What the ? is gluten?

No it has nothing to do with the low GI diet!!!!

"Gluten" is the general term certain protein fragments found in cereal grains especially wheat as the peptides which predominate wheat gluten are gliadin and glutenin.

Gliadin is thought to be the peptide chain that instigates the harmful immune response and intestinal damage to Coeliac sufferers.

Coeliac's must also refrain from eating rye, barley, and oats due to harmful reactions to the proteins secalins, hordeins, and avenins, respectively.

Some research suggests that the avenins (found in oats) are not toxic when consuming less than 50g but it is recommended suffers still avoid oats just to be safe. Minute amounts of any of these protein fragments can cause intestinal damage to people with coeliac disease.

Because the disease is not fully understood, it is thought there may be other peptide chains including some derived from glutenin, that are also toxic.

Because of the lack of definitive research on the disease, a Coeliac is better to avoid all products derived from or containing wheat, oats, barley and rye.