What's the Best Way to Spot Nutritional Imbalances in Adult Celiac Patients Following a Gluten-Free Diet?

Celiac.com 10/05/2021 - People with celiac disease, a chronic autoimmune disorder of the small intestine, must eat a gluten-free diet to avoid numerous symptoms and long-term issues, including atrophy of the intestinal villi that leads to altered nutrient absorption. But what about nutrient absorption for celiac patients following a gluten-free diet?

A team of researchers recently set out to describe the nutritional imbalances which may be found in adults with celiac disease following a gluten-free diet.

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The research team included Aner Cardo, Itziar Churruca, Arrate Lasa,Virginia Navarro, Maialen Vázquez-Polo, Gesala Perez-Junkera and Idoia Larretxi. They are variously affiliated with the GLUTEN3S Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of the Basque Country, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; with Bioaraba, Nutrición y Seguridad Alimentaria, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; and with Centro Integral de Atención a Mayores San Prudencio, Ayuntamiento de Vitoria-Gasteiz, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

Nutritional deficiencies will diminish as the gut heals over the first year on the gluten-free diet. This is confirmed by both biochemical data, and a reduction in symptoms. However, for patients on a strict gluten-free diet, with full mucosal recovery, measuring nutrient intake makes more sense than measuring deficiencies. 

Consumption of macronutrients are marked by low complex carbohydrate and fiber intakes, along with high fat (especially SFA) and sugar intakes. This profile is associated with eating gluten-free products, with their relatively poor nutritional profile, along with poor or imbalanced diet. The most common micronutrient deficiencies include iron, calcium and magnesium and vitamin D, and E, along with certain group B vitamins. 

Nutritional follow-up and nutritional education could help celiacs learn to eat a nutritionally balanced gluten-free diet.

Read more in Nutrients 2021, 13(8), 2877