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Gluten

The Coeliac Society and the Irish College of General Practitioners have published a set of guidelines entitled the “Diagnosis and Management of Adult Coeliac Disease” for use within the context of the Irish healthcare system. It puts in place a framework for the early identification and treatment of patients with coeliac disease in primary healthcare.

For the first time, this guide outlines 50 different indicators that are identified as the Clinical presentation of coeliac disease for GPs and health practitioners. Included amongst them are conditions such as osteoporosis, anaemia, mouth ulcers, heartburn, diarrhoea, constipation and infertility.

It is estimated that there are 400,000 people in Ireland who suffer from gluten intolerance. An estimated 50,000 of these will suffer from lifelong autoimmune Coeliac Disease for which there is no cure and which poses significant health risks if left unchecked.

Gill Brennan, CEO, Coeliac Society Ireland said: “This document is one of the most significant pieces of work addressing the issues of coeliac disease in many years, given that the importance of an early diagnosis cannot be underestimated.

We know that over 70% of current sufferers are undiagnosed. There is no cure and if left untreated, as is currently the case for many sufferers, it can result in a range of significant health risks including cancer and infertility.”

According to the Coeliac Society another important aspect contained in the new guidelines is the inclusion of a clear long-term care plan. Currently the only treatment is a strict lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. Studies have shown that dietary compliance is often poor if not followed up by those caring for the patient.

Richelle Flanagan, contributing author and board member of the Coeliac Society of Ireland said: “When adopted these guidelines will prevent needless delays in diagnosis while also providing medical practitioners with a clear treatment path to follow.

The guidelines acknowledge that the only treatment for the disease is a strict lifelong adherence to a gluten free diet and that dietary compliance without continuing support is often poor. As a result, sufferers may present later with long-term health issues placing a further – and wholly preventable – burden on our health system.”

The Diagnosis and Management of Adult Coeliac Disease guidelines as presented by the Quality and Safety in Practice Committee are available to view on www.icgp.ie or www.coeliac.ie

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Move over gluten, there's a new fad diet in town. 

Lectins are being labelled as the new food to avoid by health conscious millenials, but dietitians aren't buying it. 

For about a year now, Google searches for lectins have been on the increase and articles claiming that they cause weight gain and gut inflammation have spread online.

Lectins are a type of protein that enable molecules to stick together and are abundant in most modern diets.

Foods like grains, particularly whole wheat, beans and legumes, nuts, tomatoes, potatoes, pepper, dairy products and eggs all contain lectins – meaning a huge proportion of everyday staples are off limits.

But in all honesty, this doesn't sound like a balanced diet, does it?

Speaking to The Independent, Megan Rossi, a spokesperson for the British Dietic Association, explained that while it's true that a high intake of lectins can be harmful, “there is more to the story than we’ve been told.”

She says that as long as food is properly prepared, lectins should not be an issue for most people.

“If a person is eating cooked legumes and whole grains, these low levels of lectins are tolerated.”

In some instances, a GP or dietitian may advise a patient suffering from digestive problems to cut out lectins, however, the restriction of any food group can greatly increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies.

“The health benefits associated with foods containing lectins, which are packed full of gut-loving fibre and antioxidants, far outweighs the negative effects of trace amounts of lectins for most people.”

“Given this, the exclusion of all lectins in the diet is not only near impossible but not necessarily beneficial."

She concludes by recommending the Mediterranean diet which is generally considered the 'gold standard' by dieticians.

High fresh vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and extra virgin olive oil, al of which contain, you guessed it – lectins.

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We'll admit, we've never heard of this one before, but apparently some cosmetics have gluten in them – AND it could be what's causing your skin to break out.

It's certainly a lesser-known fact that gluten is an ingredient in many beauty products, and it can cause problems just like when we ingest it.

Many in Ireland suffer from gluten intolerance, and also 15- 20% of us will suffer from a condition called Dermatitis Herpetiformis which makes the skin red and inflamed when gluten is ingested.

Dr Peter Green spoke to InStyle and said: "We tell Celiac Disease patients and those with Dermatitis Herpetiformis to avoid gluten lipstick because they can ingest it."

However, he also admitted that, "it remains controversial and more studies need to be done to fully understand its role."

So, it turns out gluten might play a bigger role with our skin than we once thought.

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Let's face it: a lot of folk would love to look even just a little bit more like Rosanna Davison.

Indeed, her forthcoming book, Eat Yourself Beautiful, has been on plenty of people's wish-lists for weeks.

Promising a load of recipes to "help you look and feel amazing," here in SHEmazing! we've been pretty excited to discover what goes into creating a Miss World worthy glow (not to mention a killer bikini bod).

But last night on Twitter, the model and nutritionist caused all-hell-break-loose OUTRAGE – prompting so many thousands of tweets that her name was soon trending nationally.

The issue? Quotes credited to the Playboy cover-girl in the Irish Independent's Weekend magazine reveal that her husband-of-a-year, Wesley, had recently been suffering from significant discomfort and pain in his joints and back.

And when the aches didn't go away, Rosanna suspected his ongoing symptoms could be because of rheumatoid arthritis.

Drawing on her nutritional qualifications and experience, she subsequently told Wesley to "stop with the pizzas and beer," encouraging him to embrace a totally gluten-free diet.

And "within a couple of weeks," she explained, he was pain-free and moving more freely. "So now he is really receptive to anything that I say to him."

In the same interview, the 31-year-old Dubliner went on to say: "A huge proportion of preventable diseases are attributable to a deficiency in certain nutrients… Wheat, dairy and refined sugar are trigger foods for a lot of people."

And further comments attributed to Rosanna (although, significantly, she is not quoted) in the same piece cites research that links gluten to autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.

Understandably, it was these remarks in particular that proved hugely divisive within the Twittersphere – with even the likes of Embarrassing Bodies' celebrity medic Dr Christian weighing-in.

Ms Davison has since clarified her comments with statements on her hugely popular website, rosannadavisonnutrition.com (in fact, so many people were attempting to log on last night, that the site temporarily crashed).

"I completely agree with Arthritis Ireland, in that those who have been diagnosed with RA must manage their disease with the advice of their GP and consultant, and not through diet alone," she states.

She also asserts: "I was by no means stating that gluten causes arthritis or any other diseases, or that they can be cured by removing it from the diet."

And this afternoon, the model issued fresh comments on the matter.

Welcoming questions and queries from those unsure of her sentiments in the Irish Indo interview, she took to Twitter to tell her 63.5K followers: “I think I'd better clarify a few things: I do not believe gluten is responsible for autism, schizophrenia or arthritis.

"Or that those suffering from those conditions can be cured by going gluten-free.

“My point was, and remains, that diet may play an important role in alleviating symptoms of serious conditions. This is well documented."

She furthermore links to a more detailed statement on her website.

Ms Davison also replied to Dr Christian, telling him: "The sentence that appears to be at the root of all of this, is not a quote, does not appear in the book and does NOT reflect my views."

Today, the commotion seems to have died down somewhat (phew!), although Twitter has a new distraction: namely the now-trending hashtag, #BlameGluten, which was kicked-off this morning by radio station, Spin 1038

And we have to say, we've been getting major lolz from the resulting tweets.

In the meantime, it's full steam ahead for Rosanna Davison's Eat Yourself Beautiful launch, which takes place this week. She's doing a signing too in Dubray Books on Grafton this Saturday at 3pm too. 

What do you think of Rosanna's comments? And will you be attempting to Eat Yourself Beautiful

 

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What a great way to end the week for anyone who is a Celiac Disease sufferer, or any people who are averse to gluten in all of its glory.

Scientists are developing a simple little remedy that will allow the unlucky bunch to eat gluten. Yay! Plates of spaghetti for everyone.

At team of scientists and researchers at the University of Alberta have apparently come up with a solution to the devastating foodie issue.

According to Quartz they have discovered a supplement from chicken egg yolks that stops the absorption of gliadin. For anyone who does not have a food science background that is apparently the part of gluten that Celiac sufferers can’t digest.

“This supplement binds with gluten in the stomach and help to neutralize it, therefore providing defence [sic] to the small intestine, limiting the damage gliadin causes,” said Hoon Sunwoo, who worked on the project.

The team are due to start trials soon and they are hoping to have the supplement available to the public in the next few years.

It is going to make things a little awkward for those people who viewed Celiac disease as more of trend than anything else.

You know the ones, they can’t even smell gluten without launching into an anti-gluten protest and yet, they are right beside you on Sunday when you’re feeling a touch fragile and ordering a large carbonara at two o’clock in the afternoon.

However, the important thing to remember here is that anyone who is both Celiac and an avid pizza lover will now soon be able to indulge in the joyful combination of eating pizza and not dying. This calls for a pizza-pasta party, yes? 

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With all the talk about gluten-free diets, what is it really? Here’s everything you’ve wanted to know!

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While many people can’t eat gluten due to medical reasons, others willingly choose not to eat it out of choice or “because someone in their yoga class told them not to.”

Jimmy sent a crew out to a popular fitness spot to figure out if these people even know what gluten is…

 

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