<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
"Grain Allergy a Risk Factor for Schizophrenia, study says" -- Reuters
News Service, by Sophie Hardach, [log in to unmask]
London - Schizophrenia could be linked to an allergy to gluten, a
protein found in wheat and other grains, scientists said Friday.
Gluten intolerance, known as celiac disease, can erupt at
any age but mostly affects people between 30 and 45, often causing
weight loss, diarrhea and fatigue.
"A history of celiac disease is a risk factor for
schizophrenia, " The researchers wrote in an article for the British
Medical Journal.
The scientists recommended a gluten-free diet to treat
celiac disease and said some clinical trials had shown the cutting out
cereals also alleviated symptoms of schizophrenia.
The study, a collaboration between Johns Hopkins medical
institutions and Denmark's Aarhus Universities and Aarhus Psychiatric
Hospital, tested 7,997 schizophrenic patients in a Danish psychiatric
unit.
The scientists stressed that the result reflected only a
small proportion of cases since both diseases were rare.
Last year, a study found a link between parental age and
schizophrenia. Drug use has also been cited as a potential trigger
for the mental illness.
Janet wrote to Ms. Hardach, as follows:
I am Former President of Celiac Sprue Association/USA, Inc.
(Omaha, NE) and Chairman of the
Houston Celiac Support Group. I have been a celiac (or coeliac) for 16
years and been a celiac leader for many years.
I have spoken with major celiac researchers (even Britain's Dr. Marsh)
over the years.
Your Reuters article appeared in today's Houston Chronicle. I have
some comments about your recent article called something like "Gluten
Clue Found in Schizophrenia". First of all, you called Celiac Disease an
ALLERGY. It is not an allergy. The immune system is affected by gluten
ingestion, but it does not promote allergic responses such as forming
histamines. Celiac Disease is an intolerance, an autoimmune disorder,
and a disease of malabsorption, where gluten mounts an inflammatory
attack after seeing gluten and damages the absorptive surface of the
small intestine. Malabsorption of nutrients can affect any organ of the
body, including inducing schizophrenia. CD is related to all the other
autoimmune diseases.
You mentioned that CD and schizophrenia are rare. I don't know
about schizophrenia, but I know for certain that Celiac Disease is NOT
rare! The prevalence found, after a 3-year study at the University of
Maryland (www.celiaccenter.org <http://www.celiaccenter.org/> ) Center
for Celiac Research is a out of 133 healthy individuals. The prevalence
for relatives of celiacs is much higher.
We're talking about at least a couple of million celiacs, probably 40%
of whom are still to be diagnosed, at least in the U.S. The prevalence
is equal to or greater in the British Isles because the researchers
trace beginning to the Irish. Intermarriage and migration have spread
the genes all over our planet where people eat wheat. CD is TWICE as
common as Cystic Fibrosis, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease
COMBINED, per Shelley Case, RD (www.glutenfreediet.ca
<http://www.glutenfreediet.ca/> ). It is one of the most misdiagnosed
and missed diagnoses of all diseases, per Cynthia Rudert, MD of Atlanta,
Georgia.
Perhaps the sentence about rarity was in the medical journal itself?
However, I know the Lancet has published journal articles previously
about Celiac Disease.
I hope you can publish another correct article about the real story
of Celiac Disease. It is so prevalent and nobody knows about it --
including many doctors! I hope you will do some homework. We
appreciate articles to spread awareness, but we need correct
information. Thanks for trying to help.
Janet Rinehart, Chairman, Houston Celiac Support Group, Former
President, CSA/USA, Inc.
* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *
|
