<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I just got off the phone with Pamela's and they said even though the oats
are made my them that the other cookies should be OK. I made it very clear
and she said they wash everything before they make the regular(GF) ones. so
if you are really super super sensitive and don't trust them to clean it
thoroughly enough you might not want to eat them but otherwise it's ok. just
don't eat the ones in the bright green box if you can't eat oat Gluten (most
celiacs). if you are wheat-free only, chow down! here are some notes on the
controversy of OATS:
everyone is different- here's one example:
From what I have gathered, oats don't contain gluten, but they are often
cross-contaminated somewhere between field and market shelf. The pediatric GI
specialist we've seen did not resolve the conflict for us. He just said that
oats (pure) don't contain gluten, but acknowledged that it is difficult at
this point to find a reliable source that protects against cross-
contamination.
I've eaten McCann's Irish Oats with no apparent reaction. To complicate
matters, I am gluten-intolerant, but tested negative for celiac. I stay as
GF as possible though, because I usually react quite clearly to very minor
indiscretions.
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I work in a health food store that carries that line. It's my department.
I do not carry that line because of the oats. They have always had
that cookie but because it's confusing I don't carry it. I met Pamela
and she is a celiac so I am confused as to why she would carry that
in her line of cookies.
//////
those cookies have been around for at least a couple of years. A while ago
someone posted something about the production practices at Pamela's. If I
remember right, they run the oatmeal cookies last, at the end of the day,
so there shouldn't be a problem
(I checked- it's true)
//////
A recent study indicated that oats may be free of proteins toxic to
celiacs. The study involved oats that were deemed to be free of wheat
contamination
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My 3yr old daughter was diagnosed with CD on Dec 10, 1998. Her
pediatric GI and her nutritionist have both told us (my wife and
I) that oats are OK and do not contain gluten. I am no expert but
I have cited two research papers that make oats look safe.
There is a research paper on the topic titled `Absence of oats toxicity in
adult coeliac disease' at
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7068/1300
Here are the final 3 paragraphs:
This study shows the safety of adding oats to the gluten-free diet
of 10 patients with coeliac disease. Seven of the patients have
continued to take the same quantity of oats for more than 12 months
without adverse effect. These findings are in agreement with a
recently published study.2 In that study, however, the authors
stated that they excluded coeliac patients with "severe" disease.
No such policy was adopted in our study, and two of our patients
were subsequently shown to be exquisitely sensitive when given a
gluten micro-challenge. A third patient was also shown to be very
sensitive to trace quantities of gluten taken inadvertently.
Activation of the immune system by cereal protein is likely to be
centrally involved in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease,3 and
evidence of immunological stimulation is a sensitive marker of
disease activation. Such evidence includes lymphocyte infiltration
of the surface epithelium4 and the production of antibodies to
endomysium and gliadin. Oats challenge caused no change in these
parameters whereas in the patients given a gluten microchallenge,
abnormalities were observed.
Our results suggest that oats cereal is neither toxic nor immunogenic
in coeliac disease. This has important implications for the coeliac
population since the inclusion of oats would substantially improve
the fibre and nutrient content of their gluten-free diet.5 The
knowledge that oats are not toxic may help to define the toxic
moiety in other cereals.
The paper cited above cites a 1995 paper titled `A comparison of diets with
and without oats in adults with celiac disease.' at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin
post/Entrez/query?db=m&form=6&uid=7675045&Dopt=r
This paper says:
BACKGROUND. Wheat, rye, and barley damage the small-intestinal
mucosa of patients with celiac disease; maize and rice are harmless.
The effects of a diet containing oats are uncertain.
METHODS. In a randomized trial, we compared the effects of gluten-free
diets without oats and with oats (with a goal of 50 to 70 g per
day from three sources: two types of wheat-starch flour mixed with
an equal amount of oats, muesli containing 60 percent oats, and
rolled-oat breakfast cereal). Fifty-two adults with celiac disease
in remission were followed for 6 months and 40 with newly diagnosed
disease for 12 months. Endoscopy with duodenal biopsy was performed
at the beginning and end of the study.
RESULTS. The mean (+/- SD) oat intake in the oat group was 49.9
+/- 14.7 g per day at 6 months for patients in remission and 46.6
+/- 13.3 g per day at 12 months for patients with newly diagnosed
disease. The oat and control groups did not differ significantly
in nutritional status, symptoms, or laboratory measures. Patients
in remission, regardless of diet, did not have worsening architecture
of the duodenal villi or increased mononuclear-cell infiltration.
All the patients with new diagnoses were in remission at one year,
except for one in the control group. Six patients in the oat groups
and five in the control group withdrew from the study.
CONCLUSIONS. Moderate amounts of oats can be included in a gluten-free
diet for most adult patients with celiac disease without adverse
effects.
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I personally would not want to risk getting sick. I find it strange that
there are celiacs out there who would go through this test. I feel bad for
the control group-wheat starch!
a lot of people are looking for a magic pill or some other magical grain but
I feel we just have to dace the facts. if you are an adult and feel ok when
you eat them- go ahead. please think twice before you put your children on
them.
-Aimee
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