Health and Wellness: Celiac Disease
Buying a loaf of bread can be an overwhelming, though mouth-watering experience. There are literally hundreds of varieties to choose from, and most consumers get a kick out of tasting the bevy of creative flavor combinations available at many retailers (potato scallion and rosemary raisin come to mind). For someone with Celiac Disease, however, bread shopping is a frustrating and often daunting task.
That’s because gluten, the common name for specific proteins in cereal grains, is extremely harmful to people with the disease. Celiac Disease (CD), also known as Celiac Sprue, is an autoimmune intestinal disorder found in genetically susceptible individuals. When these individuals ingest gluten, their bodies experience an immunologically mediated toxic reaction that damages the tiny, hair-like projections in the small intestine, called villi. Damaged villi cannot take in nutrients from food.
Gluten proteins exist in all forms of wheat (faro, durum, semolina, spelt, kamut and einkorn) and all related grains (barley and rye). When people with CD experience repeated exposure to these gluten proteins, they face an increased risk of both nutritional and immune related disorders, like anemia, osteoporosis, GI cancers and nervous system disorders. The disease affects all people differently, making it difficult to diagnose. Some typical symptoms include gas, chronic diarrhea, constipation, weight loss or gain, fatigue, joint pain, bloating and muscle cramps. One of the most common symptoms in children is irritability.
While the cause of CD is unknown, there seems to be a strong genetic component associated with a set of genes called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) class II – genes that affect an individual’s susceptibility to disease. If one member of a family has CD, about one out of ten other members of the same family is likely to have it as well. Sometimes the disease becomes active for the first time after undergoing stress from surgery, pregnancy, childbirth or infection.
Celiac Disease affects 1 in 133 Americans, but could be underdiagnosed in this country, says the National Institute of Health. Dr. Ciaran Kelly, Director of the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, attributes this possibility to the fact that American physicians are not sufficiently aware of the many manifestations of CD.
Testing for the disease involves a blood test that measures Immunoglobulin A (IgA), anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA), and IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA). Additionally, says Kelly, doctors can perform a secondary test in the form of a small bowel biopsy (to examine damaged villi). Preliminary screening for those without symptoms may be recommended for children with a family history of the disease.
There is no cure for Celiac Disease. The only known treatment is adherence to a gluten-free diet. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all products that contain wheat, rye, barely, and any of their derivatives. Gluten can be found in unidentified starches, binders, fillers and malts. It can even be found in cold cuts, soups, soy sauce and jelly beans.
The good news is that there are more products popping up on our supermarket shelves each day touting “gluten free”…but dining out is still an issue, and we developed a free “food allergy buddy” card that you can print out at home and give to your waiter to make sure that the restaurant is full informed about which ingredients may be a problem. It’s free! Just go to www.foodallergybuddy.com to print yours.
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good article...my daughter has celiac and it has been a real battle keeping her gluten free. It has been encouraging to have gluten included on labeling. Thanks for helping raise awareness--if you have a chronic "stomach" problem have yourself tested--if you are positive and start on gluten-free diet, relief is almost immediate.
Some how the Triscuit and Wheat Thin ads that appeared next to this story seemed a bit ironic.
My husband developed Celiac after two acute attacks of diverticulitis. He's 76 so we didn't even suspect Celiac although our daughter had it as a baby. He's also diabetic so his diet is a real challange.
My Daughter has been living with Celiac's since she was about 10 after having open heart surgery, Butthe key symptom for her was the fact that she would not grow. Children with celiac's have a problem with stunted growth as well.
Also it is a more common illness in Canada, and there are more places that cater to those who have Celiac's.
I did like the artical, And for the most part it is correct.
I just recently discovered that I have Celiac Disease and am almost certain that my children have it as well. We are a low budget family and the foods that we need to eat can be quite expensive at the health food stores. We wish that stores such as Wal-Mart would start carrying these items too. We plan to write a letter to the Wal-Mart company and we are asking anyone that agrees or feels the same to please write to them also. Maybe, just maybe, if we all stick together, we can help everyone to be able to afford these items. Thank you
In response to Mindie's comments above, I have the solution to the expense problem: your local Asian market. Asians have been making noodles and other starch products from rice for 2000 years. Not only are these noodles better quality than those you will find in the health food store, they are much cheaper. 1 pound of GF rice spagetti retalis for about 4 dollars at my local HF store. Yesterday I picked up a pound of fresh rice stick noodles from my local asian market for .99 cents a pound!
For those with CD, eat natural & close to nature foods; anything without labels, i.e. fruits, vegetables, lean meats & some folks can have soy, some cannot. Also, try oat products. And you may have to learn to bake & cook your own food from scratch! The Super Wal-Mart where I work does carry quite a few gluten-free products, on the shelf & in the frozen section. My boss at work is married to a man with CD. She even bakes him gluten-free dog buns, breads & etc. Good luck to you! :-)
Having Celiac Disease can be very tough when choosing the right foods to eat - especially, as the article indicates, when trying to eat out. The Great American Restaurants group in the Northern Virginia area has a great tool, though, to welcome guests with Celiac Disease. They have a gluten-free menu that they can bring to any guest. The gluten-free menu lists all of the items on the regular menu but color codes what a Celiac can and cannot eat - all the way down to the individual sides on each dish and offers ways that any dish can be modified to eliminate gluten. Way to go Great American Restaurants!!