Do Bacteria Cause Celiac Disease?

[Nancym]

Why does one twin get celiac and another not? Could there be a bacteria responsible. These papers take a look at that: Are Commensal Bacteria with a Taste for Gluten the Missing Link in the Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease? By Roy S. Jamron

Role of the Innate Immune Response in Celiac Disease with Comments by Roy Jamron

[Green12]

Why does one twin get celiac and another not? Could there be a bacteria responsible. These papers take a look at that: Are Commensal Bacteria with a Taste for Gluten the Missing Link in the Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease? By Roy S. Jamron

Role of the Innate Immune Response in Celiac Disease with Comments by Roy Jamron

This is interesting, I have been wondering this myself lately. I have struggled for years with leaky gut, terrible digestion and absorption problems, an overgrowth of yeasts, bacterias, and fungi- complete disbiosis of the gut. The result has been multiple food and environmental allergies, as well as a myriad of other health issues. When I read over this board I notice there are so many people that have issues with foods other than just gluten, we are all struggling with different symptomology but yet it is all so similar. I can't help but think that maybe different pathogens are responsible and what may manifest itself as celiac in one person in another person it might be a problem with casein for example.

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

I wonder how the "gene link" factors into this theory.

Does the gene somehow "encourage" those beneficial bacteria to be able to fester in the intestine or does it somehow discourage beneficial bacteria to fester and/or promote malevolent bacteria to reproduce or is it separate.

Interesting read.

Right now, all they have are studies/stats to evaluate the problem, but this could produce some results in the years to come...

[rsavage]

Very interesting read. However, my mom, grandma, sis, myself, and at least two children are now gluten free. Genetic, also?

[Guest cassidy]

I hadn't heard of this until tonight. I was talking to a nephrologist (kidney doc) who told me he recently read an article about this. Basically, from what I can understand the research says that our bodies aren't attacking the gluten they are attacking a bacteria that eats gluten and by mistake also attacking our intestines. Some people don't have the right balance of good bacteria which lets the bad gluten eating bacteria grow in their system.

What the article says is that babies get their intestinal bacteria from their moms when they are breastfeeding. I'm guessing that if the mom has a bacterial imbalance that she may not give enough good bacteria to the child, therefore setting the child up to have the same type of imbalance. That could be why it runs in families.

I wonder if genes play a role in the bacteria balance. If your genes lead you toward having a poor supply of good bacteria and your mom doesn't give you the right amount of good bacteria, then you are prone to developing celiac. Who knows if that is true.

If bacteria is the cause, then this is also the cause for other autoimmune diseases. That would be amazing if they figured it out. The only discouraging thing is I read some articles from 2004 and the reaearch doesn't seem to have gotten very far since then.

[CuriousOne]

I wonder if this is true.

Do people have so many issues with gluten intolerance in Europe?

Do you think its because America drinks flouridated and chlorinated tap water?

Seems the only other western european country that flouridates their tap water is england. coincidentally i saw a bunch of gluten-free stuff in the supermarkets there a few months ago.

Maybe its just that we are drinking water and eating dairy that has antibiotics...basically killing our good bacteria.

Maybe that is the sole problem. Maybe its not necessarily gluten intolerance to begin with... but just that we don't have enough good bacteria? I don't know...maybe its both..

But to me (and maybe this isn't true), it just seems I don't hear much about these problems in other countries where they eat gluten...

[gfp]

I wonder how the "gene link" factors into this theory.

Does the gene somehow "encourage" those beneficial bacteria to be able to fester in the intestine or does it somehow discourage beneficial bacteria to fester and/or promote malevolent bacteria to reproduce or is it separate.

Interesting read.

Right now, all they have are studies/stats to evaluate the problem, but this could produce some results in the years to come...

Just a guess but I would imagine genetics pays its role in how actively we attack those bacteria and associated gluten.

In some (most) people the bacteria are probably tolerated by the immune system and in others attacked. This does explain the triggers... in that when our immune system is in overdrive with a different pathogen it will often attack anything and everything until it can make specific pahogen attacking antibodies... once it identifies something as a pathogen it will usually continue to identify it as a pathogen by producing specific T cells to attack that one pathogen. So in the case of twins I guess one had a trigger, the other not... so I guess its like saying why did one twin get measles and the other not... because they have been exposed to different pathogens their immune systems are trained by what they have had. ?????

[gfp]

I wonder if this is true.

Do people have so many issues with gluten intolerance in Europe?

Do you think its because America drinks flouridated and chlorinated tap water?

Seems the only other western european country that flouridates their tap water is england. coincidentally i saw a bunch of gluten-free stuff in the supermarkets there a few months ago.

Maybe its just that we are drinking water and eating dairy that has antibiotics...basically killing our good bacteria.

Maybe that is the sole problem. Maybe its not necessarily gluten intolerance to begin with... but just that we don't have enough good bacteria? I don't know...maybe its both..

But to me (and maybe this isn't true), it just seems I don't hear much about these problems in other countries where they eat gluten...

The rate of celiac disease by screening is consistent across Europe and N. America at between 1:100 and 1:200.

Quite co-incidentally my celiac disease started when I was drinking unchlorinated water... which resulted in typhoid from which I never really recovered. The typhiod came from unchlorinated water. (tested)

Flouridisation is a mixed topic... not everything is black and white. I'm quite willing to believe it might have bad effects and the positive effects (if true) are largely cosmetic but non-chlorination is simply not a viable option in densely populated areas. The mass health effects of non-chlorination are too frightening to mention.

Along with immunisation, clean drinking water has provided developed nations with a life expectancy that our grandparents could not have expected at birth.

The problem is its not something that can be addressed on individual cases.... tap water in London is recycled, its already been drunk by 10+ people .... if the water was untreated then a small contamination with a rampant pathogen (like typhoid) would circulate the water supply.

This is a seperate issue than is drinking chlorinated water better than non-clorinated. Its the same with immunisation, if people were not immunised then they become potential carriers so if a small percent of the popluation abstain there is not enough non-innoculated people to spread an epidemic but if over 50% abstained then an epidemic becomes far more likely as the disease has non-immunised peope to spread.

If drinking water wasn't routinely chlorinated then one person with typhoid could infect millions.

A good question might be if fluoridised water is adsorbed differently in celiacs... this is more than possible and the health benefits from fluoridisation are largely cosmetic if real anyway.

I have lived in quite a few reasonably rich third world countires (where medical care is available) but where chlorination is not standard. Almost without exception life expectancy is much shorter amd infant mortality higher than Europe and diseases we only remember the names from our grandparents are common.

This is one of the dilemnas of state medicine .... it has to address the needs of the population as oposed to individuals. It would be nice if we could all have non-chlorinated spring water ... I'm sure its healthier for an individual but its not possible in many metropolitan areas. The risk is that if not then the water supply becomes contaminated then everyone drinking it is at risk.

State medicine has to balance what is good for the whole not the individual and luckily these often overlap but sometimes they do not.

[home-based-mom]

I wonder if this is true.

Do people have so many issues with gluten intolerance in Europe?

Do you think its because America drinks flouridated and chlorinated tap water?

Seems the only other western european country that flouridates their tap water is england. coincidentally i saw a bunch of gluten-free stuff in the supermarkets there a few months ago.

Maybe its just that we are drinking water and eating dairy that has antibiotics...basically killing our good bacteria.

Maybe that is the sole problem. Maybe its not necessarily gluten intolerance to begin with... but just that we don't have enough good bacteria? I don't know...maybe its both..

But to me (and maybe this isn't true), it just seems I don't hear much about these problems in other countries where they eat gluten...

Several in here have posted that school children are routinely tested for celiac in Italy. I can't imagine going to that expense and trouble if intolerance to gluten were not a major health issue.

[ravenwoodglass]

Several in here have posted that school children are routinely tested for celiac in Italy. I can't imagine going to that expense and trouble if intolerance to gluten were not a major health issue.

I agree, perhaps they don't think it as much of an issue because they actually look for and find us before all the nasty effects occur. I really wish the US would wise up, maybe then we wouldn't be one of the unhealthiest populations in the industrialized world.

[kbtoyssni]

I agree, perhaps they don't think it as much of an issue because they actually look for and find us before all the nasty effects occur. I really wish the US would wise up, maybe then we wouldn't be one of the unhealthiest populations in the industrialized world.

I completely agree. A little preventive medicine would really decrease the cost of health care, too.