Coeliac disease: what is it?

Coeliac disease: what is it?

Coeliac disease: what is it?

Coeliac disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the small intestines, this inflammation is caused by gluten.

It is an autoimmune disease which means that it results in an inflammation due to the inappropriate activation of the immune system.

Currently it affects approximately 1% of the western population.

The causes are a combination of genetic and environmental factors that creates the sensitivity and reaction to the gluten.1.3

What is gluten?

Gluten is the main storage protein of wheat grains; it is a mix of hundreds of distinct proteins.

In a wheat kernel for example, 8-15% of it are proteins and 85-90% of these proteins are what we call gluten.

We can look at it as a matrix of different proteins that has binding and extending properties.

These complex properties are what makes it interesting for the food industry as it improves the flavour, texture, and moisture retention of the product. 2.

What happens if you eat Gluten?

In a scenario when people haven’t been diagnosticated with CD, these symptoms had a main occurrence: They are listed here by percentage of occurrence.

Bloating, abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, and anemia, in addition to that diarrhea and more. 4

What can you eat?

The best diet that has been proven to be efficient and safe is the gluten free one. 1.3.

Unfortunately, among our products, meringues are the only ones that doesn’t have any gluten in them. They are excellent, sweet, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and like all our products they are handmade.

Our products contain approximately 12% of gluten. It is not advisable to consume them if you have a coeliac disease.

This blog is only informative and is not in any case a medical advice. For more details, please consult your health care professional.

 

 

References
  1. 1. Aboulaghras S, Piancatelli D, Oumhani K, Balahbib A, Bouyahya A, Taghzouti K. Pathophysiology and immunogenetics of celiac disease. Clin Chim Acta. 2022 Mar 1;528:74-83. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2022.01.022. Epub 2022 Feb 1. PMID: 35120899.
  2. Biesiekierski JR. What is gluten? J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Mar;32 Suppl 1:78-81. doi: 10.1111/jgh.13703. PMID: 28244676.
  3. Lee KH, Ahn BS, Cha D, Jang WW, Choi E, Park S, Park JH, Oh J, Jung DE, Park H, Park JH, Suh Y, Jin D, Lee S, Jang YH, Yoon T, Park MK, Seong Y, Pyo J, Yang S, Kwon Y, Jung H, Lim CK, Hong JB, Park Y, Choi E, Shin JI, Kronbichler A. Understanding the immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases by animal studies using gene modulation: A comprehensive review. Autoimmun Rev. 2020 Mar;19(3):102469. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2020.102469. Epub 2020 Jan 7. PMID: 31918027.
  4. 4. Majsiak E, Choina M, Golicki D, Gray AM, Cukrowska B. The impact of symptoms on quality of life before and after diagnosis of coeliac disease: the results from a Polish population survey and comparison with the results from the United Kingdom. BMC Gastroenterol. 2021 Mar 4;21(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12876-021-01673-0. PMID: 33663388; PMCID: PMC7934494.
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