Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Understanding Coeliac Disease

When it comes to consuming foods, the human digestive system is an expert but it follows a complex process to break down the food so the nutrients will be absorbed and waste products are excreted. Any disruption along the way or in any part of its process may lead to deficiencies or disease. There are a lot of disorders and diseases throughout the digestive tract and one of it is Coeliac disease (spelled as Celiac in North America).

Coeliac disease, also known as gluten intolerance or gluten sensitive enteropathy, is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small intestine, thus interfering in the absorption of nutrients from food resulting in various deficiencies and health complications. It is genetically predisposed, meaning it runs in family. It affects each person differently: one might have diarrhea, abdominal pain and weight loss while others may have fatigue, bone/joint pain, tingling numbness in upper and lower extremities and unexplained anemia. Because of the broad range of symptoms, it can be very difficult to diagnose them and the longer that the person remained undiagnosed and untreated, the higher their chances of developing long term complications.

A lifelong gluten free diet is the only known effective treatment. It is imperative that strict dietary gluten elimination is to be followed to control coeliac. Food with any gluten that you ingest even in the smallest amount will cause the damage to reoccur or cause further damage. A gluten free diet means eliminating all products that contain wheat, rye and barley or any of their derivatives.

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