Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease

Gluten Intolerance vs Celiac Disease:

Gluten intolerance, or non-celiac gluten intolerance, occurs when the small intestine is irritated by gluten proteins. Not all people who suffer from gluten intolerance have Celiac disease, which is sometimes spelt Coeliac Disease or called Coeliac Sprue Disease and also has the clinical name gluten enteropathy.

Celiac disease occurs when the proteins in gluten trigger your immune system to overreact, thus it is an autoimmune disorder. Over time this can wear down the intestinal lining and make sufferers less and less able to process nutrients from food.[1]

Gluten:

Gluten is a general term for a protein fraction that occurs naturally in wheat, rye, barley and can nearly always be found in oats due to contamination, thus they must be treated as a gluten containing grain as well. [2] Gluten is popular in baked goods, due to its elastic consistency,[3] but it can also be found in sausages, tinned meals, stock cubes, chocolates and sauces for example.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of celiac disease can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and behavioral disturbances (depression, tiredness).[4]

Treatment:

The only effective treatment for celiac disease is strict avoidance of gluten in the diet; even a little gluten can be harmful. People who suffer from celiac disease and do not completely remove gluten from their diet risk damaging their intestinal wall.[5] If you believe you suffer from celiac disease or gluten intolerance consult a doctor before using such a restrictive diet.

Maintaining a strict, gluten-free diet may be relatively difficult because grain products are so common in the Western diet. Improvement in symptoms can begin within days of starting a gluten free diet. Complete healing of the small intestine, meaning the villi (small finger like projections in the small intestine) are intact and working, can occur within 3 months or take up to 2 years. Another point to consider is that lactose intolerance is common in people with celiac disease, vital improvements can also occur when a lactose-free diet is introduced.[6]

You can find information on diagnosis of food allergies and intolerances here.

Not to be confused with: Wheat allergy

DELICARDO Foodcards:

There are many gluten free products available for people who suffer from celiac disease or gluten intolerance. But what can be done when you’re not the one preparing the food? An uncomplicated way to inform service personal about gluten intolerance or celiac disease when eating out, for example in restaurants or catered events, is through the use of DELICARDO Foodcards, also known as chef cards or food allergy and intolerance cards. DELICARDO Foodcards make living gluten free easier and have been recognized by the European Center for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) as a product that can help give back quality of life despite allergies.

Ms Stemmer from Munich says: "I travel a lot, that’s just how it is. For me it is normal to have business meetings during a meal. During such business meetings it is best to avoid having to explain my gluten intolerance in front of others. When I do it gives them the impression that I am ill and need to be taken care of. That is why going to restaurants with my allergies was generally a burdensome endeavour and moreover an intrusion into my privacy. The DELICARDO spares me this inconvenience and for that I am truly grateful!"

Standard DELICARDO Foodcards can be found here

To create a personalised DELICARDO Foodcard click here

Resoures:

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=20&cont=441

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxsis Network (FAAN)
www.foodallergy.org

Celiac Disease Foundation
www.celiac.org

The Food Standards Agency
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/coeliacdisease/

NHS UK
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coeliac-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx

The Food Intolerance Network
http://www.food-intolerance-network.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=4&Itemid=47

[1] Constien, Reese, Schäfer: Praxisbuch Lebensmittelallergie, Pg. 152 - 53
[2] Constien, Reese, Schäfer: Praxisbuch Lebensmittelallergie, Pg. 152 & Gazzola: Besser leben mit Nahrungsmittelintoleranz, Pg. 89
[3] Constien, Reese, Schäfer: Praxisbuch Lebensmittelallergie, Pg. 152
[4] Gazzola: Besser leben mit Nahrungsmittelintoleranz, Pg. 89
[5] Gazzola: Besser leben mit Nahrungsmittelintoleranz, Pg. 93.
[6] http://www.emedicinehealth.com/celiac_sprue/article_em.htm