Can you be gluten intolerant without coeliac disease?
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One thing I love about being a naturopath is when science catches up with what our profession has suspected for years.
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- Can you be gluten intolerant without coeliac disease?
One thing I love about being a naturopath is when science catches up with what our profession has suspected for years.
A recent study conducted at Monash University in Melbourne set out to discover if gluten can cause symptoms in individuals who do not have coeliac disease.
The study design was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled rechallenge trial whereby the selected patients' symptoms were controlled with a gluten-free diet, but they were excluded from having coeliac disease.
Patients received gluten or placebo in the form of two slices of bread and a muffin daily, along with a gluten-free diet for up to six weeks. Symptoms were recorded, along with regular tests for intestinal inflammation and injury, and immune activation.
A total of 34 patients completed the study. Reported symptoms were significantly worse within the first week in those patients consuming gluten. Symptoms included pain, bloating, satisfaction with stool consistency, and tiredness.
The study authors suggested that although non-coeliac gluten intolerance may exist, there was no real insight into the mechanism, as pathology testing did not draw any solid conclusions.
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