Many coeliacs fed up with gluten free diet

A team from the UK's Royal Hallamshire Hospital have conducted a survey to assess the satisfaction levels of adults with coeliac disease towards a gluten-free diet, their use of oral complementary or alternative medicine and views regarding novel therapies. A publication of their study is available online with free access in the March issue of the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease or download the article below.

Three hundred and ten patients with coeliac disease completed a three-part questionnaire survey while attending their out-patient appointment. Just over 20% reported a gluten-free diet as being a good or an excellent way of treating their disease, while 42% were dissatisfied with it.

The frequency of use of complementary or alternative medicine in patients with coeliac disease was similar to that of a control group comprising 477 non-coeliac adults (27% versus 22%, respectively). In both groups, females were more likely to be using such alternative treatments, with multivitamins being the most common.

All of the patients with coeliac disease expressed an interest in novel therapies, with a vaccine being the first choice in 42% of patients, and anti-zonulin and peptidases in 35% and 23% of patients, respectively. All patients questioned placed genetically modified wheat as the lowest preference for a novel alternative.

Reference: Aziz et al. 2011. Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. Vol. 20(1) pp. 27-31.

Downloads: Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease [PDF 211 KB]