Gluten intolerance can partly be overcome by swallowing an enzyme pill with food, research has shown.
The simple measure can allow people sensitive to the wheat protein to consume small quantities of gluten without experiencing bloating, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Scientists say the discovery could be a "game-changer" for gluten-intolerant individuals who have to be super-careful about what they eat.
Lead researcher Dr Julia Konig, from the University of Orebro in Sweden, said: "Since even small amounts of gluten can affect gluten-sensitive patients, this supplement can play an important role in addressing the residual gluten that is often the cause of uncomfortable symptoms.
"Studies show that even when following a gluten-free diet, unintentional gluten intake can still occur, depending on how strict a gluten-free dieter is."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
For the study, 18 gluten-sensitive volunteers were given a porridge made with two crumbled wheat biscuits containing gluten. They also took high or low doses of the enzyme AN-PEP, or a "dummy" placebo pill.
Both doses of the enzyme were found to break down gluten in the stomach and small intestine. Gluten levels in the stomach were 85 per cent lower in participants who swallowed the enzyme than in those given the placebo.
Compared with the placebo, taking the enzyme lowered gluten levels by up to 87 per cent once food had reached the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.
The findings were presented to experts attending the Digestive Disease Week 2017 meeting in Chicago.
Dr Konig stressed that the enzyme was not tested on coeliac disease patients, who can be seriously harmed by even small amounts of gluten.
