When she was diagnosed, there were not a lot of options for gluten free and most products in the super market contained gluten and so she could not eat them. It took her forever in the grocery store because anything that she wanted she had to read all of the ingredients to double and triple check to make sure that there was no gluten. When she went to she gave up going to restaurants for a while because they could never assure her that there was no gluten in their dishes. If she accidentally had even a trace of gluten, she would have abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea for hours after the fact.
In addition to her abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea symptoms, she also frequently had tingling in her hands and was fatigued all of the time. She became depressed because she could never go out with her friends and couldn't eat what she wanted and what everyone else was eating. Because so many people have been diagnosed and celiac disease is more widely known t is much easier because there are so many options in the grocery store that are gluten free. At every restaurant you go to you can ask for their gluten free menu or they have a section dedicated to that on their regular menu. It is much more convenient for people with celiac disease and it allows them to go out and eat food that tastes good and feel normal again.
People who have celiac disease are more likely to get many other disorders but a common one that Sarah also got is problems with your thyroid. She had a hyperactive thyroid and they had to give her radiation to stop her thyroid from functioning and now she has to take a supplemental thyroid hormone to manage symptoms from that. Although all of her symptoms are under control now, celiac disease has changed her life. Now that she has children, all of them are on gluten free diets as well. She is paranoid because you are more likely to get celiac disease if you have a family member with it. She doesn't want them to go through what she went through so she would rather them just start out gluten free.
I think that it is interesting that all of a sudden there were so many options for gluten free food and drinks. I even saw that they have a completely gluten free booth at Coors Field to serve baseball lovers that cant or choose not to eat gluten. I wonder if it is just because more people know about celiac disease or if more people really are being diagnosed with celiac disease or maybe it is a combination of the two. Also do you guys think that it is a good idea for people who do not have celiac disease to go gluten free to prevent from getting symptoms if the do end up developing it? I think it is a little paranoid and there is no guarantee that you will even develop the disease, if you notice that you are getting sick when you eat something then you can change your diet but I don't see the point before the fact.
Although certain people are more genetically susceptible to developing celiac disease (CD), several articles highlight the importance of certain environmental factors. One example involves the duration of breast feeding. Peters et al. (2001) found that the risk of developing celiac disease decreased significantly by 63% for children breastfed for more than two months as opposed those breastfed for a shorter time period. For a new mother with celiac disease, this could be an important consideration.
ReplyDeleteYour question about raising children without gluten is interesting. I looked at one meta-analysis performed by Akobeng et al. (2006) including 714 cases and 1255 controls. It was shown that children being breastfed at the time of gluten introduction (when the infant was 4 to 6 weeks old) had a 52% reduction in CD risk. This study suggests that introducing the child to gluten at the appropriate time (while simultaneously breastfeeding) can make a difference. If the child in question was genetically susceptible to the disease, this practice could potentially protect him later in life.
Although I am still not very familiar with this topic, I would suggest that raising children on a strict gluten free diet may not be the best preventative endeavor, especially if these particular children decide to have gluten when they are older.
Because the instances of celiac disease have dramatically increased in the last decade, scientists are still trying to figure out the exact mechanisms behind the disease. Hopefully new research will help people understand the most effective treatments and preventative measures.
Akobeng, A.K. et al. (2006). Effect of breast feeding on risk of coeliac disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 91(1), 39-43.
Peters, U. et al. (2001). A case-control study of the effect of infant feeding on celiac disease. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 45(1), 135-142.
I have found multiple articles stating that Celiac disease has increased four fold over the past 50 years; approximately affecting one in one-hundred people. I read that many scientists believe the increase is due to environmental factors as well. I found it interesting that there are many other diseases caused by the inability to eat and absorb gluten. These other diseases have had little research conducted and so little is known about them that they are not even named. They are referred to as gluten intolerance and non-celiac gluten. The New England Journal of Medicine claims there are 55 diseases caused by gluten consumption. Gluten has also been linked to many diseases such as osteoporosis, anemia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis to name a few. Besides the obvious increase in Celiac disease, people with other gluten diseases or gluten linked diseases probably have helped greatly increase the awareness of the need for gluten free diets for some people.
ReplyDeletehttp://ezinearticles.com/?Diseases-Caused-by-Gluten-Intolerance&id=882662
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/celiac-wheat-gluten-intolerance-47070202
http://injust10pages.com/blog/gluten_intolerance_blog/2011/3/27/diseases-linked-to-gluten-intolerance/133866%20
In response to your question regarding people without celiac disease going gluten free...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was first reading your blog, my assumption was that it may not be a good idea to go on a gluten free diet, or put your children on one, if not experiencing celiac disease. I further looked into my assumption and found that this scenario could pose potential problems. One such study stated that female subjects following a gluten-free diet had lower intakes of magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, selenium and folate. Male subjects showed similar results with intake of magnesium and selenium very low. All subjects also experienced lower than normal levels of fiber and calcium intake.
Folate, a B vitamin is essential to numerous bodily functions such as synthesizing and repairing DNA, and is also important for production of healthy red blood cells. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Iron is needed for healthy muscles and blood. Magnesium is important in regulating potassium and sodium levels within the body and is also used in the release of energy and regulating body temperature. As can bee seen from these few examples, a diet lacking any of these vitamins and nutrients can be very harmful!
After doing a bit more research on this topic, I would conclude that although gluten-free diets are very good for people with celiac disease, they may not healthy for those not experiencing celiac disease. More importantly, anyone on a gluten-free diet needs to be taking supplements so they are not lacking on these important nutrients and vitamins.
Wild D, Robins G, Burley V, Howdle P. Evidence of high sugar intake, and low fibre and mineral intake, in the gluten-free diet. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics [serial online]. August 15, 2010;32(4):573-581. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 21, 2011.
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/nutrition/facts/vitamins_minerals/mineral.htm. October 21, 2011.