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

It is difficult to draw conclusions from your replies to my recent
request about rheumatoid arthritis and a gluten free diet. In the three
cases of personal experience ALL seem to have found an improvement
through the diet. The replies included; "my arthritis vanished completely",
"infinitely improved" and "touch of gluten causes painful knees".

No one has reported being on a gf diet AND suffering from rheumatoid
arthritis. Although it is hardly a scientific conclusion, it seems very
reassuring if a gf diet PREVENTS the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.

Anyway, many thanks for your replies. You may be interested in one of
the general replies:
From: Don Wiss <[log in to unmask]>

 "Dr. R. Shatin of Melbourne, Australia, member of the Scientific
 Council of the International Society for Research into Nutrition and
 Civilization Disease, has, since 1963, been publishing reports on his
 treatment of cases of rheumatoid arthritis with a gluten-free, high
 protein diet, with supplements, introducing his concept that in these
 patients, as in celiacs, the primary lesion is to be found in the small
 intestine.  .....  "

Dr Darlington has given me the reference to the Norwegian work:
"Controlled trial of fasting and one-year vegetarian diet in r.a."
Lancet Vol 338 (1991) 899-902
"Diet, fasting and r.a." Lancet 339 (1992) 68
"Diet therapy in r.a."  Lancet 339 (1992) 250

(While looking at Lancet I noticed "Wheats for coeliac patients" 345
(1995) 719. It concludes ".. encouraged to breed further generations of
wheat lines deficient in toxic gliadins". )

Mark Kermode, Liverpool.