Celiac.com Disease & Gluten-Free Diet Support Since 1995 - Articles

06/01/2022 - We pride ourselves in serving the celiac community for 25 years, attending carefully to its gluten-free needs! Our mission: to recover the Joy of Pasta through discovering the great value that Tinkyada has to offer! Since 1997, we celebrate every time anyone has come to discover and love the taste and texture of our pasta; “hearty pasta, but without the icky side effects of gluten”. We strive and make every effort to spread the JOY of PASTA. We SPECIALIZE! We use only one grain ingredient: RICE! To ensure there is no cross contamination at production, there are no other grain ingredients in the process and facility; no additives, no emulsifiers; RICE! That’s it! Click here for delicious Recipes! Our Pastas are Certified Gluten-free, Vegan, Koshered, Non GMO Project verified, and Organic Certified! Try Tinkyada rice pastas today! 18 exciting pasta varieties to choose from! Tinkyada is a premium pasta that has superb texture. We promise a delightful eating experience. Life is good with PASTA-JOY. Visit our site for recipes and more info.

Celiac.com 05/31/2022 - Not all of the questions we get at celiac.com concern people, many concern pets. We get a lot of questions about products for cats and dogs, including kitty litter. Just like people, cats can be sensitive to ingredients in their cat litter, including gluten, and other known allergens. Some pet owners like to make sure they are getting hypoallergenic kitty litter. Here are some hypoallergenic cat litters that contain no gluten or allergens. Many are specially formulated for cats with particular health or medical issues. Dr. Elsey’s Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Classic Litter This classic cat litter is dust free and hypoallergenic. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Clumping Cat Litter Features a low tracking formula, good for mechanical litter boxes Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Respiratory Relief Silica Gel Cat Litter Dust free and hypoallergenic. Made with silica gel crystals. Dr. Elsey's Naturally Fresh Walnut-Based Pellet Non-Clumping Cat Litter This cat litter is made with walnut-based pellets. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Respiratory Relief Silica Gel Cat Litter Made of silica gel crystals, for cats with allergies, asthma or respiratory issues. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Clumping Cat Litter Dr. Elsey's hypoallergenic cat litter is made of medium-grain clay granules. Frisco Frisco Multi-Cat Clumping Cat Litter Frisco Multi-Cat Clumping Cat Litter is multi-cat strength. Okocat Okocat Natural Paper Dust Free Cat Litter Okocat Natural Paper Dust Free Cat Litter is biodegradable, and good for long hair cats. Okocat Natural Paper Dust Free Cat Litter Okocat’s paper litter is dust free and hypoallergenic. PrettyLitter PrettyLitter Flushable Is a subscription cat litter service. PrettyLitter Flushable cat litter is made from natural minerals, featuring color-changing to detect medical issues. If we've missed a favorite hypoallergenic kitty litter, please let us know in the comments below.

Celiac.com 05/30/2022 - A recent Italian study published in Pediatric Rheumatology indicates that juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients have higher rates of celiac disease, which suggests that celiac screening would be beneficial for IA sufferers, especially those with a family history of autoimmunity. Since many autoimmune disorders share similar immune triggers, mechanics and contributing factors, including genetics and environment, understanding the connections, along with the factors associated with an increased susceptibility, could help researchers and clinicians to design better case-finding strategies for certain at-risk populations. For their retrospective study, the team gathered information, including age at diagnosis, family history, other autoimmune disorders, juvenile idiopathic arthritis subtype, and medications, from a Southern Italian group of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who were admitted to the Pediatric Rheumatology Unit between January 2001 and June 2019 who underwent celiac disease screening. Using the data, they were able to assess clinical features and disease course, along with associated risk factors when juvenile idiopathic arthritis and celiac disease happen together. The team evaluated juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients every 3 to 6 months and adjusted treatment in response to adverse events and disease effects. The team's analysis is limited in part by small sample size of patients with both juvenile idiopathic arthritis and celiac disease, and because patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and celiac disease had longer follow-up periods than patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis alone. However, since most celiac disease diagnosis occurred within 12 months of juvenile idiopathic arthritis onset, the team believes this does not influence bias. The team concluded that: They also added that the "results highlight the importance of celiac disease screening in pediatric juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients." These results are also significant for juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients who also have celiac disease, as juvenile idiopathic arthritis looks to be more aggressive in those patients, who often need step-up therapy. They note that these patients might benefit from an early introduction of a biologic drug, but more study is needed to know for sure. They plan future studies to test whether first-line genetic testing followed by celiac disease-specific serological screening will produce better results than first-line serological screening. Stay tuned for more on this and related stories. Read more in Rheumatology Network

Celiac.com 05/28/2022 - Wondering if popsicles are gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease? Some brands are, some aren't. Here's the lowdown. We get a lot of questions from celiac community members wondering if certain brands and products are gluten-free. One question we see a lot is about popsicle products. Specifically, are popsicles gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease? First, it's important to understand that Popsicle brand popsicles are a trademarked brand of the frozen treat. While Popsicle brand popsicles are not labeled gluten-free, many Popsicle brand treats are made without gluten ingredients, and contain no allergens. Others are not gluten-free, so read labels and choose carefully. Popsicle brand treats without listed wheat or gluten as allergens are generally regarded as gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. For people who want to choose popsicle brands labeled gluten-free, a number of brands of popsicles and frozen treats, are labeled gluten-free. Always be sure to check the labels and look for "gluten-free" before consuming any popscicle. Here a list of gluten-free and allergen-free popsicle brands.

Celiac.com 05/27/2022 - Among the many symptoms associated with celiac disease, some of the commonest fall into the broad category of “dyspepsia”. These are symptoms more usually attributed to acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus (heartburn, regurgitation, even difficulty swallowing a.k.a. dysphagia) or to peptic ulcer disease (upper abdominal pain, indigestion, fullness). While we are not entirely sure why celiac disease causes these, often in the absence of typical “bowel” symptoms, we do know how(1) . Studies of the upper gut in celiac disease patients frequently show abnormal motility and peristalsis: the conveyor belt isn’t working properly (The constipation that is often paradoxically a symptom of celiac disease probably has the same basis). So many celiac patients are going to be referred not for small bowel investigation but for upper GI endoscopy, and the gastroenterologist is expecting not celiac disease, but reflux esophagitis, hiatus hernia, gastritis or peptic ulcer disease. Wouldn’t it be nice—and wouldn’t it make life a lot simpler for the so far undiagnosed celiac patient—if the gastroenterologist could spot villous atrophy like these other conditions? The good news is that you can see villous atrophy down an endoscope. Well, some of the time (but more of that later). One of the most exciting developments in my career as a celiac diagnostician was when our museum piece fiberoptic endoscopes were replaced by full color videoscopes. Endoscopy was no longer an uncomfortable (for the endoscopist!) and hurried foray into the upper gut, hunched over with one eye peering down a clouded eyepiece, frantically trying to see everything and get the heck out before the disinfectant fumes wafting up the scope dissolved the glue holding my spectacles together. Instead it became a civilized stroll which ended in a duodenum filling a ten inch TV picture in glorious color. And it became clear to me and many other celiac specialists that the duodenums of celiac patients didn’t look quite right when they were up close and magnified in this way. Abnormalities seen in our patients with villous atrophy(2) include mosaic mucosa (53%), scalloped folds (50%), fold loss (15%) and nodular mucosa (6%) and erosions (small ulcers) in the second part of duodenum in 7%. Occasionally the mucosa is so thin that blood vessels can be seen through it. Although uncommon in celiac disease, the finding of erosions in the second part of duodenum is of particular interest as clinicians may simply flag it up as peptic ulcer disease, even though peptic ulcers usually only affect the first part of duodenum. I’ve seen a few patients who had previously been wrongly diagnosed “peptic” because of this endoscopic feature. So how have these endoscopic markers changed my practice? Around half of my new celiac patients present with dyspepsia and are recognized at endoscopy(3) . One in 60 (twice the background prevalence of celiac disease) patients referred for endoscopy from primary care with dyspepsia are diagnosed celiac because of these markers(4). Often the story is of dyspeptic symptoms which have not responded to ulcer healing drugs—while on a gluten-free diet they disappear magically. There are two caveats regarding endoscopic markers. While villous atrophy in adults is pretty much synonymous with celiac disease in Western Europe, elsewhere it may sometimes indicate other disease, as reported by the New York Group(5) . Secondly, the bad news is that villous atrophy can’t always be spotted. We found that only 74% of villous atrophy cases had endoscopic markers(2) , and as many patients had endoscopy for biopsy because we were expecting to find celiac disease, that figure may be an overestimate of routine practice. The Mayo Clinic found markers in only 59% of celiac patients from a group of anemic patients having endoscopy(6). While 82% of our patients with subtotal or total villous atrophy had one or more endoscopic markers, the yield fell to 58%

Celiac.com 05/26/2022 - We get a lot of questions from celiac community members wondering if certain brands and products are gluten-free. One question we see a lot is about popsicles. Specifically, what brands of popsicles gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease? Popsicles are a trademarked brand of frozen treat. While popsicles are not labeled gluten-free, many Popsicle brand treats are made without gluten ingredients, and contain no allergens. Others are not gluten-free, so read labels and choose carefully. Popsicle brand treats without allergens listed are generally regarded as gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease, but to be certain, always look for "gluten-free" on the label. For people who want to choose popsicle brands labeled gluten-free, a number of brands of popsicles and frozen treats, are labeled gluten-free. Do you have a favorite gluten-free popsicle or frozen treat that we might have missed? Let us know in the comment section below, and we'll be sure to add them to our list. Here are some popsicle brands that are either free of known allergens, or are labeled gluten-free, and widely available at stores near you. As always, read the ingredient labels carefully before consuming, or check the manufacturer website for details, as ingredients and allergen info can change without notice: Alden's Formerly Julie's, now Alden's, the company makes a number of gluten-free ice creams. They will be moving to GFCO certification for all gluten-free products. Classic Fudge Bar Freckled Strawberry Yogurt Bar New School Orange Cream Bar Root Beer Float Bar Chloe's Pops Chloe's Pops are gluten-free and allergen-free. Chloe’s Soft Serve Fruit Pops contain none of the top 9 allergens. Cosmic Bliss Formerly Coconut Bliss, a glance at the website FAQs shows that Cosmic Bliss products are gluten-free. Cosmic Bliss bars are free from peanut, milk, egg, soy, wheat/gluten, and sesame. Cosmic Bliss Dark Chocolate Bars Cosmic Bliss Strawberry Love Bars Froozer Froozer pops are made almost entirely of fruit and are gluten-free, and free of the top 9 allergens. Kisko Kids Freezies Kisko Freezie pops are made without any of the top 8 allergens or sesame. Blue Raspberry Cherry Cream Soda Grape Orange Creme Pineapple Punch Jolly Llama Jolly Llama's coconut-based sorbet pops are free from chemicals, dairy and gluten. Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Caramel Chocolate Chip Cone Diary-Free Gluten-Free Cool Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwich Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Premium Vanilla Sandwich Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Premium Vanilla Fudge Sundae Cone Dairy-Free Gluten Free Sea Salt Carmel Cone Dairy-Free Gluten-Free White Mint Chip Cone Blackberry Sorbet Mango Sorbet Raspberry Sorbet Strawberry Sorbet JonnyPops JonnyPops food allergy friendly popsicles are gluten-free and made mindfully in a dedicated nut-free facility. Chocolate Fudge Chocolate-Dipped Cherries Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries Cold Press Choco Latte Double Chocolate Fudge Mint Chocolate Dip Old-Fashioned Root Beer Float FRUIT FIRST Mangos Pineapple & Coconut Raspberries & Blueberries Strawberries & Bananas Summer Strawberries Luigi's Real Italian Ice Luigi’s Real Italian Ice is gluten-free, allergen-free, and made in a peanut-free facility. Cherry Cherry & Lemon Swirl Chocolate Blue Raspberry & Lemon Swirl Kiwi-Strawberry Lemon Mango Orange Strawberry Watermelon Minute Maid Juice Bars Minute Maid Juice Bars are free from the top 9 allergens, including gluten. Cherry Grape Orange Outshine Outshine Frozen Fruit Bars are gluten free, including: Outshine Creamy Coconut Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Cherry Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Grape Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Lime Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Mango Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Peach Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Pineapple Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Pomegranate Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Raspberry Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Strawberry Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Tangerine Outshine Fruit Ice Bars Watermelo

Celiac.com 05/26/2022 - Don't you hate it when you buy a frozen pizza and discover that it looks nothing like the picture on the box? You will not have this issue with Oggi Foods Supreme Gluten-Free Pizzas. I made three of them the other night for my gluten-eating friends, and each one of them came out looking just like the lovely picture on their box. Another thing that blew my mind about these pizzas was how perfectly they've been able to capture the taste of a pizza that has been baked in a traditional, charcoal-fired stone pizza oven. The pizzas taste exactly as if they were “fired” in the traditional way in an Italian pizza oven, and the cauliflower crust is just incredible—my friends and I were unable to tell that there wasn't any wheat in it. In fact, I found myself scrambling to find the box I'd thrown away just to verify that a mistake hadn't been made, and the pizza I was eating was indeed gluten-free—it was! The next thing that blew my mind was just how much the Beyond Meat sausage tasted like real Italian sausage—I honestly could not tell the difference—even when taking individual pieces off of my slice and eating them alone. Both the texture and flavor of the Beyond Meat sausage are outstanding, so much so that there may not be a good reason left to continue eating real sausage. Besides the Supreme, Oggi Foods makes the following varieties of pizzas: California, Texan, Americana, Siciliana, Quattro Formaggi, Veggitaly, Margherita, and the Caprese. Visit their site to find out where to buy them.

Celiac.com 05/25/2022 - Got a craving for something fancy, delicious, AND gluten-free? And easy? Okay, we've got you covered with this stunning lobster dish that is gluten-free, and surprisingly simple to make. Lobster shells are stuffed with cooked lobster in a creamy white wine sauce, then topped with Parmesan cheese and broiled until golden. It's an easy way to prepare lobster, and a great way to get fancy without too much trouble. Ingredients: 1 medium (1½ pound) cooked lobster 2 tablespoons butter 1 shallot, finely chopped 1⅜ cups fresh fish stock ¼ cup white wine ¼ cup double cream or crème fraîche ½ teaspoon hot spicy gluten-free mustard 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Cut the lobster in half lengthwise, and remove the meat from the claws and tail, and set meat and shell aside. Remove any meat from the head and set aside. Cut all the meat up into pieces and place back into the shell. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot; cook and stir until tender. Mix in the fish stock, white wine and double cream. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Mix in the mustard, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Heat your oven broiler. Place the lobster halves in a baking pan or dish. Spoon the sauce over the lobster meat in the shell. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, just until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Celiac.com 05/24/2022 - A new gluten-free wheat starch from Sweden could help to improve gluten-free baking options for people with gluten-intolerance and celiac disease. Lantmännen Biorefineries has announced the launch of its new gluten-free wheat starch. Produced with wheat from Sweden's autumn wheat harvest, the company promises a gluten-free wheat starch "with good baking properties that do not affect the final product’s taste," says Lars Franzén, head of food ingredients at Lantmännen Biorefineries. Compared to other starches, wheat starch offers numerous baking advantages. It provides the proper elasticity, and helps to stabilize bread structure and texture. Without wheat starch, gluten-free bakers often have to try to mirror these qualities using other ingredients, such as hydrocolloids and fibers. Gluten-free wheat starch allows bakers to use the same baking formulations for gluten-free goods as they use for traditional baked goods. Because it's gluten-free, it's safe for people with celiac disease. The gluten-free wheat starch has been approved for sale and gluten-free labeling, and will be first debut exclusively in the Nordic region, and in northern Europe, where demand for gluten-free food products is high. There's currently no word on if, or when, this new gluten-free wheat starch will be available in the U.S. People with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis who are very sensitive to even trace amounts of gluten may want to avoid products that use wheat starch, as Celiac.com has received many complaints about products that utilize gluten-free wheat starch. Stay tuned for more on this and related stories. Read more at Foodingredientsfirst.com

Celiac.com 05/23/2022 - Many people with celiac disease know to be cautious of possible gluten that might be hidden in selected spices and spice blends. However, there's some evidence to support the notion that some people suffering from celiac disease, wheat allergy or non-celiac gluten sensitivity may react to certain spices. A team of researchers recently set out to see if extracts from selected spices, such as caraway, ginger, chili, sweet peppers, anise, sesame, nutmeg and black pepper, might be harmful to people suffering from celiac disease, wheat allergy or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. For each spice, they looked at the reaction of spice proteins with serum antibodies from celiac patients and rabbit antibodies raised to specific glutamine/proline-containing peptides. The research team included Marta Słowianek, Dorota Mańkowska, and Joanna Leszczyńska. They are affiliated with the Institute of General Food Chemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Lodz University of Technology in Lodz, Poland. The team used ELISA, SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting to assess potential adverse reactions. They found that each of the spice extracts triggered some reaction from antibodies found in sera from two celiac patients, and to sera from rabbits that had been sensitized to the specific peptides, QQQPP, PQQQ and QQQP. The QQQP peptide is one of the α-gliadin tetrapeptides that has been shown to have in vivo activity in the pathogenesis of celiac disease, and, according to the researchers "The highest level of immunoreactivity to anti-QQQP antibodies was reported in sweet (1054 ± 22) and chili pepper (698 ± 9), and "The most intense reactions in anti-QQQPP rabbit serum occurred with anise (61.8 kDa) protein and caraway (58.7, 53.9 and 21 kDa) proteins. The largest number of proteins that reacted with anti-QQQPP antibodies within a single group was among sesame proteins." They noted that these peptides shared sequences that might be included in active epitopes for celiac disease and wheat allergy. The reactions seen by the team indicate that spice proteins could trigger adverse reactions in celiac patients, patients with various wheat allergies or with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and the study's conclusions are: The researchers are calling for further study to better determine the likelihood of their hypothesis. Certainly, it would be a big deal if research shows that certain spices trigger reactions in people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Right now, the evidence does not support that idea enough to warrant any concern or action. Stay tune for more on this and related stories. Read more in Food & Agricultural Immunology

Celiac.com 05/21/2022 - “My daughter has celiac disease. I do the best I can to provide her with gluten-free food, but I don’t know everything that has gluten in it. I give her these pills from the health food store, because they say they block gluten. I want to make sure she is healthy. Am I giving her enough of these pills?” What Is The Antidote To Questionable Information? We all know the saying, “if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” When this question was asked by a participant at one of our education presentations, we informed her that while research was underway, at this time no pill could block gluten. We said that if and when such a discovery was made, it would be scientifically validated and widely available. We offered her assistance with her questions about the gluten-free diet. Many people who live with more commonly known medical conditions like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes have numerous ways to verify the accuracy of the health information they acquire, including a simple call to their doctor’s office. So what happens when the patient knows more than the doctor? Many celiacs face this scenario, and are not always certain how to verify information they hear about celiac disease in a support group meeting, in a newsletter or even in the doctor’s office. How can celiacs learn if the medical or dietary information they’ve acquired is “too good to be true?” A healthy dose of skepticism is the antidote to the information about celiac disease that seems too good to be true. Awareness Is a Double-Edged Sword Awareness of celiac disease has led to a greater appreciation of the needs of people on a gluten-free diet, as well as the importance of correctly diagnosing the condition in a timely manner. This is a very positive development, as it will encourage physicians to become more knowledgeable and diagnose more people. However, the heightened interest in celiac disease has also lead to the increased dissemination of inaccurate information which could dissuade symptomatic people from receiving the highest standard of medical care for diagnosing celiac disease and the most up-to-date information on the gluten-free diet. Of course, we’d all prefer a world with a greater level of awareness about celiac disease. But it can be helpful to understand how this would bring about more opportunities for misinformation as well. Vital Signs: Evaluating Information about Celiac Disease We already understand how important it is to be skeptical about much information in our daily lives, and it is important to apply this skepticism to celiac disease as well. There are many questions you can ask about the information you’ve learned in order to authenticate its source and verify its content. Consider the Source: Speaker Who is delivering the information? What interests do they represent (who pays their salary)? Are they presenting information that is representative of their expertise? Do they share information about their conflicts of interest (an individual who works for a testing company that is speaking about testing for celiac disease, for example)? Is the person honest about what they know and don’t know? Does the individual presentation that has been scientifically valuated (evaluated and published in a peer-reviewed medical journal) or do they present information that is based on clinical experience and individual judgment? Are they telling you which are which? Consider the Source: Published Article/Website Where does the article appear—is it a support group newsletter, your local newspaper or the New England Journal of Medicine? Is it an editorial, which expresses an opinion or an article which presents factual information from a third party’s point of view? What type of review process did the article go through before it was published? Is the medical journal article a research study, a case report, or an editorial? A research study goes through the highest level of scrutiny. Was the study well designed— p

Celiac.com 05/20/2020 - Yasemin Emory and Whitney Geller, the duo behind branding agency Whitman Emorson, recently launched Jems, a line of gluten-free, vegan condoms that is sweeping aside outdated ideas about how condoms are made, branded and sold, to help more people, especially Gen-Z, to have safer sex. The two did not set out to create a new condom. They did it out of their own alienation from the current condom offerings and the way they are marketed and sold. Geller says that the genesis for the idea came in 2019, when both some were between pregnancies and looking for a birth control alternative in the condom aisle. Faced with packaging bursting with male torsos, black silk sheets, and names like Trojan and Magnum, the two "felt really alienated," says Emory. Realizing that they were likely not alone in their alienation, the two began to think about the problem, and a potential solution. They really felt like the marketing and branding behind condoms was retrograde and needed a fresh approach. Their research showed that condom use had declined for six years straight, while STDs had risen steadily. Seeing their branding experience as a strong asset, the two set out to create a condom that would appeal to younger people, and be marketed to them in a way that is similar to other products aimed at youth. Emory notes that numerous youth-oriented products are now branded "in a such way that you want to leave it on your shelf." Their research also showed that "young people...only buy condoms at pharmacies that have self checkouts because they find the whole experience so embarrassing," says Geller. Emory adds that, partly because condoms have been marketed as disease protection, they have become stigmatized as "being the antithesis of pleasure." With all of the progress on marketing, and product evolution in other areas, such as men's skin care, the two felt that "safe sex, and condoms in particular, have been left out of that step forward," says Geller. For Geller and Emory, features developed by condom makers like bumps, ridges, flavors, colors are a weak attempt to solve the problem. The two believe that condoms should, first and foremost, be about pleasure. So, the pair ditched the traditional condom approach in favor of simplicity, good health, and smart marketing. Jems condoms are made from natural latex and silicone. The condoms are non-toxic, vegan and gluten free. The gluten-free part was important to Geller, because she has celiac disease. Aimed at conscious consumers, Jems are currently available on their web site, and at UrbanOutfitters.com, Whole Foods, well.ca, Healthy Planet and some boutiques in Toronto. Currently, Jems are only available in the Toronto, Canada market, but the team is looking to expand. Their plan is to make Jems available anywhere coffee is sold. Celiac.com will be sure to keep an eye on this story, so stay tuned for new developments. Read the interview in Torontolife.com

Celiac.com 05/19/2022 - We get a lot of questions from celiac community members wondering if certain products are gluten-free. We especially get a lot of questions about beverages, like soft drinks and other non-alcoholic drinks, and specifically, questions about soft drinks, like Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc. Are the major brands of soft drinks gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease? The short answer is YES, nearly all commercially available soft drinks are naturally gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. We've done articles on brands of gluten-free soft drinks, but still the questions come. The answer is that most soft drinks are made with carbonated water, sugar or high fructose corn sugar, flavorings and preservatives. Very few soft drinks contain any gluten ingredients, and, if they contain wheat, those ingredients will be labeled as allergens, by law. It is possible that small brands may use malt-based sweeteners, we've heard about some root beers that use them, but the major brands of soft drinks usually use corn-based sugar. To be safe, however, always check the ingredients before consuming a soft drink, and always avoid the following ingredients: Barley Malt Malt Malt Extract Malt Syrup Malt Flavoring Nearly all major soft drinks are made without gluten ingredients. That means that unless a soft drink lists gluten, or wheat as an allergen or ingredient on the label, it is likely gluten-free. Still, it's not all that common to see a gluten-free label on soft drinks that are, in fact, naturally gluten-free.

Celiac.com 05/18/2022 - Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis causes diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, but the mechanics of the cause remains unknown. Alveolar hemorrhage is a "life-threatening disorder characterized clinically by the presence of hemoptysis, falling hematocrit, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and hypoxemic respiratory failure. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage should be considered a medical emergency due to the morbidity and mortality associated with failure to treat the disorder promptly." The occurrence of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis and celiac disease together has been noted in both children and adults, and is also known as Lane-Hamilton syndrome. A team of researchers recently set out to compare demographics, clinical and radiologic findings, treatment, and outcomes between adult patients with idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis and Lane-Hamilton syndrome. The research team included Biplab K. Saha, Praveen Datar, Alexis Aiman, Alyssa Bonnier, Santu Saha, and Nils T. Milman. They are variously affiliated with the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University College Zealand in Næstved, Denmark; the department of Internal Medicine, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, USA; the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ozarks Medical Center · West Plains, USA; the center for Critical Care, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes Jewish College · Saint Louis, USA; and the Internal Medicine, Saha Clinic in Narail, Bangladesh. For their systematic review of the literature, the team used proper search parameters to identify relevant articles in multiple databases. Their final review included a total of 60 studies reporting 65 patients. Forty-nine of these patients had idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis, while 16 had Lane-Hamilton syndrome. Thirteen of twenty-two patients screened, nearly sixty percent, were positive for anti-celiac antibodies. Patients with Lane-Hamilton syndrome showed earlier symptom onset and diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis, though both groups showed an average delay in diagnosis of about one year. Lane-Hamilton syndrome patients were most likely to show the classic symptom triad, although only one in five patients in the Lane-Hamilton syndrome group showed any significant gastrointestinal symptoms at the time of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis diagnosis. A gluten-free diet alone was effective in the majority of patients. Fewer patients in the Lane-Hamilton syndrome cohort received systemic corticosteroid than the idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis cohort. The recurrence and mortality in patients with Lane-Hamilton syndrome appear to be less than in the idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis cohort. The results show that one in four adult patients with idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis has celiac disease. Patients with Lane-Hamilton syndrome may show milder effects than patients without celiac disease. Based on these results, the researchers are recommending that all idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis patients receive serologic screening for celiac disease. Read more at Cureus.com 14(3): e23482

Celiac.com 05/17/2022 - Kung pao chicken is one of those beloved Chinese classics that never gets old. This easy-to-make gluten-free recipe delivers a tasty, satisfying version at home. Ingredients 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks 2 tablespoons white wine 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water 1 ounce hot chili paste 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 2 teaspoons brown sugar ½ red bell pepper, chopped 4 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts 4 ounces chopped peanuts Directions For Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. For Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Chop the red pepper, and sauté over high heat until tender, and set aside. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic. Remove chicken from marinade and sauté in a large skillet, until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sautéed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.