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

At 08:41 AM 6/20/1999 -0000, sallyo wrote:

>1)  I have always read that a small amount of gluten ...trace amounts..will
>damage the intestines the same as large amounts..I am wondering if anyone
>knows what research has been conducted to substantiate that statement..
>and
>
>2)  It is also understood that damaging the intestine over and over (even
>with trace amounts of gluten) increases our chance for intestinal lymphoma.
>
>Does anyone know what the average persons chance of getting intestinal
>lymphoma are..and what our odds are if we do continually damage our
>intestines with trace amounts and what research has been done to
>substantiate this statement..

Celiac Sprue which has been of long duration or is neglected by
non-compliance to the clinical diet, can be complicated by intestinal
lymphoma or other gastrointestinal malignancies. There is a much higher
incidence of intestinal lymphoma in GSE patients, an incidence which
is reduced by strict adherence to the gluten-free diet.
http://csaceliacs.org/celiacdisease.html


If a person with the disorder continues to eat gluten, studies have shown
that he or she will increase their chances of gastrointestinal cancer by a
factor of 40 to 100 times that of the normal population3.  Further,
"gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma develops in up to 15 percent of
patients with untreated or refractory celiac disease1."
    The only acceptable treatment for celiac disease is strict adherence to
a 100% gluten-free diet for life. An adherence to a gluten-free diet can
prevent almost all complications caused by the disease.
http://www.celiac.com/

So if lymphoma develops 40 to 100 times as often, in only 15 percent of
those with untreated celiac, I have read that those who follow a normal GF
diet with occasional accidents have 7 to 14 times the chances of a normal
person of getting lymphoma. That calculates to less than one sixth the odds
of the untreated celiac, or about 2 percent. And by extrapolation I would
guess that most of us on this list are more successful than most with the
GF diet, and therefore, would have considerably less chance that even that
if we are moderately careful. Just guess.  -vance