CDF featured in USA Today/Media Planet supplement on Celiac Disease

The rate at which celiac disease is diagnosed often depends on the level of the physician’s awareness and knowledge of the disease. Research indicates that a celiac patient can see a succession of physicians and specialists over an average period of 9 years before the true source of their illness is accurately diagnosed and treated...

CDF featured in USA Today/Media Planet supplement on Digestive Wellness

Celiac disease is one of the most commonly under diagnosed conditions in the United States. Individuals may present to their physicians a variety of symptoms, not only from the gastrointestinal tract, but also in the skin, joints, reproductive and endocrine systems. People often go to several physicians before receiving the correct diagnosis...

University of Maryland School of Medicine Scientists Pinpoint Critical Molecule to Celiac, Possibly Other Autoimmune Disorders - September 07, 2009

It was nine years ago that University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers discovered that a mysterious human protein called zonulin played a critical role in celiac disease and other autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes. Now, scientists have solved the mystery of zonulin’s identity, putting a face to the name, in a sense. Scientists led by Alessio Fasano, M.D., have identified zonulin as a molecule in the human body called haptoglobin 2 precursor...

The Expense of Eating with Celiac Disease

YOU would think that after Kelly Oram broke more than 10 bones and experienced chronic stomach problems for most of his life, someone (a nurse? a doctor?) might have wondered if something fundamental was wrong with his health. But it wasn’t until Mr. Oram was in his early 40s that a doctor who was treating him for a neck injury became suspicious and ordered tests, including a bone scan...

Celiac Disease Insights: Clues to Solving Autoimmunity by Alessio Fasano, MD - Scientific American, August 2009

My vote for the most important scientific revolution of all time would trace back 10,000 years ago to the Middle East, when people first noticed that new plants arise from seeds falling to the ground from other plants—a realization that led to the birth of agriculture. Before that observation, the human race had based its diet on fruits, nuts, tubers and occasional meats. People had to move to where their food happened to be, putting them at the mercy of events and making long-term settlements impossible...

Increased Prevalence and Mortality in Undiagnosed Celiac Disease - Alberto Rubio-Tapia, MD, Joseph Murray, MD, et al - Gastroenterology, July 2009

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The historical prevalence and long-term outcome of undiagnosed celiac disease (CD) are unknown. We investigated the long-term outcome of undiagnosed CD and whether the prevalence of undiagnosed CD has changed during the past 50 years...

Celiac Disease by Carlo Catassi & Alessio Fasano - Medscape, December 5, 2008

Recent advances in the clinical, epidemiological, genetic, and therapeutic aspects of celiac disease have made this condition a superb model of autoimmunity. This review will outline the most significant work that contributed to our current knowledge of the disease...

Nov 24, 2008 - Gluten disorder takes families by surprise: Celiac disease is treatable but is underdiagnosed - Toledo OH

Courtney Taylor worried when her younger daughter, Addisyn, was sick most of last winter.

The tot stopped growing and otherwise developing. But a viral infection wasn't the cause, as her mother initially was told.

November 18, 2008 - Thyroid disease often seen with celiac disease

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Individuals with celiac disease -- a common digestive problem in which the body cannot breakdown and absorb a protein found in wheat -- are at significantly increased risk for developing thyroid disorders, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and thyroiditis, investigators in Sweden have found.

October 29, 2008 - Alvine Pharmaceuticals Reports Positive Results with ALV003 in Phase 1 Trial of Therapy in Development for Celiac Disease

SAN CARLOS, Calif., October 29, 2008 - Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced proof of concept in a Phase 1 Trial of ALV003, an oral protease therapy in development to detoxify gluten, intended for use by patients with celiac disease. The trial results confirmed that single doses of up to 1,800 mg of ALV003 were safe and tolerable in healthy volunteers. Doses at the 300 mg level achieved up to a 96% reduction of gluten in a meal in the stomach at 30 minutes, and were well tolerated by patients with celiac disease. In addition, doses as low as 100 mg were shown to be biologically active in degrading gluten in the stomach. Based on these results, Alvine plans to initiate Phase 1/2a multidose trials in early 2009.

October 28, 2008 - Zeroing in on gluten: For people with celiac disease, certain foods are what ails them

Dairy is an important source of calcium and other minerals, but individuals who are lactose-intolerant can suffer miserable side effects. Potassium is a vital nutrient, but in patients facing end-stage renal disease, that mineral can hasten kidney failure. And for a someone with celiac disease, a mere slice of bread can cause hours of agony and worse.

Oct. 27, 2008 - Pros and Cons of elimination diets - KABC-7 Los Angeles

Food Coach Lori Corbin dishes out the pros and cons of elimination diets.

October 22, 2008 - Gluten-Free Nightlife becomes mainstream - Arizona Republic

Imagine a night out with no beer, no happy-hour breadsticks, no 4 a.m. pancakes and waffles.

For the one in 133 people with the gluten allergy called celiac sprue, this is life. They are allergic to the protein commonly found in wheat , rye and barley.

October 10, 2008 - A Debilitating Disease That Is Often Unknown - New York Times

Mimi Winsberg never knew that the energy bars and pasta that sustained her during endurance training were also making her ill. She had completed dozens of triathlons and marathons, but four years ago, when she was in her late 30s, her health and athletic performances rapidly and inexplicably spiraled downward.

October 9, 2008 - USDA and GF School Lunches

If you are preparing – or planning - to write a letter to the USDA about school lunches it is important to remember that federal law currently requires that students with special dietary needs be accommodated.  When Congress looks at making changes to the Child Nutrition Act next year, there won’t be a reason to do this again since it has already been done.   Additionally, school lunches which meet the federal nutritional requirements are reimbursed, GF or not GF.  This won’t change either.

So what is needed?  ASK the USDA :

• to INCREASE REIMBURSEMENT for medically necessary foods, so that school districts can better meet the needs of students with celiac disease or other medical conditions;
• to ISSUE GUIDANCE to school districts and those administering the National School Lunch Program that they MUST provide GF meals when the need is appropriately documented; and
• to PROVIDE RESOURCES to schools and food service personnel on the nutritional needs children with celiac disease and how to modify existing plans or to or incorporate alternative options to meet requirements of the gluten free diet.

TELL the USDA that these are the same points American Celiac Disease Alliance members Scott Mandell (Enjoy Life Foods), and Carol Shilson (University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center) highlighted in their presentations to USDA experts in September, 2008.

Thank you.

Beth Hillson, President
American Celiac Disease Alliance

September 19, 2008 - Celiac Disease in Men Threatens Bone Health, U.S. News and World Report

Did John F. Kennedy, a man generally remembered as one of our more youthful and vigorous presidents, actually have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by exposure to gluten proteins found in wheat, barely, and rye? Quite possibly, says Peter Green, the director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. Though Kennedy managed to hide his symptoms from public view, he suffered from a slew of ailments that hint at celiac disease, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, migraines, and osteoporosis. Throughout Kennedy's life, doctors diagnosed him with ulcers, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and food allergies, but their treatments never seemed to help much. He never received the blood testing and intestinal biopsy that might have revealed celiac disease.

August 28, 2008 -- Living A Gluten-Free Life by ABC7 Eyewitness News Food Coach Lori Corbin

At Xooros in Santa Monica, dietitian Evelyn Tribole is scrutinizes the food at a new bakery that sells Spanish churros. It is not because she is interested in health, but because her son, Connor, has Celiac Disease.

CDF congratulates all of the U. S. Olympians especially Amy Yoder-Begley, who has celiac disease!!

While the 21,000 people at Hayward Field stared at the scoreboard, Amy Yoder Begley lay flat on her back, gazing up into the Eugene night sky.

July 24, 2008 - FDA update on GF labeling

FDA will be publishing a final rule to define the food labeling term "gluten-free" sometime after it solicits and considers the public comments it receives on the agency's safety assessment report on gluten exposure in individuals who have celiac disease. FDA's intent to conduct this safety assessment was mentioned in the preamble of the proposed rule.

July 20, 2008 - Restaurants Offering Gluten-Free Options - The New York Times

WHEN Barbara Bonavoglia, 65, learned about four and a half years ago that she and her daughter, Lisa Mackie, 33, had celiac disease, she realized they would never eat regular pasta again. It was not an easy adjustment for Ms. Bonavoglia, who grew up on her family’s Italian-American fare. Celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine, is controllable only by eliminating gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains.

July 8, 2008 - University of Maryland SCIENTISTS PINPOINT KEY RECEPTOR IN CELIAC DISEASE

A new study from researchers at the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine answers a fundamental question relating to the cause of celiac disease and, possibly, other autoimmune disorders such as Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

July 7, 2008 - Newer gluten-free foods have more flavor, healthful ingredients Los Angeles Times Health Section,

Anyone who ate gluten-free food five or 10 years ago might understandably opt to avoid such food forever after. In the old days, "we used to joke that when you got the food, you didn't know if you were supposed to eat the box or the contents," says Dr. Alessio Fasano, medical director of the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland.

May 29, 2008 - Joining or Starting A Celiac Disease Support Group: An Interview With Linda Freeman

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking at the Hudson Valley Celiac Support Group in Poughkeepsie, NY. As you may know, Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease: "...an inflammatory condition of the small intestine, induced by gluten. It has diverse clinical manifestations that resemble a multi-systemic disorder rather than a primary intestinal disease." Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

May 21, 2008 - Federal Legislative Alert! Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) signed into law by President Bush!

On Wednesday, May 21, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The new law, which has been called "the first civil rights law of the 21st Century," would prohibit discrimination against individuals on the basis of their genetic information in both employment and health care.

May 21, 2008 - Science Daily - Research Advances May Help Prevent And Improve Diagnoses of Celiac Disease

For those suffering from celiac disease, there may be good news on the horizon. New research presented at Digestive Disease Week® 2008 (DDW®) will discuss the latest advancements in the diagnosis and prevention of celiac sprue.

May 13, 2008 - Before Going Gluten-Free, Make Sure You Need To from Star Ledger, NJ

TRENTON -- Wanna find out just how healthful that low-fat Asian Chicken Salad is at Applebees? Curious restaurant-chain patrons have had to scour the web for sites like Caloriecount.com, which reports the salad is a formidable 714 calories. Applebees, the largest casual dining chain, does not provide nutritional information for most of its offerings. But a bill the state Senate

April 17, 2008 - General Mills Puts Readily-Available, Gluten-Free Breakfast Option Within Reach

Without changing the crunchy, oven-toasted flavor of Rice Chex, General Mills replaced barley malt syrup with molasses resulting in a gluten-free cereal. The company has taken the requisite steps to prevent cross contamination during production and tested the new formula based on proposed FDA standards. Rice Chex cereal calls out its gluten-free status on new packaging that will be available soon on store shelves nationwide. One serving of Rice Chex still clocks in at 100 calories, contains two grams of sugar, 0.5 grams of fat and delivers a good source of whole grain with at least 8 grams per serving. Suggested retail price is $2.99. Rice Chex cereal also offers consumers convenient recipes that can be made without gluten-containing ingredients on www.Chex.com.

Feb 21, 2008 - Alvine Pharmaceuticals Obtains Patents for Celiac Disease Therapies

SAN CARLOS, Calif., February 21, 2008 - Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued two key patents, 7,320,788 and 7,303,871, covering gluten detoxification with proline specific prolyl endopeptidases (PEPs) and with mixtures of a PEP and a glutamine specific protease. Alvine has an exclusive worldwide license to these patents under an agreement with Stanford University. Both patents provide important protection for ALV003, Alvine’s lead product currently in clinical development for use in the treatment of celiac disease.

Feb 27 2008 - Mayo Clinic Finds Capsule Endoscopy Can Detect Intestinal Damage Caused by Celiac Disease

ROCHESTER, Minn., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayo Clinic researchers have found that capsule endoscopy can provide a magnified view of the intestinal damage caused by celiac disease. This new information can help physicians detect and diagnose celiac disease, as well as measure intestinal healing following treatment. These findings are published in this month's issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Approximately 3 million Americans, or about one in 100 people, are affected by celiac disease. Individuals who have celiac disease are intolerant to proteins (collectively called gluten) found in wheat, barley and rye grains. In these people, gluten stimulates an immune reaction in the small intestine, which causes intestinal damage and the subsequent inability to absorb certain nutrients from food. Treatment is to avoid foods containing gluten (the so-called gluten-free diet). Untreated, celiac disease can cause many medical complications and increase the risk of death. However, when a medically supervised diet plan is implemented, patients can experience almost complete reversal of symptoms and complications from the disease. "Capsule endoscopy allows us to look at the entire 30 feet of the small intestine, not just the first one to two feet that can be visualized with other types of endoscopy," says Joseph Murray, M.D., the study's lead author and a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic. The capsule is approximately the size of a large vitamin, and it includes a miniature color video camera, light, battery and transmitter. The patient swallows the capsule, which takes approximately eight hours to move through the small intestine. As the capsule moves through the digestive tract, images recorded by the video camera are transmitted to a number of sensors attached to the patient's torso and recorded digitally on a device worn around the patient's waist. Then, the recording device is removed and its contents are downloaded to a computer for examination. This study, the first of its kind, used capsule endoscopy to view intestinal damage in 37 patients with untreated, biopsy-proven celiac disease. Ninety-two percent had visible damage detected by capsule endoscopy. Twenty-two patients had extensive damage in the duodenum (first portion of the small intestine) and patchy damage throughout the jejunum (the small intestine's middle portion). Twelve patients had damage limited to the duodenum, and one patient had only patchy damage throughout the jejunum. However, no association was shown between the extent of intestinal damage and the patients' symptoms. Six months after a gluten-free diet was implemented, capsule endoscopy showed improvement, or decreased intestinal damage, in most patients. "This study confirmed our suspicions that the most extensive intestinal damage in celiac disease patients is primarily to the duodenum. However, we were surprised to discover no correlation between extent of intestine damage and patient symptoms," says Dr. Murray. "Capsule endoscopy will now be another tool to diagnose celiac disease and detect intestinal damage both prior to and following treatment." Other members of the Mayo Clinic research team included Alberto Rubio Tapia, M.D., Carol Van Dyke, Deanna Brogan, Mary Knipschield, Brian Lahr, Ashwin Rumalla, Alan Zinsmeister, Ph.D., and Christopher Gostout, M.D. Each year, physicians at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota treat hundreds of patients who have celiac disease. For more information on celiac disease treatment at Mayo Clinic, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/celiac-disease/. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to http://www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com (http://www.mayoclinic.com/) is available as a resource for your health stories. Mayo Clinic

Feb 12 2008 - Gluten Blocker tested for celiac

February 12, 2008 (WPVI) -- It is an illness that doctors often miss, and it can be years before some patients get the correct diagnosis. In the meantime, one of life's basic pleasures, and needs - eating - is interrupted.

Commit to Take Action in 2008!

To meet the needs of patients with celiac disease Congress needs to know how many Americans have the condition. What else? They need to know the symptoms and treatment and the concerns or problems affecting those with the condition.

January 9, 2008 - CDF's Executive Director, Elaine Monarch talks to PREVENTION magazine in The 10 health “rules” you should break, February issue.

The food pyramid almost crushed Elaine Monarch. She'd always enjoyed whole-wheat bread and the other healthy carbohydrates that form the pyramid's foundation, but her resolve to eat plenty of grains grew even stronger after she went to her doctor complaining of bloating and diarrhea. "He told me I needed more fiber in my diet," she says. "That advice practically killed me."

January 7, 2008 - Transglutaminase 2 structure may pave new route to developing treatments for celiac disease

CELIAC DISEASE, a condition that damages the small intestine and prevents nutrient absorption, is an autoimmune reaction both to an external substance—the protein gluten in wheat, rye, and barley—and an internal enzyme called transglutaminase 2 (TG2). But the way gluten and TG2 act together to cause celiac disease is largely unknown. A new structure of the enzyme sheds some light on that interaction and may even point the way to developing treatments for the disease.