Posts Tagged ‘celiac symptoms’

Celiac disease is on the rise. The reason seems to be that you are never too old to get celiac disease.

Celiac Surprise

Researches were surprised to find the incidence of celiac disease rising among seniors.

It doesn’t take rocket science to realize the consumption of gluten, a protein found in barley, rye and wheat would drive the growth of celiac disease.  Meaning that cereal grain has become part of almost every meal, manufactures use it as pellets, fillers, and are on the breakfast, lunch, dinner plates in one form or another. Wheat is passed off as wholesome even when stripped of all nutrients. This happens all the time in processed food advertisements.

Celiac Statistics

Celiac disease has doubled in America every 15 years. A common misconception is that gluten intolerance only develops in childhood. This is not the case.

In 1974 it was 1 in 501; in a 2003 study the incidence had risen to 1 in every 133 people. Many people haven’t been tested that have celiac disease.

Perspective

Perspective matters, because the real way to manage this condition is to be able to identify it. Most people are never tested for celiac disease. Celiac disease can mimic other conditions, and have symptoms that are different from the ones listed below. Digestive disturbances are blamed on almost anything. Celiac disease isn’t usually one of them. Since abdominal discomfort, indigestion, cramps, and fatigue are common symptoms this is a condition that is usually missed.  But, if your diet is making you sick, and damaging your intestines than this has to change.

Individual symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, intestinal bloating, weight loss, irritability, joint pain, depression, and fatigue are just part of the picture. This condition has more serious undertones. Patients may not absorb nutrients, and this puts them at risk for a whole host of serious conditions. After awhile the small intestine is damaged.

Elderly people are twice as likely to develop the disease. What may make the difference is that a life time of exposure to grains finally takes its toll. As more chronic conditions show up in the population at large we can be assured that they are lifestyle related. Milled wheat is in most food products. With the current trends in packaged foods celiac disease will develop into another chronic health problem for Americans.

According to report in Gastroenterology celiac disease is on the rise. It is now 4 times more common in the U.S. than it was in the 1950’s.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is intolerance to the protein gluten, found in wheat, barley, and rye. Some times oats are included the list. When celiac patients consume gluten, they suffer an inflammatory reaction in the small intestines. This can manifest as abdominal pain, diarrhea, low weight, anemia, infertility, malnutrition, and osteoporosis. It can develop at any age, and is frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.

Other symptoms can also include irritability, abdominal bloating, depression, weight loss or weight gain and joint pain. With a list this long it is easy to see why this condition is hard to pinpoint.

Since this disease damages the intestines it can cause a host of problems over time. It is associated with Atopic Dermatitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gastrointestinal Cancer, and even Behavior Problems.

Symptoms vary depending on a person’s age and the degree of damage to the small intestines. Adults could have the disease for a decade or more before they are diagnosed. The longer a person goes untreated the greater the chance for the development of other problems associated with this condition.

Celiac Numbers Climbing

There is no surprise that celiac numbers are climbing. Celiac disease is basically our bodies telling us that it is not meant to be fed a diet so high in gluten. There are no surprises here. We were not programmed to have a diet made up of processed food.

Although the rate of disease in on the rise, University of Chicago Celiac Disease Director Guandalini MD said “only about 5% of people with celiac disease know they have it.”

The problem with that is people who eat gluten with celiac disease injure the small intestines and affect the absorption of nutrients. Gluten is found in foods as well as everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip moisturizers.

Gluten The Culprit  

There are some factors that influence the incidence of celiac disease. The length of time a person was breastfed, the age a person started eating gluten containing foods, and the amount of gluten containing food consumed.

Gluten is a hard-to- digest protein found in many whole gains and cereals. It is also hidden in processed foods as binders, starch, and fillers.

It is found in flavored coffee, artificial coffee creamer, imitation seafood products, flavoring, emulsifier, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and most processed foods.

To me it’s a wonder that majority of the population isn’t suffering from this condition. Probably most people have intestinal damage from the conventional diet. Most of the items that are listed above don’t even make the food category, let alone something that you can safely consume.

Gluten Free Diet 

A gluten free diet is one of the ways that this condition is treated. With that said a whole food diet, will more fresh vegetables, fruits, good protein, and low on the processed carbohydrates is the right way to proceed. Cutting out the wheat, barley, and rye is fine, but eating a nutrient dense diet should be part of the equation.