Gluten Free
What is Gluten?
Gluten is an elastic protein found in grains including wheat, rye, oats, barley and triticale. A common misconception is that someone who is intolerant to gluten automatically has coeliac disease. Many people test positive to gluten intolerance with few or minor symptoms, and for these people, avoidance is just as important in overall disease prevention.
Coeliac Disease
Recent studies have shown a significant increase in the number of people who are Gluten intolerant.
Coeliac disease is one of the most under-diagnosed, yet most common
chronic diseases. Coeliac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people
in Australia but 4 out of 5 people don't know they have it. Coeliac
disease is an auto-immune disease, triggered by gluten, which means
that the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues.
In people with Coeliac disease gluten damages the lining of the
small bowel and affects the absorption of food. Symptoms can include
• Diarrhoea
• Weight loss
• Iron & Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Breathlessness
Diagnosis of coeliac disease is achieved with specialised tests from
your doctor. Left untreated, the possibility of severe consequences
such as bowel cancer and osteoporosis increases. People with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten throughout
their life. It has been estimated that 1 in 100 Australians are
affected by celiac disease.
There is no correlation between symptoms and bowel damage, so even if
asymptomatic (you have no symptoms), damage to the small bowel can
still occur if gluten is ingested. Once gluten is removed from the
diet, the small bowel lining steadily repairs and the absorption of
nutrients from food returns to normal. Coeliac disease is treated by lifelong gluten free diet. People with
coeliac disease should remain otherwise healthy as long as they adhere
to a diet free of gluten. Relapse occurs if gluten is reintroduced.
For more information please contact Celiac Society Australia: www.coeliacsociety.com.au
