| The information at the end of this article relates | | | | In my general diet readings I have seen how |
| to the current known physiology of how people | | | | many experts believe the increased use of |
| 'acquire' the celiac disease (CD). The two sources | | | | processed food components such as refined |
| clearly indicate that while specialists know that | | | | sugars and even the overuse of salt has cause |
| gluten causes the disease and the effects of the | | | | many health issues. Imagine if over refined grains |
| disease, there is no consensus on WHY celiac | | | | were removed from the majority of |
| diseases exists in the first place. | | | | manufactured foods and wild seed banks were |
| One of the best speculation that I have found is | | | | used to grow grains with their original levels of |
| from a book called The Gluten Connection by Dr | | | | gluten. Imagine if wholemeal flours were used |
| Shari Lieberman. While this book is a fantastic | | | | more often and a non toxic replacement for |
| source of technical medical information it also | | | | gluten (with glutens binding properties) was found |
| bravely attempts to uncover the origins of the | | | | and used in our foods? Would we then see a fall |
| disease. Although the statistics are often US | | | | in CD rates amongst our youth? |
| based, they translate well to other countries. The | | | | The point is that conspiracy theories aside, large |
| book states that: "In general populations of | | | | food corporations are profit driven and look for |
| Western Europe CD ranges from 0.5 to 1.26%. A | | | | the most cost effective solution. This is often at |
| 2001 report showed that in the UK the rate of | | | | the expense of long term health effects, |
| CD was 1 in 112 people, in Finland 1 in 130, in Italy | | | | assuming they have this knowledge in the first |
| 1 in 184 and the Sahara had 1 in 70!" | | | | place. If you are reading this and you have celiac |
| Dr Shari talks of a time before celiac disease | | | | disease, it probably means that you were |
| (symptoms of) seemed to exist. A time when | | | | predisposed towards it, have acquired it and can't |
| meat, vegetables and grain were predominantly | | | | go back to eating any form of gluten. But at least |
| free from man-made toxins, preservatives and | | | | now maybe you have one possible view as to |
| the like. She discusses how many of our foods | | | | how and why you got it. While the conclusions |
| have been modified with the result that while the | | | | drawn above are completely speculative it makes |
| general population has a CD rate of 1%, that up | | | | intuitive sense that too much of anything, |
| to 29% may be gluten sensitive . The genetic | | | | particularly things you don't know you are |
| predisposition of the disease is such that having a | | | | ingesting, can be a bad thing. Natural is almost |
| first degree relative with CD increases your odds | | | | always better and if you have CD but your child |
| of having CD to 1 out of 22, and a second | | | | doesn't have it yet, perhaps you could consider |
| degree relative to 1 in 39. | | | | letting them eat low gluten grains rather than |
| Essentially it is suggested that while the human | | | | 'eating just anything or abstaining completely'. Its |
| genome has remained unchanged for hundreds of | | | | worth a try? |
| thousands of years, the Industrial Revolution | | | | SCIENTIFIC CAUSES OF CD - SOURCE 1 "The |
| massively accelerated the amount of grain in our | | | | exact cause of celiac disease is not known; |
| diet (as opposed to the traditional carbohydrate | | | | however, inheriting or developing certain irregular |
| load from nuts and berries). Of course this was | | | | genes increases your susceptibility. You are more |
| necessary to feed to rapidly increasing population | | | | likely to have these abnormal genes and develop |
| that were gathering in high density cities, but we | | | | celiac disease if you have a first-degree relative |
| did not evolve as swiftly to cope with the gluten | | | | (mother, father, brother, sister, son, or daughter) |
| overload. | | | | with the condition. In some genetically predisposed |
| Add to the change in lifestyle the change in grain | | | | people, environmental factors, such as bacteria, |
| 'roller milling' process (invented in 1873) which | | | | viruses, or surgery, may cause changes in the |
| changed our diet from whole grains to refined | | | | small intestine; then, eating gluten can trigger an |
| flour, add the convenience of packaged food with | | | | irregular immune system response, resulting in |
| increased grains products, the rise of cereal | | | | celiac disease." |
| breakfasts and our overload was well under way. | | | | SCIENTIFIC CAUSES OF CD - SOURCE 2 "In |
| Consider that even since 1967 the US per capita | | | | celiac disease, an intramucosal enzyme defect |
| gluten grains consumption has increased from 115 | | | | produces an inability to digest gluten. Resulting |
| pounds to 139 pounds. "Gluten is used in the | | | | tissue toxicity produces rapid cell turnover, |
| manufacturing of virtually all boxed, packaged and | | | | increases epithelial lymphocytes, and damages |
| canned processed foods to created textures that | | | | surface epithelium of the small bowel. Celiac |
| are more palatable to our taste buds, or it is used | | | | disease affects 1 of every 133 people in the |
| as binders, thickeners, and coatings. It is even | | | | United States and results from environmental |
| used as glue on envelopes and stamps." So | | | | factors and a genetic predisposition, but the exact |
| maybe there is more to the George Costanza | | | | mechanism is unknown. A strong association |
| story than meets the eye ... but I digress. | | | | exists between the disease and two human |
| WHAT you really need to think about is the next | | | | leukocyte antigen haplotypes, DR3 and DQw2. It |
| paragraph: | | | | may also be autoimmune in nature. It affects |
| " ... bioengineers continually work to improve gluten | | | | twice as many females as males and occurs |
| and make it a larger and more potent part of | | | | more commonly among relatives, especially |
| edible grains. It is estimated that today's wheat | | | | siblings. This disease primarily affects whites and |
| contains nearly 90 percent more gluten than | | | | those of European ancestry. |
| wheat did from a century ago!" | | | | |