Friday, October 18, 2013

Elder Health Update: Celiac Awareness Month



Did you know that October is Celiac Awareness month? More importantly, did you know that Celiac Disease can be a serious problem in older adults?  In a study published by Annals of Medicine researchers found that there was a change in gluten tolerance with age. They found that people in their 60s and 70s were being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, even though they had been consuming gluten without any complications their entire life.

For the elderly, Celiac Disease can pose a serious problem. When an individual with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat barley and rye, their body has an autoimmune response to the protein. This autoimmune response causes a wide variety of symptoms, some of which include gastrointestinal distress. For the elderly, this can be especially troubling because some of the symptoms such as joint pain can be misdiagnosed.

Fortunately, a gluten free diet will help to alleviate the symptoms brought on by Celiac Disease. You can read more about the study by clicking here.

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