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This abstract just appeared on PubMed, complementing the article I posted
two days ago on the List.  Vitamin E deficiency exists in untreated celiac
disease.  Left untreated, the risk of neurological disorder increases.

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Med Wieku Rozwoj. 2003;VII(4 Pt 2):593-604

[Vitamin E levels in patients with coeliac disease]

[Article in Polish]

Hozyasz KK, Chelchowska M, Laskowska-Klita T.

Klinika Pediatrii, Instytut Matki i Dziecka, Kasprzaka 17a, 01-211
Warszawa, Poland. [log in to unmask]

Background. Coeliac disease (CD) is a genetically linked immune-mediated
enteropathy triggered by the ingestion of gluten-containing grains food.
Deficiencies of trace elements and vitamins may be found in patients with
untreated CD. No systematic studies have been carried out on vitamin E
status in coeliacs. Tocopherol deficiency is implicated in the biological
processes leading to malignant cell transformations, neurological
complications, brown bowel syndrome and reproductive disorders. Untreated
patients with CD have higher incidences of these disorders than in general
population. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate vitamin E status
in patients with coeliac disease. Material and Methods. We examined retinol
plasma level and tocopherol levels both in plasma and in erythrocytes in 18
patients (age: 2-53 years) with active CD and 12 coeliacs (age: 3-36 years)
on gluten-free diet without antiendomysium antibodies for at least 2 years.
Vitamins were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography according to
the procedure of Driskell. Results. In untreated patients levels of plasma
tocopherol (13.7 +/-3.8 micromol/L vs. 20 +/-7.1 micromol/L; p<0.02),
erythrocytes tocopherol (1.7 +/-0.45 micromol/L vs.2.89 +/-0.52 micromol/L;
p<0.001) and ratio of plasma tocopherol to serum total cholesterol (3.36 +/-
0.9 micromol/L vs. 4.24 +/-0.85 micromol/L; p<0.02) were significantly
lower compared to those on gluten-free diet. In the all patients with
active CD, concentrations of tocopherol in erythrocytes were below the norm
(N>2.5 micromol/L). In untreated patients vitamin A levels did not achieve
a significant difference in comparison with the coeliacs on gluten-free
diet (1.75 +/-0.57 micromol/L vs. 1.97 +/-0.72 micromol/L; p>0.05). The
lowest levels of tocopherol (in plasma: 5.7 micromol/L, in erythrocytes:
0.74 micromol/L) and retinol (0.8 micromol/L; N>0.7 micromol/L) were
detected in the same patient refusing dietetic treatment for more than 10
years. Conclusion. The conventional treatment of CD is gluten-free diet,
but monitoring of tocopherol concentrations, especially in erythrocytes,
and correction of its deficiency may offer some benefit for patients who
fail to adhere strictly to a gluten free-diet or newly diagnosed coeliacs.

PMID: 15213374 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *