Amount of Gluten Consumed Could Trigger Celiac Disease

23 Sep 2016 --- Celiac disease could be triggered by the amount of gluten consumed, according to Swedish researchers at Lund University. The new findings challenge previous theories focused on factors such as breast-feeding, dietary habits, the timing of gluten introduction and geographical origin.

Currently, the only known and effective treatment for celiac disease, autoimmune gluten intolerance, is for patients to follow a gluten-free diet for the rest of their lives.

“Our findings indicate that the amount of gluten triggers the disease,” explained Carin Andrén Aronsson, a dietician and doctoral student at Lund University, “On the other hand, the timing of the introduction of gluten, does not seem to be of great significance.”

The research in the doctoral thesis was based on small children born with an increased genetic risk of developing celiac disease, and was made up of a cohort of up to 8 700 children in four countries: Sweden, Finland, Germany and the USA.

Interestingly, the study found varying rates of the condition between the four countries, with the development of celiac disease highest in Sweden compared to the other countries in the study.

Of the Swedish children, those who reported a high daily intake of gluten up to the age of two years, had twice the risk of developing coeliac disease compared to children who consumed a smaller amount.

Aronsson is keen to discover why such variances occur between countries, adding, “More in-depth studies could perhaps contribute to explaining why Swedish children develop celiac disease earlier than children in other countries.”

The research team now plans to conduct a larger study.

“We will investigate the significance of the amount of gluten in a large new study,” Aronsson explained, adding “We will expand the study with children from the other countries and increase the follow-up period in comparison with our previous studies, from two to five years. We will also investigate whether the addition of probiotics (beneficial bacteria) to the diet has any effect on the risk of developing celiac disease.”

Aronsson hopes future studies will have a positive impact on the lives of people suffering with the disease, finalizing, “With more knowledge about the significance of diet, I hope it will become possible to personalize the diet instead of having general dietary guidelines as we have today.”