The Gluten-Free Challenge
Coeliac UK’s Awareness Week (16th - 22nd May 2011) is focusing on the 'Gluten-free Challenge'. Join in and find out just what going gluten-free means and how you can become involved.
The Source caught up with Amy Peterson, Coeliac UK's deputy head of Diet and Health, in the run up to Awareness Week and and asked her to outline what this year's campaign involves and what being diagnosed as Coeliac means.
The Gluten-free Challenge
This year Awareness Week (16th - 22nd May 2011) focuses on the 'Gluten-free Challenge' - Coeliac UK’s campaign to get people thinking about the gluten-free diet and help them understand what it is like to live with coeliac disease.
The Charity want to make clear to the catering industry that gluten-free food is in high demand so that they can provide improved choice for those on the gluten-free diet.
Coeliac UK wants as many people as possible to get involved with the Gluten-free Challenge.
You can do this by:
- asking friends or family to follow a completely gluten-free diet for a week.
- getting your school to do a gluten-free birthday party.
- talking to your favourite local restaurant and asking them to take up the Gluten-free Challenge with gluten-free options on menus.
The Coeliac UK website has lots of information including toolkits and events.
What is coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is one of the most common chronic diseases - affecting one in 100 people of the UK population - and is often misdiagnosed.
It is an autoimmune disease, not an allergy nor food intolerance. Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues. In coeliac disease the cause for the attack is gluten - the protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Some people are also sensitive to oats.
The only treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet.
Undiagnosed coeliac disease damages the lining of the small intestine. It can also affect other parts of the body.
The symptoms vary in severity but typical symptoms include diarrhoea, bloating, indigestion and abdominal pain.
Other symptoms may include:
- any combination of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency
- tiredness and/or headaches
- weight loss (but not in all cases)
- mouth ulcers
- hair loss (alopecia)
- skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis (DH))
- tooth enamel problems
- osteoporosis
- depression
- infertility
If you suspect that you or your child has coeliac disease, there are two steps to diagnosis:
- Symptoms should be discussed with the GP and if coeliac disease is suspected they will carry out a blood test. Specific blood tests detect antibodies resulting from eating gluten.
- Depending on the outcome of the test, a person is referred to a gastroenterologist who will carry out a small intestine endoscopy with biopsy to show the typical damage to the gut lining.
It is essential that people continue to eat gluten throughout the diagnosis process, otherwise it is not possible to make an accurate diagnosis.
Visit Coeliac UK for information on other symptoms and how to get diagnosed.
Coeliac UK is the national charity for people with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Contacting Coeliac UK:
0845 305 2060 - Helpline (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10-4 and Wed 11-4).
www.coeliac.org.uk