Posts Tagged ‘gluten intolerance’

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.