<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> The following is a cel-pro post, reprinted with permission, from a discussion of how long a suspected celiac must be eating gluten prior to blood tests and biopsy: Bill Elkus Los Angeles > It is often necessary to prescribe how much gluten to eat. I Ask > patients to eat increasing amounts of gluten, starting from a cracker > building up to 4 slices of whole bread a day and to keep taking that > so long as they do not get too ill, but should get definite symptoms. > When i left it up to the patient, it seems they ate less gluten and > more sporadically. It is sometimes hard to wait to persuade the > patient to wait long enough for damage to occur. While the standard > 4 week challenge will pick up most it will not pick up all patients. > In those patients who remain asymptomatic I continue to wait and > monitor the antibodies as well as the development of symptoms and > then biopsy. I also find it useful to review the original biopsy > material and other primary information on which the original diagnosis > was based. Sampling problems and interpretation are also issues. > > There a few people I will not challenge, People who are so > nutritionally deplete that might not tolerate the challenge, people > who give a history of anaphylactic response that could be life > threatening and possibly those with a history of severe neurologic > problems. > > Joe Murray > Not Medical Advise