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Research On Tolerable Amounts Of Gluten

Azzie

By Azzie
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Azzie Rookie
Azzie
Posted

Hi,

I just wanted to get other opinions on this. On another celiac forum, someone mentioned recent research in which the amount of gluten that most celiacs can tolerate was identified. I think it was 50 mg. I'm not sure. In any case, the person on the other website did an experiment in which he figured out that 50 mg is a sizable amount of crumbs, maybe a quarter teaspoon, big enough to be visible.

So my question is, Is a salad that has only had the croutons picked out of it contaminated or safe?

The experiment he did seems to indicate that it would be safe.

Thanks.

Shirley

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Carriefaith Enthusiast
Carriefaith
Posted

I personally would not eat a salad that had croutons picked out. I get sick every few months from the "invisible particle", whether it is gluten or something I am allergic to.

larry mac Enthusiast
larry mac
Posted
..... I think it was 50 mg. I'm not sure. In any case, the person ... did an experiment in which he figured out that 50 mg is a sizable amount of crumbs, maybe a quarter teaspoon, big enough to be visible. Shirley

Did it say 50 milligrams (50 mg), or 50 micrograms? 50 milligrams might be 1/4 tsp dry bread crumbs, but 50 micrograms would be one thousand times less than that amount. I heard a doctor speak today and thought it was 50 micrograms.

best regards, lm

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

ditto larrymac - I've heard it in the microgram range (which should be symbolized with ug if there's no access to greek letters, or mcg, but not everyone bothers).

Azzie Rookie
Azzie
Posted
  • Author

test

larry mac Enthusiast
larry mac
Posted
ditto larrymac - I've heard it in the microgram range ....

In that case, I think maybe it would be 2-3 small dry bread crumbs. Just for grins, I'll check Monday, I work in a lab. lm

Azzie Rookie
Azzie
Posted
  • Author

Oh -- well, his post actually said MG but there's no link to the actual research..so I'll have to do some more searching I guess. Maybe it's micrograms then...... (bummer)

If anybody has a link to the research or to any source, please let me know. thanks. I just want to check it out to be sure.

Did it say 50 milligrams (50 mg), or 50 micrograms? 50 milligrams might be 1/4 tsp dry bread crumbs, but 50 micrograms would be one thousand times less than that amount. I heard a doctor speak today and thought it was 50 micrograms.

best regards, lm

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tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

I certainly wouldn't eat a salad with the croutons removed. Why? Because there's going to be contamination you *can't* avoid because you don't know about it that will eat away at that "limit" of how much you can have; you don't want to use up the rest of it or go over that limit with contamination you know you can avoid.

Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

Even if it is 50mg of gluten, consider that one cup of flour is about 125g. Given that gluten makes up somewhere between 8-15% of flour, this all means that this supposed 'tolerable' level is 0.4% of a cup of flour. That's 1/5th of a teaspoon of flour - from all sources of contamination total. A few crumbs is going to go through that much pretty quickly.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted
I certainly wouldn't eat a salad with the croutons removed. Why? Because there's going to be contamination you *can't* avoid because you don't know about it that will eat away at that "limit" of how much you can have; you don't want to use up the rest of it or go over that limit with contamination you know you can avoid.

I agree with this. While there is evidence to suggest that we may be able to tolerate *some* gluten in our diet, there are so many chances for trace contamination that I would not risk adding anything to that.

Unless you live in a hermetically sealed bubble that you grow all of your own food inside, there are things that are beyond your control, and those may introduce traces of gluten.

What I can control, I do control, and that means avoiding any known gluten source, however small. It does not mean that I assume anything not labelled "gluten-free" has gluten, and it does not mean that I reject anything from a "shared" facility. Heck, my own kitchen is a shared facility, since my wife eats some foods which contain gluten. We take precautions against cross-contamination, but we share the same dishes and utensils--they are well washed after each use.

Guest cassidy
Guest cassidy
Posted

Every time I have gotten sick since going gluten-free (after the first month when I got myself sick because I didn't know what I was doing) it was because of a small amount of gluten that I couldn't even see. It has usually been in restaurants where I order plain meat and veggies that certainly didn't have bread crumbs on them so it had to be cc from the pans they used. So, based on that I would never pick croutons out of a salad or anything like that. I usually don't eat in restaurants because I almost always get sick however I feel great if I make all my own food.

I just wonder how valid any studies are especially since it took me being sick for 28 years to be self-diagnosed. I'm not sure doctors or researchers that don't have celiac really understand it. Maybe some people can have a few crumbs and not get sick, but many of us can't, whether their study says so or not.

Phyllis28 Apprentice
Phyllis28
Posted
Maybe some people can have a few crumbs and not get sick, but many of us can't, whether their study says so or not.

I agree with Cassidy. I couldn't tolerate 50mg of gluten especially since in the study it was given daily. I have found over the years that one mistake makes me a mildly ill but mistakes several days in a row and I will be very ill. I am talking about amounts from cross contamination which would be less than 50mg.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
I agree with this. While there is evidence to suggest that we may be able to tolerate *some* gluten in our diet, there are so many chances for trace contamination that I would not risk adding anything to that.

Unless you live in a hermetically sealed bubble that you grow all of your own food inside, there are things that are beyond your control, and those may introduce traces of gluten.

What I can control, I do control, and that means avoiding any known gluten source, however small. It does not mean that I assume anything not labelled "gluten-free" has gluten, and it does not mean that I reject anything from a "shared" facility. Heck, my own kitchen is a shared facility, since my wife eats some foods which contain gluten. We take precautions against cross-contamination, but we share the same dishes and utensils--they are well washed after each use.

Ditto :) Except substitute "husband" for "wife" :D

Azzie Rookie
Azzie
Posted
  • Author
Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

Azzie Rookie
Azzie
Posted
  • Author
Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

Azzie Rookie
Azzie
Posted
  • Author

Well, my point in asking was that 99% of the time, I do completely control my own food and therefore I know that I am 100% gluten free. In the 1% of the time where I am in a restaurant and have to trust the staff after explaining that I can't have gluten, it's always possible that there's cc. I figure ordering a salad cuts down on the chances of cc and if the study is true, then even if there was a crumb or 2 maybe it would not matter. I would not be taking in 50 mg daily, only on rare occassions when I eat out, which I try to avoid these days.... However, I will keep telling servers that I can't have any croutons or bread actually touch my food....... One time I asked if there was any wheat in the soup. I was assured there was not & then it was served to me with crackers!! Someone else linked Dr. Peter Green to this study and said that there is more info in his book. I've placed a hold on the book at the library and plan to read it soon...........

Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

Okay, I get you now. I thought you would purposely eat gluten up to 50 mg a day. I agree that you shouldn't be paranoid about it, and understand your point now.

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