A recent study has shed some light into celiac disease and type 1 diabetes, and it’s not so good.
Unfortunately, researchers have found that people with celiac disease (CD) and type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at risk of developing autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD). An autoimmune disease is one caused by the body itself when the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells of the body.
In this study, a total of 5,531 patients were studied, 4,584 with TD1 (control) and 947 with type 1 diabetes and CD. During a follow up, 90 patients for the TD1+CD group developed ATD. What they also found is that CD for 10 years or more had a higher risk of developing ATD.
What exactly is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a condition that causes people who eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) to have an immune response that attacks the intestine, specifically the small intestine. As a consequence of these attacks, the villi—small projections of the small intestine whose role is nutrient absorption—are damaged. The only treatment available for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet.
Before you decide to go on a gluten-free diet there are some things you need to know.
- Only 1% of the population actually has celiac disease. So, you may not need to cut gluten.
- If you believe you may have celiac disease, complete this symptom checklist. However, talk to your doctor.
- Find a dietitian if you need to cut gluten.
- Not all grains have gluten. I’m looking at you, quinoa.
- Gluten hides in foods like veggie burgers and salad dressing.
[expand title = “References“]
American Diabetes Association. Accessed Feb 13, 2017
Celiac Disease Foundation. celiac.org. Accessed Feb 13, 2017
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