Most Celiac Disease Patients On Gluten-Free Diets Ingest Unintended Amounts

Although a gluten-free diet has been the primary treatment option for individuals suffering from the celiac diet, the presence of villous injury among those following the diet strictly points to unintended amounts of gluten exposure.

A small subanalysis conducted by the international Doggie Bag study group has reported that gluten ingestion occurs frequently in spite of all the efforts taken by celiac disease patients to achieve the improbable goal of following the diet strictly.

The experts have reported that even for those patients adhering to a strict gluten-free diet, antibody evidence has indicated that gluten-containing foods were ingested during a 10-day period prior to the biopsy. This has indicated the requirement for novel treatments beyond dietary restrictions.

"Our novel findings support the general concern that a gluten-free diet may be more aspirational than achievable, even by highly committed and knowledgeable individuals," Medscape Medical News quoted Jocelyn A. Silvester, MD, Ph.D., a pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, and colleagues.

A 2019 study that included 18 asymptomatic individuals without any intentional exposure to gluten. The researchers sought to measure and analyze the gluten in a diet that was supposedly considered gluten-free.

The celiac diet adherence test scores were reported to be less than or equal to 14, but more than 77% of the study participants self-reported accidental gluten exposure. The researchers who used food testing and gluten-related antibody immunoassays detected protein compounds in both foods as well as the excretory products including urine and stools of celiac disease patients. Their findings were evident in gluten content in these supposedly gluten-free diets.

For a period of one week, the study participants provided a representative 25% portion of food they consumed including their favorite drinks, salad dressings, sauces and excluded all gluten-free unprocessed foods including wine, vegetables, and fruits.

The food testing revealed detectable amounts of gluten with a median gluten concentration. And the excretory assays detected gluten immunogenic peptides.

This small study that used sensitive tests has revealed what many has suspected: even the best intentions of following a gluten-free diet among celiac disease patients, ingestion of gluten occurs quite frequently. Although the clinical relevance of such small amounts of gluten ingestion isn’t completely clear, it is possible that some celiac disease patients might experience symptoms.