Search the Community

Celiac.com 10/25/2017 - For people with celiac disease, eating gluten proteins from wheat, barley, and rye triggers an auto-immune response, and the accompanying physical symptoms. A team of researchers recently set out to engineer low-gluten wheat strains that also have low-reactivity for people with celiac disease. To meet their goals, the team designed two sgRNAs to target a conserved region adjacent to the coding sequence for the 33-mer in the -gliadin genes. They then sought to evaluate the results. The research team included Susana Sánchez-León, Javier Gil-Humanes, Carmen V. Ozuna, María J. Giménez, Carolina Sousa, Daniel F. Voytas, and Francisco Barro. They are variously affiliated with the Departamento de Mejora Genética Vegetal, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS-CSIC), Córdoba, Spain; the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, Center for Genome Engineering at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN, USA; and with the Facultad de Farmacia, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain. The gliadin gene family of wheat includes four highly reactive peptides, with the 33-mer peptide being the main culprit in celiac patients. In all, the team generated twenty-one mutant lines, all of which showed strong reduction gliadin proteins. Of the 45 different genes identified in wild type gliadin, the team mutated up to 35 different genes in one of the lines to achieve an 85% reduction in immunoreactivity. They then identified the transgene-free lines, and found no off-target mutations in any of the potential targets. So, what does this all mean in English? Well, basically the low-gluten, transgene-free wheat lines that the team describes here could be used to produce low-gluten foods, as well as serving as source material to introduce the low-gluten, low-reactivity traits into selected wheat varieties. Basically, the technology could be used to create low-gluten wheat varieties with low immunoreactivity. Now, most folks with celiac disease, especially those with higher gluten sensitivity, would likely need more than and 85% reduction in immunoreactivity to see any real benefit. However, this study provides an interesting glimpse at how science might help researchers to create wheat strains that are safe for people with celiac disease. Source: Plant Biotechnology Journal. DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12837

Celiac.com 06/01/2017 - With low prices and slim margins, life is tough for people who trade in wheat, corn and soybeans these days. So much so that some traders are turning to obscure commodities like desert-grown tomatoes and chickpeas to turn a profit. Over the last several years, as farmers have produced far more of these crops than the marker can handle, margins for handling major grain crops have sunk. That has led some trading firms to seek higher margins in niche markets, such as tomatoes and organic grains, while other firms are looking to organic grains, and markets for costlier processed food ingredients or gluten-free products. One such company is Germany's BayWa AG. According to Jean-Francois Lambert, the founder and managing partner of consultant Lambert Commodities, "The general trading environment for agricultural commodities is rather difficult," and the challenge looks to continue, at least through next year. This fall in prices is a far cry from the price surge seen for much of the previous decade, when growing populations and burgeoning economies drove rising demand. Now, really huge firms are unlikely to see much benefit from investing in these smaller markets, no matter the margins. That's because the markets are still too small to have any major impact on their bottom line, and any gains would represent only tiny fractions of their overall portfolios. However, small and mid-sized traders can potentially do much better with investments in lesser-known commodities like quinoa or organic crops. For these traders, higher margins and growing demand can yield returns that improve their bottom line. One small company, Grain Services Srl, a brokerage based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, currently receives about 30 percent of its total revenue from gluten-free, organic or niche products, including quinoa, rice, amaranth and lentils, even though these make up just 7% of the firms overall business, says managing director Andrea Cagnolati. With prices for gluten-free grains and flours expected to surge over the next ten years, look for more investors to make big bets on that market, or to use it as a hedge against major market doldrums. Source: ESMMagazine.com

Celiac.com 12/08/2016 - New gluten-free information continually appears on the scene through journals like this one and others. It helps direct many towards a more robust life. Millions of people however are left in the shadows, confused and frustrated because they have low health literacy; lacking the ability to access, understand, and process health information and services. As would be expected, their healthcare decisions can then be faulty, leading to potentially harmful consequences and the delayed diagnoses which we see so commonly with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Over 90 million adults in the U.S. struggle with low health literacy. Nearly 9 out of 10 adults lack the skills to manage their health and prevent disease according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. In rural areas, the rate is even higher due to an older, poorer, and less educated population who are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions. A substantial part of the population therefore remains under-served and is unaware that a change in their food choices can dramatically improve their health. And we can't help them by talking louder, or by explaining things in longer, lovelier sentences, or by repeating the same message over and over. We can start communicating with those with low health literacy by using simple-English (plain language), in short sentences. We can then advance their new understanding by finding another way to repeat the same thought; through video, by using well-conceived illustrations, audio, and/or simplified charts and graphs. The problem is substantial. I've decided to be part of the solution. I've therefore produced Gordon's Simple-English Gluten-free Glossary and placed it on Amazon as an e-publication. I've set up a blog, gordonsglossary.wordpress.com, so we can discuss words, phrases and definitions. As an e-publication, the glossary is accessible to most and affordable by all at 99 cents. This is a place to start. The gluten-free community has arrived late on the healthcare scene; but we can lead the rest of the world in this important area of healthcare communication. Check out the glossary. Refer to it. Participate in its expansion. Recommend it to others.