Know Your Genes: HLADQ “The Gluten Intolerance Gene”
Verified
Last updated: October 10, 2020
The Human Leukocyte Antigen system (HLA) gene is associated with the synthesis of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which are cell surface proteins that are associated with the regulation of the immune system. There are six single nucleotide polymorphisms of this gene complex, HLA DQ(rs7454108), HLA DQ 2.5 (rs2187668), HLA DQ 2.2 (rs7775228, rs2395182, rs4713586) and HLA DQ7 (rs4639334) which have been shown to be associated with gluten intolerance.
Association with Gluten Intolerance:
Farming and agriculture introduced humans to new proteins about 10,000 years ago. Gluten is one such protein present in wheat, which makes bread light and springy as it traps steam and carbon-di-oxide when the dough rises during baking. However, this protein cannot be completely broken down into amino acids like other proteins are. Instead it is broken down to the peptides- gliadin and glutenin. People with certain variants of the gene have been shown to react to these peptides, giving rise to classic symptoms of gluten intolerance like diarrhea, stomach cramps, tiredness and abdominal bloating.
Celiac disease is a severe form of gluten intolerance and it is found to affect 1% of the population. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a mild form of gluten intolerance. In India, more than 10% of the population has gluten intolerance.
The HLA DQ genes have been shown to be strong genetic predictors of celiac disease. In a study conducted to assess the genetic predisposition to gluten intolerance, nearly all the patients with celiac disease had the risk allele in the HLA DQ2 and the HLA DQ8 gene, with the absence of these variants in 100% of people without celiac disease. In a study conducted to analyze the human leukocyte antigen alleles, people with the G variant of HLA DQ(rs7454108), T variant of HLA DQ 2.5 (rs2187668), G variant of HLA DQ 2.2 (rs7775228), T variant of HLA DQ 2.2 (rs2395182), G variant of HLA DQ 2.2 (rs4713586) and A variant of HLA DQ7 (rs4639334) were shown to be associated with predicting a reaction to gluten in the diet.
Does your 23andme,Ancestry DNA, FTDNA raw data have HLA DQ gene variant information?
It is important to choose an appropriate diet based on the genetic profile
For people with Risk Variant (Gluten Intolerant) People with gluten intolerance should completely avoid gluten in their food. There are many gluten free products available in the market. Rice is gluten free, which could be the reason behind the low prevalence of gluten intolerance among South Indians. People with moderate risk should watch out for symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and avoid it from the diet, only if there are symptoms.
For people with Normal Variant (Gluten Tolerant) Continue to include gluten in the diet as there is minimal risk associated with developing gluten intolerance.
“Nutrigenetics, fitness genetics, health genetics are all nascent but rapidly growing areas within human genetics. The information provided herein is based on preliminary scientific studies and it is to be read and understood in that context.”
I highly recommend. Downloading my raw data was a breeze. I received my report quickly and it was very easy to understand. I will be buying more reports in the near future. Thank you.
Date of experience: May 05, 2023
Jaclyn Galvin
July 29, 2022
This has been really helpful for me
This has been really helpful for me. A while back I had gotten the nutrition report from Xcode and it really helped me understand certain aspects of my diet. Fast forward about two years and I am sluggish, irritable, tired, etc. I discussed it with my doctor and they ran some bloodwork. Turns out I'm deficient in some vitamins and needed to supplement. I went back and reread my xcode report and they are the exact same vitamins that the report told me I would need to supplement. Turns out I don't metabolize them as efficiently and need some additional help to meet my requirements. Overall, it was a really great experience and I look forward to ordering more of the reports.
Stephen D
June 15, 2021
The D'Alessio clan ordered Mega Packs
The D'Alessio clan ordered Mega Packs for everyone. The information gleaned from the reports was more robust than what one would find from 23andMe. I really liked the recommendations as well as a good jumping-off point for more research into mitigating possible health problems. I recommend this to anyone interested in biohacking their health.
Rebecca Burwell
August 12, 2022
I love that I can expand my knowledge…
I love that I can expand my knowledge of my genes by purchasing individual reports that are most important to me. The report was delivered quickly and had a ton of interesting and helpful information! I was interested in BRCA and Breast Cancer and was able to get a full breakdown.
Win Yang Cheung
May 29, 2021
Clarified my allergies
Didn't expect much but this proved me wrong. I discovered useful personal traits and information about my health that I customized towards my day to day living. For the longest time, I thought I was lactose intolerant and allergic to cockroaches, but this report showed me that I wasn't. I thought the milk from the bubble tea I drank every weekend was causing my constant bloating. Truthfully, I didn't drink enough water and was snacking a lot. Thank you, this has been life-changing.
