|
All pictured products are Gluten Free, Casein Free, Egg Free and Milk Free
Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance,
is a genetic disorder that affects between 1 in 150
1 to 1 in 250 2 Americans. Symptoms of
celiac disease can range from the classic features, such
as diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to latent
symptoms such as isolated nutrient deficiencies but no
gastrointestinal symptoms. The disease mostly affects
people of European descent, and occurs more rarely in
black and Asian populations3. Those affected
suffer damage to the villi (shortening and villous flattening)
in the lamina propria and crypt regions of their intestines
when they eat specific food-grain antigens (toxic amino
acid sequences) that are found in wheat, rye, and barley3.
Oats have traditionally been considered
to be toxic to celiacs, but recent scientific studies
have shown otherwise. This research is ongoing, however,
and it may be too early to draw solid conclusions.
it can be difficult to diagnose. The symptoms can range
from "mild weakness, bone pain, and aphthous stomatitis
to chronic diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and progressive
weight loss.3" If a person with the disorder
continues to eat gluten, studies have shown that he or
she will increase their chances of gastrointestinal cancer
by a factor of 40 to 100 times that of the normal population4.
Further, "gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma
develops in up to 15 percent of patients with untreated
or refractory celiac disease3."
It is therefore imperative that the disease is quickly
and properly diagnosed so it can be treated as soon
as possible. Based on the figures mentioned above,
we can extrapolate the total possible number of
people in the United States with this disorder from
the total population (283,425,6075).
If we do so we end up with somewhere between 1,889,504
and 1,113,702 people with celiac disease! An average
of these two numbers leaves us with approximately
1,464,239 people in the United States who have the
disease in its classic or latent form. It is very
important that doctors understand just how high
these numbers are, and to test their patients when
there is any possibility that they might have the
disease. Testing is fairly simple and involves either
screening the patient's blood for antigliadin (AGA)
and endomysium antibodies (EmA), or doing a biopsy
on the areas of the intestines mentioned above,
which is the still the best way to diagnose the
disease.
The only acceptable treatment for celiac disease is strict
adherence to a 100% gluten-free diet for life. An adherence
to a gluten-free diet can prevent almost all complications
caused by the disease3. A gluten-free diet
means avoiding all products that contain wheat, rye and
barley, or any of their derivatives. This is a difficult
task as there are many hidden sources of gluten found
in the ingredients of many processed foods.
- University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research
, Multi-Center Serological Screening Study Results, Alessio Fasano,
M.D., Karoly Horvath, M.D./Ph.D., May 20, 2000,
- Gastroenterology, April, 1996 "First Epidemiological Study of Gluten
Intolerance in the United States." By Karoly Horvath,
M.D., Ph.D., et. al..
- New England Journal of Medicine, May 2, 1996 -- Volume 334,
Number 18, "The Many Faces of Celiac Disease"
by Charles H. Halsted, M.D.
- Goggins, et. al. "Celiac Disease and Other Nutrient Related
Injuries to the Gastrointestinal Tract" The American
Journal of Gastroenterology. Vol. 89, No. 8, pages S2
- S13, 1994.
- United States Census Bureau, January 7, 2001.
Information above has been compiled from a variety of sources,
including medical journals, books, doctors, scientists
and the Celiac Listserv News
Group. This information was taken from www.celiac.com which has a lot of information on the subject.
|
