<<Disclaimer:  Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Today, Deborah Dillow <[log in to unmask]> posted:
 
<snip> ...For the past 2 years I have been purchasing bread mix from
a family owned company in Brooklyn, NY.
 
<snip>  I must warn though, there
is one ingredient that is bothersome:  "gluten-free wheat
starch".  I have never been able to get a straight answer
from anyone as to whether this ingredient is dangerous, but
I observe my son carefully, and have never seen any signs
that this bread has an adverse affect on him.  And it has
certaintly made my life much easier.
 
Deborah, this is one of the most controversial issues in the celiac world
today.  To my knowledge, all major celiac support groups in the US strongly
recommend their members NOT to eat anything with wheat starch.  In the UK, and
a number of other countries, particularily in Europe, certain types of wheat
starch are allowed for celiacs.  These groups feel there is no damage from the
small amount of gluten ingested daily via wheat starch.  They allow food with
gluten under a certain thresshold to be labelled gluten-free.
 
The two areas of argument are (a) how much gluten can a celiac safely ingest
without damage?  and (b) is the control of gluten in commercial wheat starch
tight enough that you can trust the food company with your health?  Each
person has to make their own choices on these topics.
 
One caution I would give you is that celiac support groups all over the world
warn their members not to try to judge whether a food is damaging to you only
by visible adverse reactions.  It has been well established that a celiac can
be damaging his/her intestines (and possibly other areas of their body) without
noticeable reactions.
 
If you would like to read more about wheat starch, read the FAQ, or search the
archives.  As a reminder to others, to search the archives one sends an email
to [log in to unmask] For this search, the body of the email would be :
 
//Scan JOB Echo=Yes
DATABASE SEARCH DD=Data
//Data DD *
search (wheat and starch) in celiac
index
print
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Bill Elkus
Los Angeles