Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). Persons with Celiac disease cannot absorb gluten, one of the primary proteins found in wheat and other grains. They also mount an immune response against this protein.
Celiac disease is believed to affect more than 1 million people in the US.
The primary symptoms of Celiac disease are abdominal pain, diarrhea (often with blood), and slow development (physical). But if persons with Celiac disease avoid those grains with gluten, they are virtually symptom free.
Avoiding symtpoms sounds like it would be easy, but with today's manufacturing and processing of foods it is not. Makers of processed foods often use partial ingredients, can hide ingredients using synonyms, and in some cases my improperly label a food wheat or gluten free when it is not.
So earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), proposed new labeling standards concerning gluten free food. The new rules would require manufacturers of food to indicate any possilbe containment of gluten in the product and also any possibility of contamination due to shared equipment, etc.
The new rules would specifically affect foods that contain wheat, rye, or barley. The rules would also require labels that state foods are gluten free to indicate that all such foods are gluten free if it occurs naturally, such as in the case of rice cereals. (There is no gluten in rice)
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on March 29, 2007 01:05 PM
