WHEAT INTOLERANCE OR COELIAC DISEASE?

Food Baby: noun a metaphorical baby in one's stomach, created by over-eating!

I'm sure we have all been there at one time or another! Abdominal pain and bloating can simply be a result of wheat intolerance, or they could be an indicator of a much more serious condition. 1 in 70 people in Australia have coeliac disease, and it is estimated that around 80% of these people don’t know they have it!  March 13^th-20^th is coeliac awareness week in Australia which aims to help find those people who are undiagnosed so that they can be treated.

Here is some information that will help you decide if you might be one of those undiagnosed people!

What is coeliac disease?

Coeliac disease is an auto-immune disease that results in people having an abnormal immune response to gluten. This abnormal immune response results in inflammation in the small intestine, which damages it, and can lead to long-term complications such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as some more scary ones such as bowel cancer, osteoporosis and even infertility!

Could I have coeliac disease?

Symptoms and signs:  Common symptoms of coeliac disease include: diarrhoea, bloating and abdominal pain, prolonged fatigue, chronic iron deficiency, sudden or unexpected weight loss, infertility, hair loss, mouth ulcers and depression. But some people with coeliac disease are ASYMPTOMATIC. This means that they can eat gluten-containing foods and not experience any adverse symptoms at all, but the damage to the small intestine is still occurring!

High risk people: Other individuals who have a higher risk of coeliac disease, who should be tested, are people with: Type 1 diabetes, other autoimmune diseases, dermatitis, Immunoglobulin A deficiency, Down’s Syndrome and people with a family history of coeliac disease.

Should I get tested?

If you are one of those people who thinks that eating wheat makes them feel bloated or it causes abdominal pain we would recommend getting tested for coeliac disease to rule it out! The chances are that you have a wheat intolerance, which is very different to coeliac disease.

A wheat intolerance means that a person may feel bloated and uncomfortable when they eat wheat, but it isn’t causing any long-term damage to your body, which coeliac disease does. If you end up having a wheat intolerance (much more common), wheat doesn’t have to be completely eliminated from your diet – you will just feel better by having smaller serves of wheat-containing foods (e.g. bread, pasta, cereal).

However if you do indeed have coeliac disease the ONLY cure is to follow a completely gluten-free diet! This is why a proper diagnosis is important, so that you know how strict you need to be!

Coeliac  Australia has a great online screening tool that only takes a few minutes to complete and can let you know if you’re at risk. It can be found at http://www.coeliac.org.au/.