Coeliac Disease And Gluten

Coeliac(Celiac)Disease/Gluten Intolerant/ Wheat Sensitivity. Are you confused ? Is there a difference ?

Some experts estimate up to 25% of the population have some form of allergy or intolerance to wheat. As wheat is such a staple part of the modern western diet, wheat intolerances could be a major part of many otherwise unexplained health problems.

But while wheat intolerances can be severe, they are often hardly noticeable in themselves. What's the difference between the most dangerous forms of wheat sensitivity and a mild intolerance? Edith Maskell explains…

DEFINITIONS

Coeliac (Celiac) Disease

Is an inflammatory condition of the small intestine brought about by an intolerance (in certain individuals) to a protein found in cereals … gluten. Because Coeliac can be genetic and manifests at any age, in severe cases, almost as soon as gluten is introduced into the body - it is notoriously difficult to diagnose.

When Gluten is ingested by individuals with a particular genetic make up it causes changes in the upper part of the digestive tract. Villi, are situated in the intestines, and resemble the pile of a carpet. They shorten and flatten when exposed to the antigens in gluten which disenables the intestines to absorb nutrients properly. Gluten is found in many cereals - not only wheat ie, rye, barley AND their derivatives (malt, grain starches, hydrolysed vegetable/plant proteins, textured vegetable/plant proteins, grains vinegars, soy sauce, grain alcohol, flavourings, binders and fillers found in vitamins and minerals and other medications).

Milk can be a danger zone too as a protein found in milk (casein) has a molecular structure very similar to Gluten - so it too needs to be monitored. Which is why it is imperative that Coeliacs become avid ingredient/label readers. There is currently some debate whether oats should also be included in this list.

Symptoms vary from diarrhoea, weight loss, absorption problems, tired all the time, bone pain, bloating, night sweats. Anaemia, and irritability. It is also important to note that symptoms are not always gastrointestinal. However, untreated, the long term chances of serious gastrointestinal disease is inevitable.

Other complications of Coeliac Disease.

Some patients display symptoms of itchy, blistering skin eruptions, It can affect the knees, elbows, buttocks and back of the body and this is called Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Though these conditions are rare, complications of untreated Gluten intolerance can also include Autism, ADD/ADHD, Calcium Deficiencies, Gall Bladder problems, Alcoholism, Endometriosis, Infertility, Osteoporosis, Candida Albicans, M.E and Cancer.

Treatment ?

The ONLY accepted treatment of Coeliac Disease is 100% STRICT adherence to a gluten free diet FOR LIFE. Which is difficult because of the hidden sources of gluten found in many ingredients and processed food. Through fast “modern living” we have become so dependent upon convenience and processed food, and it is becoming Society's biggest health problem. Persuading an adult that unless they make the necessary changes could be the difference between life and death is one thing … trying to get a child to adjust to this diet is quite another matter. It's made even more difficult by the fact that when following the diet they feel very well and so the temptation to “cheat” and no longer take it seriously, is always there. Of course, as soon as they go back to the old ways, all the symptoms follow swiftly behind. Problem is, each time they deviate from the diet, more permanent, irreversible damage may well be the outcome.

The diet regime therefore requires a lot of support. It can have a dramatic effect on family life and it is important to seek as much advice as possible. See Links for recommended sites for further reading and information. The UK Coeliac Society, for instance, will provide food lists, and updated information on gluten free products and where to buy them, free of charge, on a regular basis.

Gluten Intolerant

This abnormality in the bowel can improve or may even disappear whilst gluten is avoided completely in food.

An intolerance to gluten is higher among certain disorders, including diabetics who need insulin. It is also, reported to be, more frequent in Ireland and so too may have a genetic link.

Dependent upon genetics and the degree of intolerance to gluten, there is a school of thought which gives credence to the notion that strictly avoiding gluten from the diet can "cure" a gluten sensitivity on the basis that the intestine can heal and the body will then no longer be intolerant. In these cases, temporary lapses in following the diet may do no serious harm.

Saliva Testing for Gluten intolerance can be carried out at Bromley Health Management. Any patient assessed as being Coeliac as a result of this test would be referred directly to their General Practitioner. They would also be given appropriate nutritional support and advice on other coping mechanisms within complementary and alternative medicine.

Wheat Sensitivity

A wheat allergy is the body's response to an incorrect message emerging from the Immune System - there is something in the blood which shouldn't be there. Ie food molecules which haven't been absorbed properly by the Digestive System. The Immune System sees it as an "invader" and so responds with an allergic reaction.

Most patients who present with food allergies, usually also present with nutritional deficiency symptoms; loss of energy, mood swings, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhoea, headaches, allergies, migraines, sinus problems, chemical allergies, hay fever, asthma, eczema, psoriasis, inability to sleep, stress, muscle and joint aches and pains …., the list is endless. Which is why one of the first treatments we suggest at Bromley Health Management in any patient presenting with digestive or weight problems, is a Vitamin and Mineral Screen.

It is vitally important to establish how well vitamins and minerals are being absorbed before making an assessment or suggesting any treatment programmes.

Vitamin and Mineral Screening is MORE important than checking which particular vitamins and minerals are deficient, the overall results are a very good indicator of what is going on in the body generally.

If vitamins and minerals are not being absorbed well, it stands to reason that foods are probably not being absorbed well either. In turn this can cause allergies, which is why we always stress that it is more important to look for the underlying causes of food allergies …., not just to eliminate the offending foods, ie wheat if it shows up a in a food test.

Having a sensitivity to wheat does not necessarily mean there is also an intolerance to Gluten. These are two different tests. A wheat intolerance/sensitivity MAY be the result of an intestinal parasite like say, Candida Albicans, in which case, eliminating wheat alone will not resolve the problem, though It may well help in the first instance.

But without addressing the Candida, eventually all the symptoms will return. This is the reason we see a lot of patients who “think” their allergies are caused by say wheat, they eliminate it from their regime. They feel better for a short period, then the symptoms return, they guess at what else it might be, eliminate it, feel better and so on and so on until eventually, when they finally present themselves to us, they are living on a meagre diet of beans and jacket potatoes or cornflakes ALONE.

How can the body exist on such a meagre nutritional foundation ? No wonder some folk are so ill. Of course, the frustrating and confusing thing for them is that the medical tests all show there is nothing wrong. So, are they going mad ? No, they are not. Of course the medical tests show there is nothing wrong - they are looking for disease. There is nothing wrong in the sense that there is no disease … but the body is most definitely not FUNCTIONING properly. Hence what we do at Bromley Health Management is known as “Functional Medicine”.

Thus, our experience shows that eliminating suspicious foods from the diet in itself, is NOT the resolution to symptoms displaying themselves as food "allergies". Hence food allergy testing on it's own is not the answer either. But part and parcel of other investigative screens, food testing can be helpful in the overall assessment.

Modern Diets

We must also look at modern diets which consist mainly of cereal, toast, croissant for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and pasta for dinner… with buns and biscuits in between. Wheat, wheat, wheat ….. our bodies are overloaded with wheat. On top of that, there are the derivatives of wheat which are in ALL processed foods. You only have to read the labels … . wheat flour is a ingredient in almost everything. Our bodies are over loaded with wheat …. Our cup runneth over with it. Is it any wonder that we have become so intolerant of it ?

There are about 300 grains which manufacturers COULD use in products and in processed foods, …. but it's my personal view that because farmers are paid subsidies to grow wheat, …. That's the reason it's so plentiful, it's cheap, therefore it's more economical for food manufacturers to use wheat …..,,, and so it's in everything.

We CAN take back some control and help ourselves by varying the grains we eat - whenever and wherever we can. Try using more rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, polenta, buckwheat (which isn't wheat), pasta made from corn, or millet instead of durum wheat and semolina and rice noodles. Try Porridge made with millet instead of oats. Remember that cous cous is wheat.

Change from wheat based flours to Rice, Gluten Free, Spelt, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Quinoa … check out the Supermarket shelves … alternatives abound … you will find no difference in taste but your body will thank you with no “feelings of bloatedness” after meals etc.

For more information on methods of testing for wheat sensitivities and intolerances, see the links below or contact Bromley health Management.

- www.coeliac.co.uk

- www.celiac.com

- www.digestivedisorders.org.uk

- www.glutenfree.com

- www.gluten-free.org

- www.glutensolutions.com

- www.gflinks.com

Tuesday, 23 April 2002

© 2002 Bromley Health Management