You Are What You (Wh)eat

In a recent New York Times article, "Your Brain, Your Disease, Your Self," authors Nina Strohminger and Shaun Nichols state that the most powerful predictor of identity change is disruption to the moral faculty. This was stated in the context of analyzing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. But what about other diseases, namely, celiac disease? Can consuming gluten change the identity of someone with celiac disease in the same way that neurodegenerative diseases seem to change the identity of those who suffer from them? 1) The Gut and the Brain Ninety percent of the body's serotonin, which is responsible for mood elevation, and 50 percent of the body's dopamine, which is important for motivation and attention, lies in the gut. If my digestive tract is damaged and off-kilter due to undiagnosed (and untreated) celiac disease, my levels of serotonin and dopamine are off, which directly affect my mood. This established link is the first step in examining the relationship between celiac disease and identity. 2) The Gut, the Brain, and Morals Exploring further the link between the gut and the brain, if undiagnosed celiac disease can affect my brain in the way described above, could it also affect my brain in other ways? For example, could undiagnosed celiac disease affect my moral faculty? For the purpose of this argument, I will assume that the moral faculty originates in the brain. (I assume this based on the idea in "Your Brain, Your Disease, Your Self" that the ne...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news