Here is the latest batch of interesting notes regarding Celiac and the Gluten Free Diet from around the internet:

• AJC.com takes a look at how to get rid of gluten while still being a glutton. This post covers how far Celiac awareness has come and talks a bit about Gluten Free Girl’s cookbook.
• US News and World Report talks about how advances in science have aided in the treatment and diagnosis of Celiac disease. It is interesting to see what things they are working on.
• Non-Celiacs going gluten free?  At first I thought they were talking about the fad that has swept the United States of non-Celiacs being on a gluten free diet to lose weight.   After reading, though, it looks like this article is about family members of Celiac sufferers going gluten free.

Today I was reading about a new medicine that is currently in the early testing phase that may perhaps be a treatment for Celiac Disease. According to Yahoo Health:

In one study, researchers found that an investigational medicine called AT-1001 may protect celiac disease patients from exposure to gluten. The drug does this by preventing gluten from crossing the intestinal mucosa.

While most people with celiac disease do well on a gluten-free diet, inadvertent exposure to gluten is the leading cause of persistent symptoms in adults with celiac disease.

The study of 86 patients found that those who were given gluten and AT-1001 had fewer symptoms of gluten toxicity than those who were given gluten and a placebo. The researchers are now conducting a larger, longer trial.

“Even allowing for the fact that people in clinical trials may practice healthier habits, the fact that all of the groups showed improvement in the first week of the study is significant and helps us to plan better celiac studies,” study author Dr. Daniel Leffler, clinical research director at the Celiac Disease Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in a prepared statement.

“This work offers great promise for patients who, in the near future, may have a treatment that improves upon dietary restrictions alone,” Leffler added.

A second study concluded that the criteria for diagnosing celiac disease may be too stringent, meaning some patients go undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated. Current diagnostic criteria for celiac disease include small intestinal muscosal membrane villus atrophy and inflammation.

This study included 145 people suspected of having celiac disease. Of those, 71 were found to be endomysial antibody positive. Of those 71, 48 met the current criteria for celiac disease diagnosis. The other 23 patients were randomly divided into two groups — one group ate a regular diet, while the other ate a gluten-free diet. They were re-assessed after one year.

Celiac Disease continues to get featured in more high profile places.   The most recent is Kentucky.com, who has posted that Celiac Disease is a growing problem.

I’m not sure I would classify it as a growing problem, but I think there is a problem with people having the disease and not knowing it.  Here is an excerpt from their post:

According to everything I’ve read, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in the small intestine that is aggravated by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.

But after talking to Jan Falwell, who suffered unknowingly with celiac disease most of her life, I soon learned there is far more to it.

Falwell thinks she’s had the disease for more than 40 years, probably triggered by mononucleosis when she was 18.

”About 50 to 60 ­percent of the population has the gene“ that causes the ­ailment, she said, ”but there usually has to be a trigger like an operation or stress or pregnancy.“

Falwell, 60, was fortunate to be diagnosed three years ago by an Irish physician practicing locally who ­recognized the symptoms because he was familiar with the disease.

The disease is ­diagnosed more frequently in Europe. Children in Italy must ­undergo a test for the ­disease before entering school, she said.

But in the United States, she said, doctors aren’t taught how to recognize the symptoms. Plus, the ­symptoms are many, varying from one patient to another.

Where there is weight loss and diarrhea for one patient, another will have weight gain and constipation. Other symptoms are gas and bloating, fatigue, dryness throughout the body, weakness, headaches, vomiting and a failure to grow in children, to name a few.

Celiac disease is often misdiagnosed as food ­intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome. Doctors can order blood tests to check for certain antibodies that signal the disease, but Falwell said the disease usually is advanced by the time it can be detected in the blood. A positive blood test could then lead to an endoscopy and biopsy for confirmation.

Long-term health ­problems such as iron ­deficiency anemia, ­osteoporosis, ­vitamin ­deficiencies, intestinal ­cancers, and diabetes can result if left untreated.

”It wipes out the villi in the small intestines,“ Falwell said. ”Mine looks like flat linoleum instead of a shag rug.“

It is through the villi that the body absorbs nutrients. Once nutrients are no longer absorbed, myriad ­physical problems can occur.

Pharmaceutical ­companies are starting to show interest in the disease, and a new pill that helps prevent the leakage of gluten into the small intestines is being tested.

Click over to get the read the rest of the article.

According to a recent article over at the Orlando Sentinel, it looks like the FDA is in the process of establishing a definition for gluten free.  The hope is that with a clear definition of what gluten free is, we will start to see more accurate labels on grocery store foods.

Here is an excerpt from their post:

FDA coming to terms with “gluten-free.” The agency is working to establish a definition for “gluten-free” so that the words can be used accurately on food labels. The FDA proposal could give labeling approval to food that does not contain 20 parts per million or more gluten.

Although the allowable amounts are small, the consequences are huge for those 1 out of 100 Americans who suffer from celiac disease, the best-known form of gluten intolerance. The disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the small intestine triggered by ingesting certain storage proteins, commonly referred to as “gluten,” that naturally occur in some cereal grains.

The FDA could make a decision in August, but it is more likely the ruling with the definition will come out in September or October.

Today I ran across an interesting post over at Brand Week that I thought I would share with you.  It is about General Mills and their gluten free Rice Chex.  While this is exciting news, this is just one of many major changes with large companies who are starting to be more conscious of the needs of people with Celiac.

The interesting thing about the article is some statistics they site, and the fact that many people are going to a gluten free diet even without a gluten sensitivity.  Here is an excerpt:

The cereal company’s announcement late last month comes on the heels of data from Mintel Consumer Intelligence, Chicago, that shows gluten-free new-product launches have grown significantly over the past several years.

New products bearing the gluten-free banner have more than tripled since 2004, reaching 700 in 2007, per Mintel. Through April, 341 more gluten-free products have launched. Sales of gluten-free products will hit $1.7 billion by 2010, per Spins.

I think this is great, but in the future it will only get better!