Gluten Intolerance

Simple gluten intolerance can be uncomfortable, but the symptoms are short-lived. The good news is that gluten intolerance is not a food allergy.

Gluten intolerance causes the same symptoms as coeliac disease, including bloating, wind, vomiting and rashes, but does not damage the bowel.

More serious gluten intolerance is called celiac disease. That's when gluten actually triggers the body's immune system. When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the villi - tiny, fingerlike projections in the small intestine that absorb the nutrients from food. For this reason it's considered an autoimmune disease.

Gluten is the protein component of wheat, rye, barley and oats. Increasing numbers of adults are being diagnosed with coeliac disease, whereas years ago it was considered a disease that was only diagnosed in children. Coeliac disease can present at any age and the variability and often vagueness of symptoms can present a diagnostic challenge to many medical practitioners. Presentation can include gastrointestinal symptoms such as: Loose stools/diarrhoea, or constipation (or a combination of both), Flatulence, Bloating, Abdominal pain or Nausea.

In people with the metabolic disorder coeliac disease, gluten damages the small intestine, reducing the body's ability to absorb nutrients and leaving sufferers at risk of a variety of illness.

At present, the only treatment for these conditions is to totally eliminate gluten from the diet. The gluten-free diet can be challenging and difficult, especially for the first few months following diagnosis, but it progressively becomes easier with familiarity with the diet and the foods available grows over time.

If further information about Gluten intolerance or Coeliac disease is required, contact the Coeliac Society on (02) 9487 5088 within Australia or visit www.coeliac.org.au

The good news? All Melrose Foods Are Gluten free and fortunately there are a great range of alternative gluten free products now available. Melrose Foods are available in good health food stores and other specialty food outlets which will also stock a variable range of gluten free foods. Online stores also promote Melrose Foods