What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.
The small intestine is shaded above.
When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi—the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats.
Villi on the lining of the small intestine help absorb nutrients.
Celiac disease is both a disease of malabsorption—meaning nutrients are not absorbed properly—and an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Celiac disease is genetic, meaning it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered—or becomes active for the first time—after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
Thanks National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) for the information
Why avoid gluten?
A gluten free diet is designed for people who are sensitive to the protein component in wheat, rye, oats, and barley. Products containing these cereal grains must be avoided or those with gluten-sensitivity suffer consequences like abdominal bloating, diarrhea, nausea, and a variety of other symptoms.
People who suffer from a serious medical condition called celiac disease must avoid gluten. The cause of Celiac Disease (CD) is still a mystery. Keep in mind that celiac disease is not a food allergy - it is an autoimmune disease. Food allergies, including wheat allergy, are conditions that people can sometimes grow out of. This is not the case with CD.
The only treatment is the lifelong adherence to a gluten free diet. When gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine start to heal and overall health improves. Medication is not normally required. Consult your physician regarding specific nutritional supplementation to correct any deficiencies.
Adapting to the gluten free diet requires some lifestyle changes. It is essential to read labels which are often imprecise, and to learn how to identify ingredients that may contain hidden gluten. Even small amounts of ingested gluten can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Potential harmful ingredients include: unidentified starch, binders, fillers, excipients, extenders, and malt. Visit celiac.com for more information.
