In a new medical study, researchers from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) were surprised to discover that nearly one in five children with celiac disease sustained persistent intestinal damage, despite strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.¹

Consistent With Results Seen In Adults

These findings are consistent with research in adults, which showed that more than 33 percent of adult patients on a gluten-free diet have persistent intestinal damage, despite a reduction of symptoms or the results of blood tests.

It Was Assumed That Intestinal Lining Healed In Children

Current guidelines for pediatric celiac disease patients recommend a single biopsy at diagnosis and follow-up blood testing to monitor recovery of the intestinal mucosa. It was assumed that intestinal mucosa (lining) healed in children after adopting a strict gluten-free diet and that the blood tests would accurately reflect whether healing was occurring or not. It appears this assumption was incorrect.

1. http://www.news-medical.net/news/20161130/Study-finds-1-in-5-pediatric-celiac-disease-patients-on-gluten-free-diet-sustain-persistent-intestinal-damage.aspx [↩]

The earliest description of celiac disease was recorded in the second century A.D. In 1888 Samuel Gee published a monograph on celiac disease that “to regulate the food is the main part of treatment … The allowance of farinaceous foods must be small … but if the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet.”

In the early 1900’s a carbohydrate restricted diet was advocated where the only carbohydrates allowed were ripe bananas and rice. Then in the 1950’s Dr. W. K. Dicke published work reporting that celiac children improved dramatically during World War II when wheat, rye and Read More »

There are 36 Brain Disorders Cause by Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease listed in the Gluten Free Works Treatment Guide.

How they are caused and treatment are presented. The people who follow the steps provided in the Treatment Guide DO recover…which is SO AWESOME TO SEE!!! :)

It’s all right here. Everything you need to fix yourself and maintain your health, and your brain.

Read more. >>> Gluten Free Works Treatment Guide: Symptoms Affecting the Brain

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that live in our intestines. When our level of bad bacteria overbalance the good bacteria, we get a condition called dysbiosis.

The following video describes three probiotics that decrease inflammation and make certain vitamins we need for energy metabolism, mood and a number of other functions!

Ready to get healthy? REALLY healthy? Check out our Gluten Free Works Treatment Guide where we show you how to treat and correct over 300 symptoms. Standard medical treatment doesn’t account for nutrient deficiencies, medicine interactions or supplements. The Treatment Guide does!

Shopping for gluten-free foods can be inexpensive and fairly easy. Follow these nine steps for successful gluten-free shopping:

1. Learn Naturally Gluten-Free Foods. Only foods containing wheat, barley, rye and oats contain gluten. All unprocessed meat, poultry, seafood, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and grains like corn and rice are naturally gluten-free. This list of Safe Foods will help you.

2. Learn Gluten Code Words. Flour, rye and oat bran are obvious, but learn other names, like seitan, vegetable protein and malt, as well as common hiding spots, like sauces and coatings. Follow this helpful list of Hidden Ingredients.

3. Read Ingredient Labels Every Time. Ingredients can change. You may find a food you counted on for months now lists Read More »

Take the Treatment Guide Everywhere You Go!

Wouldn’t it be great to show your doctor how your symptoms are related, or which nutrient deficiencies are affecting your treatment, while you are sitting right there in his office? What about those disbelieving family members who say it’s all in your head, but suffer from symptoms you know stem from celiac disease? (We all know what that is like!) 

Read More »

Are you just starting out on the gluten-free journey? It doesn’t have to be intimidating. We have tons of helpful information at Glutenfreeworks.com.

Here are 4 articles and resources to get you started! Read More »

The following questions concern whether villous atrophy can be caused by milk and whether anemia can result from milk ingestion. The answer is yes: bovine beta casein enteropathy can cause both. See full explanation below.

Question:Does anyone know can a deficiency in lactase enzyme cause the villi to be blunted? My 3 year old son just had an endoscopy and it showed the villi are blunted.

My son has a lactase deficiency and has been gluten free for 18 months. We took him off lactose for the first 6 months after being diagnosed but then added it back and he seemed fine for 6 months.

So I am hoping maybe the fact that he was drinking a lot of milk caused the villi to be blunted and not ingesting any gluten?

Also, can that cause anemia?

My son is also slightly anemic. But we are very strict with his diet and I am pretty sure he is not getting any gluten ( i know its possible but I don’t think so… his diet hasn’t changed..)

Celiac antibody blood tests indicate he is not getting gluten?

So I am wondering if the lactose could be causing the villi to be blunted and the anemia???

Thanks,
S

Answer:
Dear S,

The most common cause of villous atrophy in people with celiac disease is unintentional gluten ingestion. This answer assumes no gluten is being ingested.

Cow dairy can cause an enteropathy similar to celiac disease. It is called Bovine Beta Casein Enteropathy. It acts like celiac disease, causing inflammation leading to villous blunting. The milk protein elicits the antibody reaction just like gluten does in celiac disease.

The resulting villous blunting would explain lactose intolerance, as the lactase enzymes needed to digest lactose are produced and release near the tips of the villi. If the villi are blunted, no lactase is being produced and milke digestion does not occur.

Bovine beta casein enteropathy is marked by diarrhea, failure to thrive, vomiting, atopic eczema and recurrent respiratory infections. It causes malabsorption of nutrients, just like celiac disease, so it can lead to nutrient deficiencies including anemia. 12% of those with bovine beta casein enteropathy are found to have celiac disease.

-John Libonati

[Editor’s Note: Article originally published April 20, 2009]

Source: Gluten Free Works Treatment Guide: Bovine Beta Casein Enteropathy.

A five year old Canadian boy, diagnosed with severe autism, was cured when the true cause of his mental disorder was found to be celiac disease and he was treated with a gluten-free diet and nutritional supplements.

Photo originally posted to Flickr as “Jack”

His autism was cured because he was never really autistic in the first place. He had celiac disease, an immune response to wheat, barley, rye and oats that damages the intestines leading to malabsorption of nutrients.

Gluten-restricted diets have become increasingly popular among parents seeking treatment for children diagnosed with autism.(1)

What if certain children who are diagnosed with autism actually have celiac disease?

Neurological disorders stemming from celiac disease have been widely documented in medical literature. Some of these conditions include poor balance, tremors, migraines, chronic fatigue, schizophrenia, epilepsy, apathy, depression, insomnia, behavioral disorders, inability to concentrate and anxiety.(2)

Many of these issues are due to nutritional deficiencies resulting from the intestinal damage that celiac disease causes. If caused by celiac disease, they improve once gluten is removed from the diet and the intestine heals and functions properly.

Genuis and Bouchard, researchers at the University of Alberta, recently published the case of the 5-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with severe autism at a specialty clinic for autistic spectrum disorders. After an initial investigation suggested underlying celiac disease and varied nutrient deficiencies, a gluten-free diet was instituted.(1) His diet and supplements were adjusted to secure nutritional sufficiency.

The patient’s gastrointestinal symptoms rapidly resolved, and signs and symptoms suggestive of autism progressively abated.(1)

This case is an example of a common malabsorption syndrome (celiac disease) associated with central nervous system dysfunction and suggests that in some cases, nutritional deficiency may be a cause of developmental delay.

Genuis and Bouchard recommended that all children with neurodevelopmental problems Read More »

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