Celiac Disease -- What it is, what it isn't--knowing the difference

Celiac disease (also known as celiac sprue, coeliac disease, non-tropical sprue or gluten sensitive enteropathy) is a chronic and permanent sensitivity to the food protein gluten, found in the grains wheat, barley and rye. Developing celiac disease requires three things: a genetic predisposition; exposure to gluten through digestion; and a trigger that starts an immune system’s injurious response. Celiac disease occurs in people of all ages. It is the most common genetic disorder in North America and Europe, and is found in populations all over the world. 

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body attacks itself in an inappropriate immune system reaction. In this case, the reaction is to exposure to gliadin, a protein of the food molecule gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. In most all other autoimmune diseases, the catalyst for starting the body’s inappropriate reaction is not yet known. But celiac disease is the only autoimmune disease for which we know the trigger and therefore can stop it: completely eliminate gluten from your diet. Continue Reading