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Celiac.com 12/10/2000 - As reported in Ann Whelans September/October issue of Gluten-Free Living, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) has released the 6th edition of its Manual of Clinical Dietetics, which offers revised guidelines for the treatment of celiac disease. This manual is currently used by hospitals and doctors all over North America, and represents the most up-to-date source of information with regard to the dietary treatment of various illnesses. The new standards set in this publication conform more closely with current international standards. Included on their safe list are items that have been on Celiac.coms safe list for over five years, including: amaranth, buckwheat, distilled vinegar (no matter what its source), distilled alcoholic beverages (including rum, gin, whiskey and vodka), millet, quinoa and teff. A team of American and Canadian dietitians wrote the new gluten-free guidelines, including: Shelley Case, RD, Mavis Molloy, RD, Marion Zarkadas, M.Sc.RD (all from Canada and all members of the Professional Advisory Board of the Canadian Celiac Association), and Cynthia Kupper, CRD, CDE (Executive Director of the Gluten Intolerance Group and celiac). Additional findings of this team regarding buckwheat and quinoa contradict what has been accepted as common knowledge for years by some US support groups, mainly that these two grains are more likely to be contaminated by wheat than other grains. In fact, according to the team, buckwheat and quinoa are far less likely to be contaminated than most other grains. At the most basic level the new guidelines mean that celiacs do not need to avoid foods containing unidentified vinegar or distilled alcohol, this alone will allow much more freedom when shopping or eating out. Further, celiacs who drink alcohol will have much more freedom and a far greater choice when they want to have a drink. Additionally, celiacs will be able to more easily maintain a well-rounded and nutritious diet because they will have access to a far greater number of highly nutritious and safe grains. The ADAs 6th edition of the Manual of Clinical Dietetics represents the first time that Canadian and United States dietary guidelines have come together to create a united North American gluten-free standard, and will hopefully lead to the adoption of a single standard by all US support groups so that hundreds of thousands of celiacs will not have to unnecessarily exclude more foods than necessary. These new guidelines go a long way towards an international standard, which should be the ultimate goal for all celiacs and celiac organizations in the world.

Celiac.com 3/14/2003 - After conducting an extensive review of the medical literature concerning the safety of oats for people with celiac disease, the American Dietetic Association recently concluded that even though oats are not yet endorsed as safe for people with celiac disease by doctors and support groups in the USA, they should, however, be safe for celiacs who choose to consume them if they limit their consumption to amounts found to be safe in several studies (approximately one-half cup of dry whole-grain rolled oats per day). Ideally, they also should be advised to consume only those products tested and found to be free of contamination. If this is not possible, patients should be counseled on steps they can take to help reduce their chances of consuming contaminated oat products (e.g., avoiding oats sold in bulk from bins, determining from manufacturers whether a dedicated line or facility is used for processing). In addition, patients should be advised to discuss any dietary changes with their physicians. The American Dietetic Associations conditional acceptance of oats as safe for people with celiac disease is another big step forward for celiacs in the USA. For more information see: Oats and the gluten-free diet Journal of the American Dietetic Association March 2003 - Volume 103 - Number 3

Celiac.com 10/21/2015 - Celiac disease has been traditionally recognized among Caucasians, with an estimated prevalence of about 1%. Latin America features a the population with European ancestry, along with native communities sharing a diverse degree of mix with European colonizers. The population of native Toba people comprises more than 60,000 individuals living with a clusters of villages in a forest called 'The Impenetrable' in Northeastern Argentina. In recent years, as a consequence of governmental food aid programs aimed at improving nutritional conditions in the community, the Toba people have undergone a drastic change in dietary habits, with wheat replacing their ancestral food sources. In general celiac disease can only occur in individuals with certain class II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules – namely, HLA DQ2 and/or DQ8, but little information exists about the prevalence of HLA DQ2 and DQ8, and of celiac disease in native South Americans. The research team included Horacio Vázquez MD, María de la Paz Temprano RD, Emilia Sugai MS, Stella M Scacchi MS, Cecilia Souza MD,Daniel Cisterna MS, Edgardo Smecuol MD, María Laura Moreno MD, Gabriela Longarini MD, Roberto Mazure MD, María A Bartellini MS, Elena F Verdú MD2, Andrea González RD, Eduardo Mauriño MD, and Julio C Bai MD. They are variously affiliated with the Small Bowel Section, Department of Medicine, Hospital de Gastroenterología C Bonorino Udaondo. Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. For their study, the research team set out to prospectively assess environmental, genetic and serological conditions associated with celiac disease among members of the Toba native population attending a multidisciplinary sanitary mission. Using an established questionnaire, an expert nutritionist determined daily gluten intake. The team then conducted gene typing for the human leuko-cyte antigen (HLA) class II alleles using DNA extracted from peripheral blood (HLA DQ2/DQ8 haplotype). The team then measured serum antibodies were immunoglobulin (Ig) A tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and the composite deamidated gliadin peptides/tTG Screen test. They tested positive cases for IgA endomysial antibodies. The team screened a total of 144 subjects, 55% of those female. Estimated average gluten consumption was 43 grams per day, ranging from 3 grams per day up to 185 grams per day. Genetic typing showed that 73 of 144 subjects had alleles associated with celiac disease; 69 of these subjects had alleles for HLA DQ8, while four had DQ2. Four and six subjects had antibody concentrations above the cut-off established by the authors' laboratory (>3 times the upper limit of normal) for IgA tTG and deamidated gliadin peptides/tTG screen, respectively. Four of these had concomitant positivity for both assays and endomysial anti-bodies were positive in three subjects who also presented a predispos-ing haplotype. The present study was the first to detect celiac disease in Native Americans. The native Toba ethnic population has very high daily gluten consumption, and a predisposing genetic background. This study found subjects with persistent celiac disease autoimmunity and, at least, three of them met serological criteria for celiac disease diagnosis. This study invites some questions about gluten and celiac disease in the tribe. For example, does the amount of gluten in the diet of people with genetic predisposition have an impact on the likelihood of celiac disease? Given that many of these people likely had DQ2/DQ8 positivity for many generations, did the introduction of wheat into their diets trigger their celiac disease? Much remains to be understood about celiac disease, and studies like this can be important and insightful. Source: Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol Vol 29 No X Month 2015 1

Celiac.com 11/08/2013 - For spectators and competitors alike, the American Pizza Championship is an exciting event displaying some of America’s premier pizzaioli, or pizza makers. In the interest of full disclosure, I served as one of the five judges for this event. Among the pizzaioli to compete in the American Pizza Championship at the International Baking Industry Expo in Las Vegas, was Heather Zook, of Ohio. Baking in her first-ever pizza competition, Zook surprised herself by emerging victorious, as the first-place winner in the gluten-free pizza category. Zook took first place with her three meat pizza with a crust made from a white rice-millet flour blend. Her victory earned Zook a slot on the U.S. Pizza Team, and an all-expense-paid trip to Parma, Italy to compete in the World Pizza Championships as a member of that team in the spring of 2014. Second place in the gluten-free pizza category went to Mike Anheiser of Pizza Dock in Fredericktown, Ohio. Jason Samosky of Samosky's Homestyle Pizzaria in Valley City, Ohio took home the third place honors in the gluten-free pizza category. Anyone noticing a theme here? For great gluten-free pizza, Ohio looks like a good place to be. First Place Winner -- Gluten-free Pizza Heather Zook Sinfully Gluten-Free 9146 Dayton-Lebanon Pike Centerville, OH http://www.sinfullygf.com/ Second Place Winner -- Gluten-free Pizza Mike Anheiser Pizza Dock Fredericktown, Ohio Third Place Winner -- Gluten-free Pizza Jason Samosky Samosky's Homestyle Pizzeria Valley City Ohio For a complete account of competition results, video of the competition can be found online in the October 2013 issue of PMQ Pizza Magazine.

Those patients for whom there is a high suspicion for celiac disease should have a small bowel biopsy which can be obtained by an experienced endoscopist in the distal duodendum. The best noninvasive tests available for screening for asymptomatic celiac disease are the specific serological tests. These are of several varieties: the anti-gliadin, anti-endomysial, or anti-reticulin antibodies. Our experience and the literature support the use as of endomysial antibody test as the single most specific and probably most sensitive for celiac disease. This test has now become available in specialty laboratories as well as in a small number of academic institutions. All of the tests should be done with the subjects on a normal gluten containing diet. A combination of endomysial and gliadin testing would seem to be the most sensitive as a screening method. A positive test is not, however, considered to be diagnostic and would usually require a small bowel biopsy for confirmation. A trial of dietary exclusion of gluten is *not* recommended as a diagnostic test without a prior abnormal biopsy. Because the body will recover when one goes gluten-free, the tests will then come up negative. Without a definitive test one may then stray from the diet, as one will feel well and was never sure that they had it in the first place. As for the two tests: The biopsy will look for flattened villi on the intestinal wall. After one goes gluten-free they will grow back. The blood antibodies are formed as a bodys reaction to the presence of the gluten. If no gluten, then no antibodies are present.

Celiac.com 12/28/2006 - The American Diabetes Associations (ADA) Clinical Practice Recommendations have been updated to include new information about treatment and prevention that reflects the latest research. Changes have been made in numerous areas, including the management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes; nutrition recommendations; and screening and treatment for children who have both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. In 2006, the ADA published Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) guidelines for people with diabetes, specific to individual populations, such as those who are obese or pregnant. The Clinical Practice Recommendations have been updated to reflect these guidelines and to encourage people with diabetes or pre- diabetes to seek individualized MNT to help them achieve their treatment goals. Information about how to treat children who are diagnosed with both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease was also added to the Clinical Practice Recommendations this year. Up to 16 percent of children with type 1 diabetes are also diagnosed with celiac disease, an immune disorder that affects the digestive system, damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. The recommendations call for more aggressive screening for celiac disease in children with type 1 diabetes who present symptoms such as weight loss, growth failure, abdominal pain and chronic fatigue. A gluten-free diet is recommended for those who test positive for celiac. Diabetes Care, published by the American Diabetes Association, is the leading peer-reviewed journal of clinical research into the nations fifth leading cause of death by disease. Diabetes also is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, as well as the leading cause of adult blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic amputations. For more information about diabetes call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383).