<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> <http://www.healthscout.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Af?apU&id1445>Dear listmates, The SafetyAlerts list ran an interesting feature yesterday (6-26-01) on food allergens in which Celiac is mentioned that should be of interest to members of this list. The URL is http://www.healthscout.com/cgi- bin/WebObjects/Af?apU&id1445 Unfortunately, the author cites the incidence of Celiac as 1 in 2000. The National Institutes of Health suggests that the frequency may be as high as 1 in 250. Here is a clip from a NIH article on celiac found at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/digest/pubs/celiac/index.htm#7 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ How Common Is Celiac Disease? Celiac disease is the most common genetic disease in Europe. In Italy about 1 in 250 people and in Ireland about 1 in 300 people have celiac disease. It is rarely diagnosed in African, Chinese, and Japanese people. An estimated 1 in 4,700 Americans have been diagnosed with celiac disease. Some researchers question how celiac disease could be so uncommon in the United States since it is hereditary and many Americans descend from European ethnic groups in whom the disease is common. A recent study in which random blood samples from the Red Cross were tested for celiac disease suggests that as many as 1 in every 250 Americans may have it. Celiac disease could be underdiagnosed in the United States for a number of reasons: * Celiac symptoms can be attributed to other problems. * Many doctors are not knowledgeable about the disease. * Only a handful of U.S. laboratories are experienced and skilled in testing for celiac disease. More research is needed to find out the true prevalence of celiac disease among Americans. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I intend to write to the author of the safety alerts article and diplomatically point her in the direction of more accurate information. The SafetyAlerts list is a good one for anyone concerned about product safety. I think most of us on this list qualify! The safety alert main page is http://www.safetyalerts.com/Default.htm and the subscription is free, (My favorite price!) -- As always, these are our experiences only, thus no warranty is expressed or implied, Your mileage may vary. Look both ways before you cross the street. peace steve & deni weber Valparaiso Indiana USA [log in to unmask] (previously [log in to unmask])