Celiac.com Sponsor:
Celiac.com Sponsor:

  • Join Our Community!

    Get help in our celiac / gluten-free forum.

  • Jefferson Adams

    How Often Do You Get Exposed to Gluten?

    Jefferson Adams

    By Jefferson Adams •


    0
    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.   eNewsletter: Get our eNewsletter

    Caption: People with celiac disease might get dosed with gluten more often than they realize. Photo: CC--Allen McGregor

    Celiac.com 09/05/2016 - Currently, a gluten-free diet is the only recommended treatment for celiac disease. But, researchers don't know much about how effective the actually diet is, or exactly what constitutes the normal range of responses among persons with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet.

    To get a better idea, a team of researchers recently set out to study a group adults with biopsy proven, newly diagnosed celiac disease. The research team included J. A. Silvester, L. A. Graff, L. Rigaux, J. R. Walker & D. R. Duerksen, variously affiliated with the College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, the Celiac Research Program at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, USA, and the St Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.


    Celiac.com Sponsor:



    The team had each patient complete a survey related to diet adherence and reactions to gluten at entry and 6 months. To measure celiac disease symptoms and gluten-free diet adherence, the team used the Celiac Symptom Index, Celiac Diet Assessment Tool (CDAT) and Gluten-Free Eating Assessment Tool (gluten-free-EAT), and they assessed a total of 105 participants, 91% of whom reported gluten exposure less than once per month, and showed an average CDAT score was 9 (IQR 8–11), consistent with adequate adherence.

    Two-thirds of the subjects reported suspected symptomatic reaction to gluten. For 63% of subjects, gluten consumption was only suspected after a reaction occurred. For nearly 30%, gluten consumption was the result of eating in a restaurant. Gluten consumed came from cross-contamination in 30% of cases, and from gluten as a major ingredient in 10% of cases. On average, symptoms began an hour after gluten consumption, running from 10 minutes on the low end to 48 hours on the high end.

    On average, when symptoms did occur, they lasted about 24 hours, on average; though they ranged from 1 hour to 8 days. Common symptoms included abdominal pain in 80%, diarrhea in 52%, fatigue in 33%, headache in 30% and irritability in 29% of patients.

    Adverse gluten reactions are common in people with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet. Eating away from home, especially at restaurants and other homes, carries the greatest risk for gluten exposure.

    The team encourages doctors who treat people with celiac disease to question their patients about adverse gluten reactions as part of their assessment of gluten-free diet adherence.

    How often do you get exposed to gluten? What happens?

    Source:

    0
    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Guest Jennifer

    I become violently ill after gluten exposure (think worst case of food poisoning you can imagine). I no longer eat out at restaurants at all, it's just too big of a risk. I'm hoping beyond hope that completely gluten free restaurants and cafes will become common. I believe hospitals and nursing homes will need to eventually have dual kitchens and dual staff, with color coded plates/trays so you can trust your food came from the proper kitchen. Gluten free needs are growing by leaps and bounds each day. This illness will not be going away any time soon.

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Lori

    My 11 year old son was "glutened" last month for the first time in 2 years. Yes, it was at a restaurant that assured me the grilled chicken, and fries from a dedicated fryer were gluten-free!

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest linen
    I become violently ill after gluten exposure (think worst case of food poisoning you can imagine). I no longer eat out at restaurants at all, it's just too big of a risk. I'm hoping beyond hope that completely gluten free restaurants and cafes will become common. I believe hospitals and nursing homes will need to eventually have dual kitchens and dual staff, with color coded plates/trays so you can trust your food came from the proper kitchen. Gluten free needs are growing by leaps and bounds each day. This illness will not be going away any time soon.

    Funny you should say this illness is not going away anytime soon. Just the other day on the news they said cases of gluten sensitivity are decreasing. I thought...HA! What a crock!

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Carleen Koller

    Guest Carleen Koller

    Posted

    You may not know the answer to this. 19 years ago I was told I had a bad case of Celiac Sprue. I have done great on the diet. I had to have the gallbladder out as it stopped working. For a few years now I complained of feeling of stomach up set after eating. The doctor did the stomach emptying test which failed. In 3 hours the food had only gone down 20 percent. So now I have that problem. So can this be related to celiac sprue?

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest admin
    You may not know the answer to this. 19 years ago I was told I had a bad case of Celiac Sprue. I have done great on the diet. I had to have the gallbladder out as it stopped working. For a few years now I complained of feeling of stomach up set after eating. The doctor did the stomach emptying test which failed. In 3 hours the food had only gone down 20 percent. So now I have that problem. So can this be related to celiac sprue?

    This would be a great question to ask your doctor. Also ask him to re-test you for celiac disease, as it does not go away, so you likely still have it. A gluten-free diet is the only treatment.

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University, and has authored more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously served as SF Health News Examiner for Examiner.com, and devised health and medical content for Sharecare.com. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of the book "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

  • Related Articles

    Scott Adams
    By Jessica Mahood , M.S. Bacteriology
    Celiac.com 09/28/2004 - A very good question: what is gliadin and why does it survive a bath in hot oil? I am a little hesitant to answer because I am not a protein chemist who specializes in such things. However, I was a bacteriologist with many years of exposure to biochemical concepts, so Im probably better equipped than most to give...
    Joanne Bradley
    Celiac.com 06/17/2008 - Water, water, everywhere! That is what I woke up to one day in August of 2007. It seems a big storm had lodged over a certain area of the Midwest – and I was in it. Wow, was I in it! A flash flood had raised the water level of a nearby lake to the point where it was in my town house–almost 3 feet of it. It happened overnight and we had to leave immediately. I ...
    Wendy Cohan, RN
    Celiac.com 09/25/2008 - Even after identifying yourself as having a wheat or gluten allergy and asking for a specially prepared meal, it is a common mistake to have a server deliver soup with crackers, or the entree with a side of Texas toast.   I get frustrated just thinking about the number of times my salad has arrived with croutons.  However, getting upset, or pointedly reminding th...

  • A12 Celiac.com Sponsor:



  • Forum Discussions
    cyclinglady

    Diagnosis?

    I only tested positive to the DGP IgA, yet had intestinal damage.  I never had a positive TTG IgA, TTG IgG or EMA even in many follow-up blood tests.   It is a shame that your GI took only one biopsy when the American GI Association and cel...
    Fenrir

    what test results mean

    A positive TTG IgG or IgA means likley celiac disease.  Most celiacs are positive on TTG IgA but some that are deficient in total IgA are only positive for TTG IgG.  Generally the best route to DX celiac is: https://www.mayocliniclabs.co...
    cyclinglady

    I ate GLUTEN and I am suffering. Advice please.

    No, the studies are NOT very clear.   If they were, leading celiac research centers would be recommending an AN-PEP as a treatment for the prevention or reduction of cross contamination (not a replacement for the gluten free diet).  But it M...