Oats and Celiac Disease OK

Research published this month in the journal Gut suggests people with celiac disease, a severe form of wheat allergy, should safely be able to include oats in their diet. Celiac disease is a form of allergy to gluten, a product commonly found in wheat, which causes damage to the small intestine and has been shown to increase the risk of death from other causes. Previous research suggests patients benefit from a wheat-free diet.

However, some experts have also recommended removing oats from the diet. This study suggests that, provided oat products are pure and free from any form of wheat, barley or rye, celiac patients can safely eat moderate amounts of oats over a regular period.

The researchers from the University of Kuopio in Finland studied 63 adults with celiac disease over a 5-year period. Patients on a gluten-free diet who ate moderate amounts of oats did as well as other patients on an oat-free diet.

For more information on celiac disease and gluten, read our exclusive article by Edith Maskell.

Tuesday, 12 March 2002