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Hi All, 

A message was just posted about oats for newly diagnosed celiac patients.
I'd like to offer a second opinion on that issue. 

The emerging perspective is that oats are safe for those with celiac disease
because avenin does not contain the sequences that trigger an autoimmune
attack on the intestinal wall. While this is probably true, we do not know
if avenins can trigger increased zonulin release and hence, increased
intestinal permeability which is another facet of the hazards of celiac
disease that appears to be unrelated to villous morphology. Neither do we
know if avenins can, when coming in contact with internal tissues, damage
cells in ways that gliadin has been demonstrated to do. Some studies report
adverse reactions to oats among their study participants. In other
investigations some subjects dropped out but their reasons for doing so are
not reported.  

To my knowledge, no studies have been conducted to determine whether those
with non-celiac gluten sensitivity can tolerate oats. Since Anderson and
colleagues report that non-celiac gluten sensitive individuals they tracked
through medical testing records experience a higher risk of developing some
cancers and lymphomas than celiac patients identified in the same data base
(1). While both groups showed higher than expected death rates, the gluten
sensitive patients experienced a higher death rate than the celiac patients
(1).  Since those who are gluten sensitive outnumber those with celiac
disease (in the general population) by about 10 to 1, there is a good chance
that many self-diagnosed members of this listserv have non-celiac gluten
sensitivity. I would suggest that we all err on the side of caution and
avoid oats for a few more years. 

The most recent revelation from Dr. Fasano and colleagues at U. Maryland
suggests that we will soon have a much better understanding of the leaky gut
that is found in both of these gluten-driven ailments, as well as in several
other autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 diabetes. We may then be in a
better position to evaluate the safety of oats for both celiac patients and
non-celiac gluten sensitive patients. 

 

Best Wishes,

Ron Hoggan

 

Source: 

1.       Anderson LA, Malignancy and mortality in a population-based cohort
of patients with celiac disease or 'gluten sensitivity'.  World Journal of
Gastroenterology, 2007, January 7; 13(1):146-151.    


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