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

Hi Everyone,

Following my distribution of the summary to the list, I received a very
interesting email responding to some of the issues raised in the
comments I received. I have excerpted the key points from that email
below:

"First, I'm a biopsy diagnosed celiac (1995) and my daugther has extreme
wheat, mold and corn allergies. I'm the Chairperson of Greater Lakeside
Region Celiac Support Group and I've been extensively researching food
ingredients ever since my diagnosis. My daughter and I have been using
yeast products and xanthan gum for years and have had NO problems! Guar
gum on the other hand has a TERRIBLE laxative effect on my daughter and
me. Of the hundreds of Celiacs I've had contact with over the years,
only a small handful have problems with yeast and none that I know of
have a problem with xanthan gum.

Xanthan gum is NOT made from corn mold as stated in the summary. Xanthan
gum is made from a pure-culture fermentation of any carbohydrate
(including corn syrup) with the plant bacteria Xanthomonas Campestris.
The mixture is then purified through a recovery stage with alcohol. The
result is a nearly pure polysaccharide gum containing less than 10 parts
per million of the host carbohydrate. There are also less than 10 ppm of
mold or yeast in food grade xanthan gum, less than that found in rice or
potato flour - so a reaction to mold or yeasts from xanthan gum is VERY
unlikely.

...eliminating foods with yeast or xanthan gum would unnecessarily
eliminate some of the greatest foods available to Celiacs!"

Thank you,
Teresa