What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac Disease is a chronic, genetic, digestive autoimmune disease that often has strikingly different symptoms in different people. In people who have Celiac disease an immune system response occurs upon the ingestion of the gluten protein. This reaction is not an allergic reaction but an immune response that occurs in the small intestine. This immune response causes villus atrophy, marked inflammation and the production of antibodies. These antibodies may target other organs and cause damage. The villus atrophy (or flattened villi) reduces the surface area available for the absorption of nutrients thus causing malabsorbtion of vital vitamins and minerals.  Left untreated people with celaic disease can develop further complications such as other auto-immune diseases, osteoporosis, and even cancers. Celiac Disease effects 1 in 132 individuals in the United States. An estimated 3 million Americans are afflicted with the disease.

Awareness of Celiac Disease in the United States is very low in this country. As a result, the disease is commonly misdiagnosed. The symptoms of Celiac Disease are very vast and produce strikingly different symptoms in different individuals. For a list of symptoms, visit www.celiac.org

As a result of the wide range of symptoms Celiac disease is commonly misdiagnosed and prescribed treatment fails to bring relief of the individuals symptoms. However, once Celiac Disease is diagnosed the treatment is a life long gluten free diet.

This is good news for the individual who is suffering and who may have been suffering for many, many years due to an incorrect diagnosis. Once they’ve eliminated the gluten from their diet, people with Celiac Disease can begin a new and better life. Eliminating the gluten containing foods from ones diet will reverse the intestinal damage caused by gluten, and in a great many cases prevent the development of more serious complications later on.  Most patients experience relief from their symptoms within a week or two of starting a gluten free diet.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat (and all of its forms), rye, and barley (malt). Oats often contain the gluten protein only because of cross-contamination with wheat. To get truly gluten free oats make sure they are produced in a facility that is dedicated to oat production.  Wheat free is not gluten free.  Wheat free products may still contain barley, rye or oats.  Read labels very carefully and do not hesitate to contact the manufacturer if you are in doubt.