| When walking down the aisles of higher quality | | | | undigested gluten and other nutrients may pass |
| grocery stores these days, you may now come | | | | through your intestinal wall into your blood without |
| across a number of tags promoting products as | | | | being properly digested. |
| gluten-free. What does this mean? Is this like fat | | | | The only real treatment for celiac sprue disease is |
| or carbs -- should you be minimizing your | | | | a strict gluten-free diet for life. |
| consumption of gluten for some reason? Well no, | | | | What Causes Celiac Disease? |
| not necessarily, unless you specifically have a | | | | So why would someone have such an immune |
| condition that makes you sensitive to it. | | | | response? Why would the body attack itself like |
| So What Is Gluten? | | | | that? To be completely honest, we don't entirely |
| While people often refer to gluten as a protein, it | | | | understand why just yet. Howevever, current |
| actually represents a component of proteins called | | | | evidence indicates that exposure to these |
| peptides. These peptides are different in the | | | | proteins and a genetic predisposition must be |
| different grains considered to contain gluten and | | | | present before celiac disease will occur. |
| which must be avoided in gluten-free diets. In rye, | | | | Additionally, some people believe some sufferers |
| the protein is called secalin; in barley, it is called | | | | also require some kind of trigger, such as stress |
| hordein; and in wheat it is called gliadin. | | | | or another medical condition which makes the |
| People with a specific sensitivity to these peptides | | | | body more susceptible to the autoimmune |
| must strictly avoid them or face potentially very | | | | response. |
| serious consequences. This sensitivity is often | | | | Another theory is that the presence of certain |
| diagnosed as celiac disease (CD) or celiac sprue | | | | bacteria in the intestines, or lack thereof, may |
| disease, however some people who test | | | | trigger celiac disease in those predisposed to it. |
| negatively for celiac disease may still suffer from | | | | The changing profile of gut bacteria over the |
| some degree of gluten sensitivity. | | | | course of one's lifetime may explain the delayed |
| It is important to recognize that the gluten-free | | | | onset of celiac disease in some people but not |
| phenomenon is not a diet fad or marketing ploy. | | | | others. |
| It is a necessary diet for people with a specific | | | | How Does One Treat Celiac Disease? |
| medical condition. | | | | As I hinted earlier, the only real treatment for |
| What is Celiac Disease? | | | | celiac disease is a gluten-free diet for life. You |
| Celiac sprue disease is an autoimmune disorder | | | | must begin here and any other treatment must |
| where the immune system produces too much | | | | only be supplemental to a strict gluten elimination |
| of a specific antibody when it detects gluten in | | | | diet. |
| the body. These antibodies attack the walls of the | | | | However, because of the theory that a |
| intestine, slowly killing the hair-like villi that lines the | | | | permeable intestinal wall and a problem with gut |
| intestinal wall and helps absorb nutrients from the | | | | bacteria may be related to celiac disease, it would |
| foods we eat and digest. As the villi are worn | | | | be good idea to help your intestine as best as |
| down, your body is less and less able to obtain | | | | you can. Specifically, I suggest a quality |
| those vital nutrients from your food and you | | | | enteric-coated probiotic supplement. The enteric |
| become malnourished over time. | | | | coating helps the probiotc reach your intestine |
| People with celiac disease also usually have an | | | | instead of just being digested and absorbed earlier |
| unusually permeable intestinal wall, meaning that | | | | in the digestive process. |