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Why Commanders of the United States Armed Forces Should Definitely Worry About Gluten-Free MREs

Last month, Senator Ted Cruz, one of the Republican candidates for President of the United States made waves by clumsily associating gluten-free with political correctness.

“That’s why the last thing any commander should need to worry about is the grades he is getting from some plush-bottomed Pentagon bureaucrat for political correctness or social experiments — or providing gluten-free MREs,” Cruz said.

Actually, I would tell Senator Cruz that gluten-free MRE’s are possibly the first thing every commander should worry about.

In 2007, I attended the American Dietetic Association’s annual conference in Philadelphia to promote our book, Recognizing Celiac Disease.

Our booth was approached by a dietitian who also happened to be a uniformed Lt. Colonel in the US Army. He asked me about gluten sensitive enteropathy (celiac disease) and was specifically interested in gluten-free rations for troops.

Intrigued, I asked him why.

Maggi Recalls Bouillon Cubes Due to Gluten Contamination

maggi recall chicken bouillonSeveral stores have posted about a recall of Maggi Chicken Bouillon Cubes made by Nestle for undeclared wheat flour, one of the major food allergens.

Stores that have posted the recall include Publix, Price Chopper, Wegmans, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and Giant.

The Maggi Chicken Bouillon Cubs may have been sold at other grocery store chains.

The recalled products are the following:

Innovate Biopharmaceuticals Completes License For Late-Stage Celiac Disease Asset From Alba Therapeutics

Alba_Logo[1]Alba Therapeutics has been working on a therapy for celiac disease the past 8 years. Alba’s therapy, Larazotide Acetate, is the first to reach phase 3 clinical trials, where it will be given to large groups of people.

When Alba first contacted us about helping to promote their phase 2 clinical trial, we investigated the therapy’s mechanism and were glad to see the drug is not absorbed into the body, but acts in the intestine to stop gluten from being absorbed. Better yet, it worked. We covered Larazote Acetate in our article, Medical Research Study to Test a Potential Celiac Disease Therapy Is Underway and Signing up Participants.

A real therapy for celiac disease is one step closer. Alba just sent us the following press release concerning their deal with Innovate Biopharmaceuticals to produce the therapy. 

Obesity

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERAWhat Is Obesity?

Obesity is an inflammatory metabolic disorder that is characterized by body mass index greater than 30% resulting from excessive body fat stored in adipose tissue.

Q: What is body fat?

A: Body fat is part of the body that functions as a reserve of stored energy. It is composed of fat cells, called adipocytes, having thin membranes between these cells. Adipocytes expand to store fat and shrink as fat is released as needed into the bloodstream for other body cells to use for metabolizing energy.

Each adipocyte contains a drop of triglyceride which is a type of lipid (fat). Triglycerides are a normal component in the bloodstream and, as such, are transported wherever needed as a form of energy. Excess triglycerides are the form of fat that is stored.

Initially, fat that is eaten in the diet is changed by digestive enzymes into the triglyceride form which is a molecule composed of three fatty acids and glycerol. Triglycerides are then absorbed through the small intestinal wall to be delivered to the liver. Of note, the liver can make triglycerides from excess protein and carbohydrates eaten in a meal, especially sugar and alcohol. The liver on the other hand makes cholesterol from triglycerides.

Triglyceride levels in the blood generally increase as weight increases. It is thought that an elevated blood triglyceride level hampers the body’s ability to feel full or satisfied with food that is eaten. Elevated triglyceride levels also increase the risk of clot formation because they cause the blood to become thicker. A normal triglyceride blood level is 150 mg/dL.

The causes of obesity are complex and varied. Those related to gluten sensitivity are discussed below.

What Is Obesity In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Cardiomyopathy, Idiopathic Dilated

Heart showing dilated cardiomyopathy at autopsy. Courtesy
Enlarged heart showing dilated cardiomyopathy at autopsy. 

What Is Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy?

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) is a disorder of myocardial (heart muscle) function characterized by dilation or enlargement of the cardiac chambers and reduction in the ability of the ventricles (lower chambers) to contract with the required force needed to pump blood out of the heart to the body.

Idiopathic means the cause is not known.

Q: What is the prognosis for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy?

A: This disorder often results in symptomatic heart failure due to the inability of the heart to pump blood as required to supply the body with oxygen and meet metabolic needs.

What Is Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Stroke in Childhood 

Lymph System. National Cancer Institute.What Are Extraintestinal Lymphomas?

E xtraintestinal lymphomas (non-Hodgkin’s) are malignancies that arise in peripheral lymphatic tissue outside the intestinal tract from B-cell and T-cell lymphocytes.

Q: What is peripheral lymphatic tissue?

A: Peripheral lymphatic tissue includes lymph vessels, lymph, lymph nodes, and lymphocytes.

Lymph vessels branch into all the tissues of the body, carrying lymph, a clear fluid that contains white blood cells, especially B-cell and T-cell lymphocytes.

Lymph vessels are connected to lymph nodes which are small, round masses of tissue that store white blood cells. They also trap and remove bacteria or other harmful substances that may be in the lymph. Groups of lymph nodes are found in the neck, underarms, chest, abdomen, and groin.

Ninety percent (90%) of extraintestinal lymphomas are B-cell type and ten percent (10%) are T-cell type. In this malignancy, lymph nodes are replaced by cancer cells. Some are more aggressive than others.

In 2010, there were an estimated 509,065 people living with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States according to the National Cancer Institute.

What Are Extraintestinal Lymphomas In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Gluten Kills Awareness Tee Shirts and Hoodies

Gluten is killing people. Spread awareness and look great doing it with these awesome Gluten Kills tees & hoodies!

Gluten Kills Ladies Forest Tee
Gluten Kills Ladies Forest Tee! Other colors available.

Click here to get yours! 

Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease causes over 300 signs, symptoms associated disorders and complications. Millions of people around the world are affected, but the rate of diagnosis is low. Most people and doctors do not realize how many symptoms and illnesses gluten causes.

Free Radical: definition

Highly reactive and unstable molecules. These hostile molecules are a normal byproduct of processes within the body, such as metabolism, and also come from the environment such as smoke, air pollution, chemicals, toxic heavy metals…