The Go Gluten-Free study assessed the affects of a gluten-free diet on digestive health and fatigue in healthy people, without celiac disease. This was the largest study of its kind in the United Kingdom. Participants ate a gluten-free diet for three weeks and then went back to their regular diet.

The independent research was performed by Rowett Institution of Nutrition and Health at Aberdeen University. The results refute the claims made by many that the gluten-free diet is deficient in nutrients or in some way “bad” for people without celiac disease. In fact, these participants ate better, felt better and experienced decreased cholesterol levels, decreased salt, increased energy levels, clearer thinking and increased fiber contents of their meals.

Who has celiac disease? While you cannot tell just by looking at a person, there are some common issues that can point doctors in the direction of celiac disease. Here is a list of 8 things that make a person more likely to have celiac disease.

1. Celiac disease is the most common genetic autoimmune disease in the world. Celiac disease runs in families. First degree relatives are found to have celiac disease 4% to 12%. Second degree relatives also appear to have a higher prevalence.

2. 100% of people with dermatitis herpetiformis, an intensely itchy chronic skin condition, have celiac disease. Dermatitis herpetiformis is the skin expression of celiac disease. It is an intensely itchy rash that sometime occurs symmetrically on the arms and legs, but may present anywhere.

3. 1 in 5 people with collagenous colitis have celiac disease. 20% of people with collagenous colitis have celiac disease. Collagenous colitis is inflammation in the lining of the colon. It can only be seen under a microscope. Everyone diagnosed with collagenous colitis should be tested for celiac disease.

4. Up to 8% of people with Type 1 diabetes have celiac disease. People with diabetes and celiac disease have been found to have similarities in their genes with seven common alleles. Everyone diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes should be tested for celiac disease.

5. One in ten people with Downs syndrome have celiac disease. Celiac disease affects 10% of persons with Downs syndrome. Proper diagnosis and treatment with a gluten-free diet has been found to improve symptoms and quality of life. Everyone diagnosed with Downs syndrome should be tested for celiac disease.

6. Almost 7% of persons with cardiomyopathy have celiac disease. Cardiomyopathy is an enlargement of heart chambers and subsequent reduction in their ability to pump blood. Cardiomyopathy responds to a gluten-free diet, possibly because nutrients like carnatine are better absorbed. Everyone diagnosed with cardiomyopathy should be tested for celiac disease.

7. Until recently, celiac disease was thought to be a rare disease affecting less than 1 in 5,000 children. It is now know to affect 1 in 100 persons and can present symptoms at any stage during life. That means it affects children and adults.

8. 

   Multi Generation Family Sitting On Garden Seat

   Celiac disease is a permanent condition but was previously thought to be temporary affliction that children could “grow out of.” Once the immune system has been triggered, it forever identifies gluten as a poison or foreign body within the system. That means it will always attack when gluten is eaten. This attack causes inflammation, intestinal damage, and malabsorption of nutrients.

Visit the Gluten Free Works Treatment Guide to discover how to recognize and correct hundreds of symptoms and disorders caused by the damage from gluten and celiac disease.

Summer is here and that means ice cream!

While almost all of us love ice cream, sometimes it doesn’t love us back. (That includes me!)

Here are five great ice cream recipes using gluten-free AND dairy-free ingredients that you can mix and match according to your dietary needs! Try these recipes and let us know how you like them!

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream with Toasted Coconut and Almonds Recipe

This is a pretty simple and straight forward recipe. You can feel free to change the add-ins to what ever you would like. Read More »

Everyone knows home cooked foods are better for you than processed, but who has the time???

Here are four quick and easy snack recipes to enjoy this weekend!

Gluten Free Rice Crispie Square Recipe

Gluten-free rice crispie squares are fast, easy and oh, so familiar- a gluten-free kid’s favorite recipe.

Make a batch to take along to sporting events, for sleep-overs or pack a bag for road trips.

Total Time: 10 minutes Read More »

My mother, Cleo Libonati, RN, BSN was giving a presentation to medical school students at a major medical school in Philadelphia. The topic was “Identifying and Correcting Nutrient Deficiencies in Celiac Disease.”

A student approached her after the presentation. She was a tall, athletic looking woman with short blond hair. She introduced herself as Amanda and told Cleo she was afraid she might have to drop out of medical school. She said she was a West Point graduate, but no one could diagnose her.

She said she had constant gastrointestinal problems and fatigue. She couldn’t concentrate. Something was terribly wrong. She could feel it. Read More »

Guidelines for the treatment of IBS published by the American College of Gastroenterology include screening for celiac disease. These guidelines were established in 2008.

New IBS Guidelines Offer Treatment Ideas

American College of Gastroenterology Updates Recommendations for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
By Bill Hendrick

WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDDec. 19, 2008 — New guidelines have been issued by the nation’s gastroenterologists that are aimed at easing the abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which afflicts millions of Americans.

The guidelines, issued by the American College of Gastroenterology, also offer hope to patients who’ve struggled with the condition and found satisfactory treatments lacking. Read More »

Celiac Disease causes hundreds of signs, symptoms, associated disorders and complications. Almost all of them can be improved, reversed or cured by removing gluten from the diet and treating the symptoms individually.

1. Dental Defects – Most dental enamel defects occur as the teeth are forming. White spots, weakness, ridges and malformed teeth are due to nutrient deficiencies. These issues are frequently said to be caused by antibiotic usage, poor hygiene or genetics. This important article discusses Dental Enamel Defects in Celiac Disease. This article explains how Dentists Can Help to Recognize Celiac Disease.
2. Muscle Weakness – We tend to get used to how we feel, so many people do not realize they are becoming weaker over time. Nutrient deficiencies due to celiac disease before and even after we adopt a gluten-free diet, if our diet is not sufficient, can lead to muscle weakness. It is important to understand Health in Depth: Muscle Weakness in Celiac Disease. Read More »

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 »

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!