I want to share an article written by Jefferson Adams on Celiac.com, that I found very interesting and thought you might too.
Maltese Researchers Discover New Gene in Celiac Disease:
Celiac.com 10/07/2009 – A team of Maltese researchers, led by genetics specialist Christian Scerri, has discovered that a previously unassociated gene contributes to the development of celiac disease. The association of the gene, a variant of a gene called CD59, is the result of three years of research at a University of Malta lab… read more
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Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
I am in my mid-50's and have been struggling most of my life with food issues. I believe I have had a gluten allergy since childhood, and have been extremely frustrated with the medical industry due to their lack of listening to their patients. I've had acid reflux for decades and IBS for decades and weight gain for decades, in addition to being diagnosed with TB when I was an infant (you can research the link between zonulin and autoimmune diseases). I believe there is an over-abundance of gluten in products and this excess consumption sends people into sensitivities, which is different from an actual allergy. Anything in excess is no good. We consume way too much gluten and I believe the actual number of individuals with "sensitivities" is far greater than research portrays. Take a look at asthma and how rampant it is in the U.S. About 20 years ago, I tried to explain to doctors about Candida. It is only now that you see ads for probiotics and the emphasis of eating yogurt to regulate our intestines. Another issue is the obesity rate in our country. I have experienced hunger that never quits. Only after reading about Elizabeth Hasselbeck's symptoms did I realize that I, too, have been experiencing the very same symptoms. The difference: Elizabeth is skinny and I am obese! I am visually targeted because people think I sit in front of the refrigerator day and night and stuff my face! This is totally not true!! After cutting back on gluten products, that "pregnancy hunger" is gone . . . and so is the horrible pain on my right side that I have suffered with for 12 years! I can only imagine that 50% of the acid reflux conditions people suffer with may very well come from food sensitivities. Doctors need to wake up and smell the coffee and incorporate food sensitivity blood tests into their standard physicals. I've been begging 2 separate doctors to take a gluten sensitivity test, but they have refused. It was only after seeing Elizabeth Hasselbeck on The View and hearing about her symptoms that I finally realized that I must have a gluten allergy or sensitivity and cut out about 75% of gluten. I have been feeling much better, the IBS is almost gone, the pain on my right side is almost gone, and the hunger has substantially subsided. In addition, the chronic fatigue is about 65% better. So, even though there hasn’t been enough testing to prove this theory, I believe that gluten sensitivities are far greater than most people realize because gluten is in so many products that we consume on a daily basis. There is even gluten in Play Dooh, body soaps, detergents, etc. We must advocate for ourselves and our families and write the FDA and let them know that more research needs to be done to protect the public. Instead of blaming people for not eating properly or taking care of themselves, perhaps the finger should be pointed at the FDA for allowing excess amounts of gluten being added to products that we are blindly being given.