<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Hi to all--
Boy, did I open a can of worms with my question about wheat starch. Here is what I asked:
I hope this is not a stupid question. I have read the archives about wheat starch, but I am still wondering how many people out there eat it and how many have trouble with it. How is wheat starch different than "modified food starch-wheat"?
Thank you so much to those of you who took your time and energy to give me clear, concise and supported opinions. It is so helpful for those of us who are relatively new at this gluten-free lifestyle. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, to those who felt it necessary to make rude and condescending comments, I will not include those in my summary as they are not helpful to anyone.
I received 12 responses and the basic breakdown is like this:
No, never eat wheat starch-9
Yes, but only eat wheat starch from Europe that is standardized according to Codex specifications-3
Below are the comments:
Firstly I and my teenage son happily (and healthily) use some Codex
wheatstarch bread and flour: and the National Health Service pays for it.
We have used it for 6 years (since diagnosis). My son had his annual CD
check-up today. At just 16, he's 6'1" (and absolutely gorgeous with perfect
skin and hair) and no health worries. I have other related autoimmune
conditions but I also in very good health, not so gorgeous alas, but (I am
told!) in pretty good nick for 50 with good bones, a waistline, few grey
hairs, no anaemia and with FAR fewer menopausal problems than all of my
contemporaries....!
Have seen this page of www.celiac.com?
http://www.celiac.com/st_sresults.html?sid=91hH9H1ES9r3CBo-49105619477.5d&p_keyword=codex&submit=Go%21
This will give you some idea of how it is made and the research on it's
safety. The results of research are pretty conclusively in favour of
European Codex wheatstarch for most coeliacs on an otherwise strict diet.
-------------------------------------------
Modified food starch-wheat should be avoided by celiacs. This is a modified starch which is derived from wheat and will damage the intestine of a celiac. That which is derived from corn, for example, would be safe for a celiac. You will see it listed as a possible ingredient in food products in the US.
Until recently, modified food starch was not declared as to source and celiacs had to contact food manufacturers to learn if the source was a safe grain or not.
Wheat starch, as you have read, is a specially "washed" wheat product that is very low in gluten containing protein. It is used commonly in Europe where it is used in products produced for celiacs. It is not generally approved/accepted in the US for celiacs.
You would have to decide if you wish to consume wheat starch in imported products.
(I am assuming you are a diagnosed celiac and live in the US rather than Europe)
--------------------------------------------
Sorry, wheat starch and modified starch wheat are NO NO's big time for celiacs. period. Wheat is wheat is wheat is wheat . . . .
----------------------------------------
I personally use a product from Sweden that contains codex wheat
starch and have used it for 4 years with no ill effects. Biopsy has been
done and no damage shows.
-------------------------------------
I have tried it several times to see if I reacted to it and did not. I decided not to eat things with wheat starch in had but wondered if I would react. I did the same with oatmeal and did not react. I decided that I will eat oatmeal when I want some.
---------------------------------------
There's wheat starch and wheat starch. Wheat starch, and grain starches in
general, are what is left when all the proteins are _removed_. This means
that 100% pure wheat starch (probably a totally unattainable goal) would
contain no gluten or other proteins, and therefore be absolutely safe for
people with celiac disease.
The wheat starch that some of us are willing to eat is made in Europe, to
standards set by the Codex Alimentarius
<http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/index_en.jsp>, which is connected to
the World Health Organization. They have set a standard for wheat starch
that defines it as containing less than 200 ppm. It is used in gf baked
goods in Europe. I've eaten them to no ill effect.
The various celiac groups in the US subscribe to a "zero tolerance" policy.
They state that no wheat starch is permissable, period, no matter what the
standards of manufacture are. Certainly it is true that there is likely no
wheat starch made reliably to the Codex standard in this country. As a
consequence, any modified food starch made from wheat starch is also
considered to be unsafe.
If you search google on "codex alimentarius" "wheat starch"
<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22codex+alimentarius%22+%22wheat+starch%22>
you'll find links to a variety of documents on the subject.
------------------------------------------------
I wont touch it. No symptoms dont mean no damage too. Wheat starch have been analysed and there still are a sizable % of gluten, although less than reg. wheat, so it is unsuitable for us unfortunately.
-----------------------------------
There are two types of wheat starch. There is regular wheat starch that we have here in the states that is from wheat and contains gluten. There is also a codex standard wheat starch that is used in Europe. The codex standard wheat starch is processed to remove all but a trace of gluten and most European celiac groups approve of its use on a GF diet.
We have traveled in Europe with my celiac daughter. Only in one store in Ireland did I ever find a product that contained codex standard wheat starch. It was bread that was just delicious. It did make my daughter sick. It is possible that she just got sick and it was unrelated to the bread. Her symptoms did seem to be a lot like a reaction when she eats gluten. If it was a reaction it was a lot less sever than normal.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Don't eat it. No wheat is safe in any form except Buckwheat, which isn't wheat at all, it's a form of the rubbarb plant.
-------------------------------------
ANYTHING that says wheat, is derived from wheat is NOT okay
this diet is 100% complience or you run the risk of other health issues down the road such as lymphomas and colon cancer, not complying with the diet 100%
leaves you at a 100 to 150% higher risk for these and other cancers, hope that helps.
Thanks to all who wrote.
Mary
*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*
|
