Oatmilk and oats

[HannahF]

Hello, my son was recently diagnosed with celiac disease he is 6 and he loves oats and oat milk. I know that oats can be on the fence for cross contamination. What has been your experience? Any advice? 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @HannahF!

The problem with oats can not only be "cross contamination" but also "cross reaction". Cross contamination refers to the inadvertent inclusion of wheat, barley or rye in the oatmeal. Cross reactivity refers to the fact that the main protein in oats (avenin) is similar enough in structure to gluten such that it causes gluten type reaction in about 10% of celiacs. 

A statistically more concerning cross reaction issue in the celiac population is dairy. The protein casein in dairy is similar in structure to gluten and some small studies suggest that 50% of celiacs react to it like they do gluten. Many celiacs are also lactose intolerant, at least until there is substantial healing of the villous lining of the small bowel after going gluten free. Lactose is the sugar component of milk.

[Scott Adams]

I agree with @trents--Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure.

Your son may fall into this category, and eliminating them is the best way to figure this out. Some people substitute gluten-free quinoa flakes for oats if they want a hot cereal substitute.

If you are interested in summaries of scientific publications on the topic of oats and celiac disease, we have an entire category dedicated to it which is here:

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/oats-and-celiac-disease-are-they-gluten-free/