Gluten free diet still best treatment for coeliac disease for now

New Victorian research into coeliac disease has shed light into the way the disease works at molecular level showing that in future, treatments would need to be tailored to different gene combinations. However Dr Bob Anderson a gastroenterologist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute says any non-dietary treatment is still a few years away and for now, a gluten free diet remains the best option.

In 2001 it was estimated that 1 in 500 Australian's had coeliac disease. Today those figures are closer to 1 in 100. The genes found in coeliac disease are also found in most people with type 1 diabetes. People with thyroid disease are also at higher risk of being coeliac. Clearly, being coeliac is no longer an isolated condition.

Developing at any age, when coeliac disease presents, the ingestion of gluten triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine. The villi, which are finger-like projections lining the intestinal tract, whose job it is to absorb nutrients, become flat and short, depleting their function. This compromises nutrient status and creates widely varied but often very uncomfortable symptoms. In recent years research has been focused on using a gene test to rule out coeliac disease but diagnosis via biopsy of the bowel is still needed to determine signs for this damage. For coeliacs, it is important to not begin a gluten free diet until undertaking biopsy because removal of gluten from the diet can improve the intestine, giving a false negative test.

Even consuming just 50mg of gluten (equivalent to 1/100th of a slice of bread) is enough to damage the small intestine of a coeliac. However Sue Shepherd, dietitian at Box Hill Hospital says that when coeliacs manage to completely avoid gluten in their diet, their intestine does heal. Research she undertook as part of her PhD looking at 101 coeliac patients showed that while symptoms abate with a gluten free diet, feeling well is no indication of the extent of damage on the inside. Her studies showed that while 30% of patients had no symptoms, 82% of that group still had serious intestinal damage.

No matter how mild or silent the symptoms everyone diagnosed with coeliac disease "requires the same strict life-long gluten free diet" she says. At least until new non-dietary treatments can be ascertained.

Healtheries Simple range offers a wholesome gluten free products that cater for all eating occasions. All products are endorsed by the Coeliac Society of Australia informing and supporting medically diagnosed coeliacs and those medically diagnosed as requiring a gluten free diet. Simple products are equally popular with wheat avoiders and anyone suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis or Autism. They have been designed with health and taste in mind, for stress free eating.