<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

>Point 2:  It does not appear, however, that it has been CONCLUSIVELY
>established that the entire increased risk for lymphoma for celiacs is
>entirely due to gluten alone and not to the celiac condition itself (i.e.,
>the genetic and other factors which predispose one to celiac sprue).  That
>is, it would be nice if one could say for sure that "Yes, if you NEVER eat
>any gluten, your risk for intestinal lymphoma is no higher than that of the
>general population".  It appears that the above MAY be true, however, one
>CANNOT confidently assert that because at this point it would appear that no
>controlled studies have been done that completely disentangle the effects of
>the celiac condition alone from the effects of a GF diet from a non-GF (or
>middlingly non-GF) diet.

Hi All,
In response to the above, I just encountered a paper in an obscure Czech
journal:

Castany M, Nguyen H, Pospisil M, Fric P, Tlaskalova-Hogenova H, "Natural
killer cell activity in coeliac disease: effect of in vitro treatment on
effector lymphocytes and/or target lymphoblastoid, myeloid and epithelial
cell lines with gliadin" _Folia Microbiol_ 1995 (Praha) 40; 6: 615-620

They tested the levels of natural killer cell activation in normals, and in
treated celiacs, and found no significant difference. BUT, after 30
minutes' exposure of the celiacs' blood to gliadin, there was a reduced
activation of natual killer cells, the body's first line of defence against
malignancy.

For those list members who are familiar with my hypothesis regarding
lymphoma, this constitutes huge support. It may be that future cancer
therapies will involve a dialysis-like filtering of the opioid peptides,
followed by a gluten-free/casein-free diet. And I don't think it just
applies to cancer patients who have celiac disease.

Best Wishes,
Ron Hoggan  Calgary, Alberta, Canada