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Can Kissing Pass Gluten? New Findings For Celiac Patients
- May 5, 2025
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 5, 2025 — Can gluten be passed on through a kiss?
It’s a concern for some folks with celiac disease, but a new study says worry not. People with celiac disease had no problems after kissing a partner who’d just eaten a stack of saltine crackers, according to a study presented at the Digestive Disease Week meeting held from May 3 - 6 in San Diego.
Saliva samples taken from the celiac patients showed that minimal gluten was swapped during a 10-second kiss, researchers said.
“We can now say to patients, ‘You don’t have to go to extreme measures,’” researcher Anne Lee, an assistant professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University, said in a news release.
“Patients with celiac disease can be more relaxed, knowing that the risk of gluten cross-contact through kissing a partner who has consumed gluten can be brought down to safe levels if food is followed by a small glass of water,” Lee added.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the gut reacts to gluten, a protein found in many grains. It’s typically marked by digestive issues like abdominal pain, indigestion and diarrhea.
Previous studies have reported celiac patients are anxious that kissing might transfer gluten, but there wasn't enough research data to give them solid romantic/medical advice, Lee said.
“Everyone worries about whether gluten is getting into their food at a restaurant, but no one really looked at what happens when you kiss afterwards,” Lee said.
“The advice we gave about kissing and celiac disease was based on precaution and assumptions. We were using our best judgment,” Lee said. “I felt it was important to do research to see if there was any actual risk.”
For the study, researchers recruited 10 couples, each with one partner who had celiac disease. The non-celiac partner ate 10 saltines, and then the couple kissed for 10 seconds.
In one session, the partners waited five minutes before their smooch, and in another they drank 4 ounces of water before kissing.
Gluten transfer was minimal in both situations, according to saliva samples taken afterward.
After a glass of water, the amount of gluten exchanged was less than 20 parts per million, the level allowed in gluten-free products, researchers said.
Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
Johns Hopkins Medicine has more about celiac disease.
SOURCE: Digestive Disease Week, news release, May 5, 2025
