As a follow-up to last week’s story on the newest findings from nutrition research, lets take a closer look at one of the presentations of the Florida Dietetic Association’s Annual Symposium.  Celiac disease is an autoimmune response to gluten, a protein found in rye, wheat and barley, as well as everyday products such as stamp adhesive, some medicines and some vitamins.  Celiac disease damages the small intestine villi and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food.  Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished regardless of the amount of food eaten.  Symptoms of celiac disease may range from mild to severe and may also be symptoms of other illnesses.  These symptoms may include one of more of the following:  recurring abdominal bloating and pain, gas, weight loss/weight gain, fatigue, bone or joint pain, behavioral changes, failure to thrive in infants, delayed growth and itchy skin rash.  Although celiac disease is most frequently diagnosed in children due to delayed growth, adults are equally at risk for the disease. Dietitians play a major role patient care since the only known disease management protocol is a lifestyle that is free of gluten. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as several other organizations have recently launched an awareness campaign concerning celiac disease. An independent panel of experts convened by the NIH determined that celiac disease is much more prevalent than previously believed.  It is now estimated that about 2 million in the United States have celiac disease or 1 in every 133 people.  Countries outside the United States have long recognized a higher incidence of celiac disease, but not until recently has this relatively rare disease been given attention by American physicians. 

The only treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free lifestyle.  The person with celiac disease learns from a dietitian how to read ingredient lists and identify foods that contain gluten.  A gluten-free diet consists of not eating wheat, rye or barley.  Foods and products containing these grains are also not allowed.  There are many hidden sources of gluten.  Among these are additives, preservatives and stabilizers.  Wheat products are often used as thickeners and texture enhancers in all types of foods.  In other words, a person following a gluten free diet should not eat most grain, pasta, cereal and many of the processed foods.  They can use potato, rice, soy, quinoa and buckwheat flour instead of wheat flour.  Gluten free products are available from stores that carry organic foods, special food companies and increasingly from regular food stores.  For most people, following this dietary advice will stop the symptoms, and if caught early enough, may heal any existing damage to the small intestine villi.  Improvements begin within a few days and the small intestine should heal in 3 months to two years depending upon the person’s age.

 The web contains information about celiac disease, some of which is not accurate.  Two good sites to start your information gathering are:  www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov or www.eatright.org.  For more local information contact the dietitians at Hill Nutrition Associates, Inc., 772-220-8058 or visit our website at www.eatrighthna.com