The results of a Hungarian study published recently in the June issue of Pediatrics suggest that people with untreated celiac disease show abnormal resistance to the hepatitis B (HBV) vaccine, while celiac patients on a gluten-free diet show a near normal response to the vaccine.

In the crypts of the small bowel, there is a group of small, granular epithelial cells, called Paneth cells, which play an important part in innate immune system. There has been some controversy about what role Paneth cells might play in complicating celiac disease, so team of Italian researchers set out to examine the distribution, proliferation, and function of paneth cells in adults with uncomplicated and complicated celiac disease.

Today in most modern countries, children are being raised in bacteria-free environments, yet studies are seeing a rising incidence of autoimmune disease and allergies. Previous studies have found that Finnish children are six times more likely to have type 1 diabetes and a five times higher rate of celiac disease than Russian children despite equal genetic susceptibility. Over-cleanliness and life-style may be promoting the higher prevalence of these disorders. A new European study will examine the influence of gut bacteria on autoimmune disease and allergies in developing children, including celiac disease.

Many people with celiac disease have stories to tell about the about how difficult it can be to get a getting a proper diagnosis. Celiac disease can mimic so many other conditions. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of those conditions. The symptoms for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and for celiac disease are often similar as a result the diagnosis of celiac disease can be delayed or missed and misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome.

The drug AT-1001 is a good example of how the realities are playing out on the front-lines of science. AT-1001 is an enzyme therapy that has promised some degree of protection from gluten exposure in people with celiac disease.

Preliminary data suggest that probiotic dietary supplements containing Bifidobacterium lactis may be useful in preventing or healing cellular damage caused by gluten-contaminated foods.

With gluten-free products moving out of the niche segment of the market and more into the mainstream, there is tremendous interest among manufacturers in improving existing products and creating new products. Part of this interest lies in improving the functional properties of ingredients, especially the various flours that form the base of so many breads and bread-like products.

Do your chances of developing celiac disease vary depending on which parent is passing on the genes? A new study says yes. According to the results of a recent study, depending on whether the gene is...

Researchers are actually saying that being poor and living in squalor might actually provide some benefit against the development of celiac disease.

One of the peculiarities of celiac disease is that not all gliadin proteins (peptides) are equal in terms of creating an adverse immune response. Certain peptides are completely broken down during intestinal transport, notably those that are the same size or larger than peptide 57-68. Other peptides, like the peptides 31-49 (P31-41), and the 3-mer gliadin peptide, are transported across the intestinal barrier intact and end up provoking the adverse immune response that is characteristic of celiac disease.