The Role of Gluten-free Diet and Intestinal Microbiota on Glycemic Control and Diabetes Development

ABSTRACT

A gluten-free diet offers immense health benefits in certain autoimmune diseases including dermatitis herpetiformis, rheumatoid arthritis, and neurologic disorders; besides its therapeutic potential has also been documented in other conditions such as diabetes mellitus, HIVassociated enteropathy, and celiac disease. In animal models, a gluten-free diet has been associated with the reduced auto-inflammatory process, altered inflammatory cytokine response as well as intestinal microbiota leading to lower the incidence of diabetes. The acidic environment has also been shown to affect the gut microbiota resulting in reduced incidence and delayed onset of diabetes in genetically predisposed individuals. In the current article, it has been proposed that intestinal microbiota play a major role in stimulating an immunological response; and the acidic environment affects the gut microbiota, and thus improves the immunological milieu. Gluten-free diets positively boost the immunological response in animal models and combat with autoimmune diseases in human beings by affecting the gut flora. The association between gluten-free diet, gut flora, immunological response, and environment may play a decisive role in plummeting the advancement of diabetes.