Cancer Risk 47% Lower--Risk of Heart Disease is 48% Higher in those with Celiac Disease

Celiac.com 12/11/2006 – A retrospective cohort study presented by Gunnar Midhagen with his Doctoral and Licentiate Theses at Linköping University, Sweden, found that those with diagnosed celiac disease actually have a 47% lower cancer risk than the normal population, presumably because a majority of them follow a gluten-free diet (although the study did not address this). The study also found that those with celiac disease have a 38% higher mortality rate than the normal population, which is due to a 48% higher rate of death due to ischemic heart disease. It would be interesting to determine what causes the higher heart disease risk, and I would speculate that it has to do with fat absorption—specifically the decreased ability of those with celiac disease to absorb omega-3 fatty acids. More on this topic can be found in this article: