop stroke-like symptoms, making it difficult for them to perform basic tasks such as talking, walking and so on. It even can cause paralysis in patients.

An efficient treatment of a gluten-free diet often works however if the condition left untreated, it may result in irreversible brain damage and may also lead to permanent impairment.

Meantime, neurologists at Sheffield NHS Teaching Hospital have developed an effective way to diagnose signs of the diseases. A simple blood test that can give the diagnosis within minutes has been developed by them. The tests check for proteins in the blood released by the affected person’s immune system after they have eaten gluten-containing food items. For the past year, the latest test named TG6 has been used on trails at the Sheffield Ataxia Centre and will soon be rolled out throughout the NSH network.

White Bread

The infected person can switch to a gluten-free diet, which will prevent the symptoms and in most cases replace the physical brain damage. The gluten-related illness gluten ataxia is now closely connected to coeliac disease, according to some reports. The patient suffers from painful inflammation in the gut and they are at a high risk to affect gluten ataxia 16 times more likely than healthy people. But health professionals think that people suffering from gluten ataxia do not experience any symptoms associated with the gut.

According to the health experts, the patients struggling with gluten ataxia should not omit gluten from their menu without consulting a doctor, as this can lead to false-negative test results and even it can cause further health problems.