© stock.adobe.com/au/Denise Torres
Why does the
gluten-free diet
fail
some coeliac disease sufferers?
round 80% of Australian
persist even after years of following a
coeliac disease sufferers
gluten-free diet.
do not know they have
Coeliac Australia is now funding two
the autoimmune disease.
research programs at the Walter and Eliza
They just accept chronic
Hall Institute of Medical Research.
• Food handling practices in food outlets that prepare and sell gluten-free foods • Patient knowledge of and compliance with the gluten-free diet • The accuracy of tests intended to measure
tiredness, anaemia, bloat-
Gastroenterologist Dr Jason Tye-Din will
ing, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and other
lead the study looking at the safety of oats
“The cause of ongoing intestinal inflam-
gastric symptoms as a part of life.
for people with coeliac disease. Only some
mation or symptoms in people with coeliac
Coeliac disease is fairly common, with
coeliacs get sick when eating oats, yet all
disease is often attributed to accidental or
around one in 60 women and one in 80
coeliac patients are encouraged to exclude
low amounts of gluten exposure, but why
men in Australia affected. The disease is
them from their diet. Why? Is there a safe
this happens and what causes it is poorly
caused by an abnormal immune system
dose of oats below which patients will not
understood,” said specialist dietitian Dr Emma
response to the protein gluten, which is
incur symptoms? What part of the oat causes
Halmos. “Persistent intestinal inflammation due
present in wheat, rye, barley and oats. A
problems for coeliacs? These are the ques-
to inadequately treated coeliac disease is a
strict, lifelong gluten-free diet is currently
tions Dr Tye-Din’s team is hoping to answer.
major concern, as it substantially increases
The other WEHI study will investigate
the risk of complications such as other
By removing the cause of the disease,
why half of all Australian adults with coeliac
autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, cancer
a gluten-free diet allows the small bowel
disease fail to get full healing of their bowel
and death.”
lining to heal and symptoms to resolve.
or suffer symptoms even after many years
As long as the gluten-free diet is strictly
on a gluten-free diet.
the only recognised medical treatment.
gluten levels in food
People with coeliac disease interested in participating in either study should contact
adhered to, problems arising from coeliac
Some of the reasons being explored to ex-
the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s coeliac
disease should not return. However, for
plain the failure of the gluten-free diet include:
research nurse, Cathy Pizzey. Cathy can be
about 50% of Australians, coeliac disease
• Packaged food labelled as gluten-free
symptoms and signs of intestinal damage
8 | PREPARED FOOD - October 2016
contacted at coeliac@wehi.edu.au.
actually containing gluten
www.preparedfood.com.au