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May Is Celiac Awareness Month

By Expert HERWriter
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Celiac Awareness Month of May Marin Conic/PhotoSpin

Going gluten-free appears to be the latest fad for many people and celebrities alike. However there is a lot of misinformation surrounding eating gluten-free and the reasons to give it a try.

As May is Celiac Awareness Month, this article serves to answer the most common questions about celiac and gluten issues in regards to health and disease. Not all people who have a problem with gluten containing-foods have celiac disease so keep reading to learn more.

1) Celiac disease is the inherited autoimmune disease that causes damage and destruction to the small intestines when gluten-containing foods are eaten. This damage causes severe malabsorption of vitamins and minerals resulting in symptoms and long-term health issues.

Currently, being 100 percent gluten-free is the treatment to eliminate the symptoms and heal the intestines.

2) It is estimated that approximately 1 in 100 people have celiac disease. Celiac is not just a disease of the intestines therefore some people do not have intestinal complaints.

It is strongly associated with other endocrine conditions such as thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, bone problems, skin problems and iron deficient anemia. It's also associated with growth problems, delayed puberty, neurological complaints, infertility and miscarriage, and more.

3) Testing for celiac is controversial and confusing. There are blood tests such as those for tissue transglutaminase(tTG) or anti-endomysial antibody (EMA). However false negatives are common.

Many doctors want an intestinal biopsy to determine whether or not the intestinal cells are inflamed and damaged. But those who are already gluten-free will have to eat gluten again daily for several weeks to months in order for the damage to return on the biopsy results.

As celiac is genetic, the HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 gene tests can be ordered to see if someone has the risk. Having the gene does not mean a person will have celiac disease, just like having the breast cancer gene does not mean someone develops breast cancer. Talk with your health care provider about this.

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