According to a new study, people living with celiac disease don’t need to fear getting glutened during a passionate kiss. Accidental gluten exposure is a daily source of anxiety for those with the autoimmune disease. However, it’s unlikely to happen from a kiss, say the researchers, if a loved one simply drinks a glass of water before smooching.
For people with celiac disease, ingesting gluten triggers an immune response that damages the villi, small, hair-like projections that line the small intestine. This can have serious, long-term effects. With gluten consumption in a celiac patient, there are a wide variety of symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, fatigue, headaches and brain fog. Managing the disease requires strict adherence to the gluten-free diet.
Dietitian Dr. Anne Lee, RDN, an assistant professor of Nutritional Medicine with the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, led the study on kissing and gluten transfer. In counseling patients, her team realized how challenging socially they found maintaining a strict gluten-free diet.
“One question that kept coming up is, ‘What is the potential transfer of gluten or potential exposure to gluten through kissing?’ And we had no research for it. That’s what inspired the study,” she says.
There were a lot of rumors about gluten getting transferred in kissing, but almost no facts available. “We wanted to do something that would put the science behind the information,” says Lee. “Our hope is [the study] will guide good clinical practice.”
Celiac Kissing Study’s Protocol
For the study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, Lee and her team recruited 10 couples. Each consisted of one partner with celiac disease and one without. During two tests, the non-celiac participants ate 10 Saltine crackers containing a total of 590 milligrams of gluten.
“We used crackers because the ingredients are wheat, water and salt. It’s very simple and it’s a pure gluten load,” explains Lee.
In the first test, the non-celiac participant waited five minutes after eating the crackers before sharing a deep kiss with their partner. In the second, they drank four ounces of water after eating, then immediately kissed their partner.
“We wanted to replicate normal dating scenarios,” says Lee. “We gave them a private room. Then we said: ‘We want you to kiss for at least a full minute, engage tongues’. We told them this is how you need to kiss.”
Afterward, to assess the transfer of gluten through kissing, the participants with celiac disease provided saliva and urine samples. The results on kissing after a five-minute wait? “We found that, other than two couples, the vast majority were under 20 ppm,” says Lee. (Up to 20 ppm is recognized as the maximum safe daily level of gluten consumption for celiac disease.)
Of great interest was the effect of having a small glass of water before kissing. “Interestingly, drinking four ounces of water reduced the [gluten] amount to under 20 ppm for all of the participants,” notes Lee.
She also shares insights into the elevated readings for the two couples after one minute (with no water). “They were from our youngest couples who were not married,” explains Lee. “We think that there might have been more transfer of saliva going on.” Even so, she adds, “there were no symptoms reported.”
Not Studied: Wheat Allergy
Though the results are positive for people with celiac disease, the study did not include subjects with a wheat allergy. The difference is significant, as the presence of wheat – even under 20 ppm – can trigger an allergic reaction involving IgE antibodies.
In a pivotal study that looked into exposure to peanuts through kissing and saliva, researchers at New York’s Mount Sinai concluded that the safest approach for peanut-allergic patients was total avoidance by the non-allergic partner. When not possible, that research team advised waiting several hours and eating a peanut-free meal ahead of a kiss.
Lee says of her team’s study, “I would caution that this was done in celiac patients, not those with a wheat allergy.” She says that’s what the team needs to study next. “That was the amount of gluten, but what is the amount of potential wheat exposure? We also didn’t look at individuals who are non-celiac, gluten-sensitive. We didn’t look at what their reaction would be.”
Yet, for celiac patients such as Sharon Duhra, the kissing findings are significant. “This was interesting to read,” she says. “There hasn’t been much research that I’ve come across, so I’ve always erred on the side of caution. It definitely lessens some of the stress [around kissing] for me.”
Following a strict gluten-free diet can be a burden for celiac patients. But at least the study assures that there’s no need to stress over a partner’s penchant for pasta.
“Based on our findings, our biggest advice is that you don’t need to worry,” affirms Lee. “Really, it’s generally pretty safe. If you have any concerns, have your non-celiac partner drink four ounces of a non-gluten-containing beverage before a kiss.”
Related Reading:
‘What Am I Doing Wrong?’ When Celiac Symptoms Persist
When Celiac Disease is Not All in the Gut
