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

Following is a summary to the question:

> Does anyone know if reaction to oil, such as canola oil, can
> be attributed to intestinal inflammtion and the Arachidonic Acid Cascade? I
> was just wondering if the reaction one gets from oil is possibly due
> to intestinal inflammation and not gluten ingestion.

From this question I received eight replies.

Almost every reply asked for a definition of archidonic acid (AA).

   AA is a chemical mediator of inflammation produced from fatty acids,
   such as animal fat and possibly vegetable oils. One of the products
   from AA is a hormone (prostaglandin) that causes pain. Aspirin works
   by suppressing all prostaglandins.

   Its latin root refers to wild legume plants.

From the replies I received it appears that oil can be an irritant regardless
of gluten content. Can it be that not only do some celiacs become lactose
intolerant, some also become oil intolerant?


Some sample email:

>> I find the less oil and FAT I eat the better my stomach and intestines
>> feel.

>> before being diagnosed, I had a dreadful reaction to wheat germ oil.

>> all vegetable oils cause a problem

>> wonder about some general problem with oil for my husband

>> catfish, rolled in rice flour, and fried in canola oil led to
>> distress.

I received one reply that provided another reason oil may cause
inflammation. I am providing most of it( thanks Bev).

  Leon Rottmann, CSA/USA executive director, spoke at our all
  Wisconsin mtg in April. He asked him about the canola issue.  Canola
  oil is pressed from seeds of the rape plant--which is not a grain, &
  is therefore g.f. While contamination w/ gluten containing grains
  may be possible the real culrit is a problem called lectin
  interaction. Lectins are plant proteins & are also found
  in the seed hulls & pollen of plants.  Rape plants produce lots of pollen &
  the seeds are small, so lots of them (& lots of hulls) are pressed to get the
  oil. It is possible for these proteins to get into the oil.  It seems that
  some plant protein, lectins, are toxic in susceptible individuals.The protein
  in canola oil is one of these,  causing the same type of
  inflamation/damage to the intestine that gluten causes in the
  celiac.   According to Dr. Rottmann, CSA/USA had heard from 500-600
  member (out of 2300 or so) who experienced problems w/ canola oil.
  20-25% is a significant number & may account for part those celiacs
  who don't do well even after starting the g.f. diet.

My own personal thoughts:

There appears to be enough scientific evidence to suggest that
individuals can react to oil regardless of the gluten content. Why an
individual reacts to oil is not certain.

Thanks

Greg Funaro (GF in Hunstville, AL)