Have discoveries been made with researchers who study Celiac Disease?  According to Resurrection Health Care, it looks like some progress has been made.    Here is an excerpt from their post:

The research team found that gliadin, the part of gluten that causes the most trouble for those with celiac disease, binds to the CXCR3 receptor. This results in the release of zonulin, a human protein that lowers the intestinal barrier to make it more permeable. While this effect is temporary in most people, the barrier stays down for long periods of time in people with celiac disease, causing disruption in the body’s system.

The finding may help in research on the cause and treatment for other autoimmune diseases, Fasano said. People with type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis may experience a similar condition in which offending antigens enter the body through this gateway in the intestines.

“For the first time, we have evidence of how the foreign antigen gains access to the body, causing the autoimmune response,” said Fasano, who is also a pediatric gastroenterologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “Further study is needed, but this could allow us to intervene before the zonulin is either released or activated, preventing the immune response altogether.”

You’ll want to click over to read the entire post.

Today while scouring the internet for Celiac news, I noticed a quick article in the Jewish Press about restaurants in Israel.   It appears that many are going healthy, including many gluten free alternatives:

Jerusalem – The website of 2Eat, (www.2eat.co.il) a popular Israeli Hebrew restaurant, reports that 85 percent of Israel’s restaurants now offer healthy or dietetic options to diners that often include a salad bar.

Restaurateurs who were polled said that more than one-third of their lunchtime customers order a green salad or some other salad with their meal compared to 20 percent last year.

Noam Shaked, who manages the website, said that some 8 percent of the restaurants offer a separate healthy foods menu including calorie counts of items. Even fast food chains such as McDonaldsand the popular coffee chain Aroma are providing options for diabetics and celiac sufferers. Shaked said that out of the 100 restaurant owners polled, one third said there is an increasing demand from customers for healthier menu choices.

For those of you with Celiac Disease or some form of gluten intolerance, you are not alone.   Many have heard the figure 1 in 133 people are believed to have Celiac Disease, but could it possibly be even more?

As the diagnosis continue to grow, so does the attention focused on the disease by doctors, so I wouldn’t be surprised if even more people than previously thought have some form of gluten sensitivity.

Another benefit that comes with the disease getting more attention is the attention provided by cooks, restaurants, and even large corporations, who are looking to capitalize on this with gluten free products.  Here is one story of how far things have come in the last decade (from the Current Argus):

Once considered a rare condition, celiac disease or gluten intolerance is becoming one of the most common genetic conditions in the world, with a wide range of symptoms that can range from digestive problems to depression.

The disease cannot be cured, only controlled through careful diet.

For sufferers in Carlsbad, there is much help to be found through the local Celiac Disease Support Group.

The group offers good information on alternative food choices as well as recipes and general information on how to cope with the disease and diet. However, members agreed, the emotional support is probably the most important offering at the meetings.

Angie Madl was diagnosed eight years ago. For her, the support group has meant a great deal as far as the sharing of important information she might not have found on her own. What keeps her coming back is the camaraderie of knowing others who suffer from the same disease.

“I was diagnosed too late,” Madl said, noting she wasn’t given any information or told what to do.

Based upon the nature of Celiac Disease and its relationship with the immune system, it seems that some people with Celiac Disease are not adequately protected by the Hepatitis B vaccine.  Here is an excerpt from About.com’s post:

When you receive the hepatitis B vaccine series, your immune system is supposed to respond by producing antibodies to the hepatitis B virus. In addition, some of the immune cells that are involved in the body’s response to the vaccine become what’s known as “memory cells.” Many studies have shown, however, that in patients with celiac disease, the vaccine does not always produce adequate (or “protective”) levels of antibodies or memory cells.

Click over to check out the rest of the post.

Today I noticed that food allergies were featured in the Washington Post and figured I would share.  Though it isn’t specific to Celiac Disease, it certainly applies to us.    Here is an excerpt from their post:

The market for food-allergy and intolerance products is projected to reach $3.9 billion this year, according to Packaged Facts, a New York research firm. And the market for gluten-free foods and drinks is expected to hit $1.3 billion by 2010, up from $700 million in 2006, according to research firm Mintel.

An estimated 12 million people in the United States have food allergies, and another 2 million have celiac disease, a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks itself when exposed to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Those figures are expected to rise. The number of children with peanut allergies alone has doubled in the past decade. Food-induced anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction, causes about 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 to 200 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Medical experts don’t know why the number of people with food allergies is increasing. Theories include reduced contact with germs, exposure to certain environmental pollutants and, in the case of peanut allergies, the way peanuts are processed and when they are introduced into people’s diet. None of the theories is backed by much research.

“We don’t know if some of them are true or there’s some truth to all of them,” said Marshall Plaut, chief of the allergic mechanisms section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Until scientists learn more, the prescription for people with life-threatening food allergies or celiac is to avoid the foods that make them sick, a task that is getting easier.

Whereas a decade ago, the “free from” food market consisted of small manufacturers whose products were sold mainly in health-food stores, today it encompasses an ever-growing list of start-up companies, mainstream retailers such as Safeway and Giant Food, and some food industry giants such as General Mills.