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At 06:06 PM 8/26/95 PDT, "Donald D. Kasarda" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>      I will put forward for the sake of argument that such a level has
>been established by the studies of Holmes et al. (Malignancy in coeliac
>disease--effect of a gluten-free diet, Gut 30:333-338, 1989).  In their
>paper, Holmes et al. report that people (celiac patients) eating a diet
>containing gluten had higher levels of lymphoma and some other cancers than
>the population in general.  They also report that for patients consuming a
>strict gluten-free diet for more than five years, there was no significant
>increase in overall cancer risk.  What Holmes et al. do not say is that the
>108 patients in their group on a strict gluten-free diet were probably
>regularly consuming wheat starch products--because at the time their study
>was carried out, such products were (perhaps still are in the UK) considered
>acceptable in a strict gluten-free diet.  I think this is a reasonable
>assumption although, of course, I cannot prove that the patients in the
>gluten-free group of Holmes et al. were eating wheat starch products.

I don't think it is a reasonable assumption. He used the word "strict". Just
because some countries allow wheat starch products doesn't mean that all
consume it. This list does have subscribers from some of these more lenient
countries that could comment on this.

The front page of the Spring 1995 issue of the Celiac News from the Canadian
Celiac Association has "As evidence, Dr. Seidman referred to a study of 25
adults who had never ingested wheat starch. The study introduced wheat
starch into their diet. Half of the group were forced to remove themselves
from the study due to adverse symptoms."

>Commercial wheat starches almost certainly contain gliadin, which is part of
>the gluten, although it is extremely difficult to put a number on how much
>gluten they contain because of analytical problems.  I will make a very
>rough estimate that a person eating 100 grams of wheat starch per day would
>have a gliadin (gluten) intake of 10-50 mg per day depending on how well the
>starch preparation had been washed.  Now this is a very small amount of
>gluten.  Nevertheless, I interpret the results of Holmes et al., if they are
>accepted as definitive, as indicating that there is a minimum amount of
>gliadin intake that causes no harm for celiac patients.

Disagree on the word "strict" so it can't be "definitive".

>Counter arguments and criticism of my logic as presented above will be
>welcomed.

You have them.

Don Wiss.