<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Kemp Randolph asked how much gluten is in a normal diet and how much has
been shown to have an effect on celiac patients?
 
I estimate very roughly that a normal diet would include about 10-40 g of
gluten per day. I estmate (also roughly) that normal wheat bread contains
about 0.04 grams of gluten per gram of bread.
 
To the best of my knowledge, the smallest amount that has been tested with
patients and shown (biopsies taken) to have a definite effect is 0.1 gram
per day (Catassi et al.).  The biopsies demonstrated an increase in
intraepithelial lymphocyte count, one of the earliest signs of an effect.
The challenge was on 10 patients (children) for 28 days each.  Four of the
patients showed an increase in IgA antigliadin antibodies.  The intestinal
permeability test remained normal.
 
Washed wheat starch contains somewhere between 0.001 grams and 0.1 grams of
gluten protein per 100 grams of starch.  The true amount is, in my opinion,
not known because of problems with the analytical methods available for
defining gluten bound to starch.  Also, the method of preparation affects
the amount of gluten present on the starch.  Better washed wheat starches
probably approach the lower limit and poorly washed starches may approach
the upper limit.
 
This is not medical advice in any legal sense. It is off the top of my
head-- hence, let the reader beware.  Perhaps others on the list will check
my numbers and comment or correct.
 
Don Kasarda, Albany, CA