Seven Common Myths About Celiac Disease and Gluten-free Eating

Complete rubbish. My specialist advised crumb contamination is not a problem. Apart from being a specialist he's also celiac, as is his daughter.

I don't believe celiac disease is a "one size fits all" situation. We are still taking baby steps in fully understanding this disorder. Perhaps some celiacs can tolerate low levels of cross contamination. I cannot. I even react to inhaled gluten, making it impossible for me to feed my own livestock, since I will react to exposure to the grain dust. I also suffer from bouts of DH, which are definitely exacerbated by any exposure to gluten.

Mine affected not only my intestine but it helped the appendix to get inflamed. it also masked the symptoms of my gallbladder problems. having gluten intolerance since a child I was unaware of what else was going wrong. I have since learned how to make garbonzo bean donuts and corn masa cake.

I will weigh in here, if I may. I have celiac disease. I cannot eat any gluten in even the smallest amounts and cross contamination is a serious event for me. An example of the "crumbs" issue, my husband brought home some cookies and ate them at his place at the table. However, unbeknownst to me, some crumbs from those cookies ended up at my place at the table. I did not know the crumbs were there and I placed some vitamins on the table which I took later. I had a gluten reaction (GI) about 20 min later.

The answer from a celiac expert will be the accepted wisdom of the time. Most likely someone's opinion. Dr. Peter Osborne is one celiac expert who would disagree with you, because he says any grain storage protein can be problematic, although he lists rice as the least problematic. I recall reading research articles at his website that support his conclusion. I think a research study rather than a celiac expert's opinion is what it takes to answer the question of whether the forms of gluten in other grains can cause immune reactions similar to gluten.

This is incorrect. People with celiac disease do not react to rice gluten the same way they do to secalin from rye, hordein from barley or gluten from wheat. Plain rice of all types is safe for people with celiac disease to consume. Ask any celiac expert.

Jeff -- I strongly disagree with your statement of "people with celiac disease do not react to rice gluten". I have NCGS and do react to rice gluten as does a friend of mine that has celiac. Her doctor told her she was still getting gluten in her system, i.e. rice, rice cereals, etc. I believe it all has to do with the prolaines/glaumines (?) that make up rice. Wild rice is okay because it's not a grain it is a grass. People may feel better on a gluten free diet but still cause gut damage when eating rice and other grains.

This gives incorrect information regarding rice gluten.

Complete rubbish. My specialist advised crumb contamination is not a problem. Apart from being a specialist he's also celiac, as is his daughter.

My specialist says same thing. I react strongly to a table spoon of bread crumbs, I did a study for UCSD. I used the same tester as my family. I do not have a reaction and I get tested frequently to ensure my diet is still gluten free.

Jeff -- I strongly disagree with your statement of "people with celiac disease do not react to rice gluten". I have NCGS and do react to rice gluten as does a friend of mine that has celiac. Her doctor told her she was still getting gluten in her system, i.e. rice, rice cereals, etc. I believe it all has to do with the prolaines/glaumines (?) that make up rice. Wild rice is okay because it's not a grain it is a grass. People may feel better on a gluten free diet but still cause gut damage when eating rice and other grains.

Your reaction is a secondary intolerance, and not celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

The answer from a celiac expert will be the accepted wisdom of the time. Most likely someone's opinion. Dr. Peter Osborne is one celiac expert who would disagree with you, because he says any grain storage protein can be problematic, although he lists rice as the least problematic. I recall reading research articles at his website that support his conclusion. I think a research study rather than a celiac expert's opinion is what it takes to answer the question of whether the forms of gluten in other grains can cause immune reactions similar to gluten.

By all means researchers should study all relevant triggers for celiac disease. The overwhelming evidence and scientific opinion of the moment is that rice is safe for people with celiac disease. There is simply no solid evidence supporting the idea that rice is "problematic" for people with celiac disease. Dr. Osborne's opinion is not based on convincing science. There is no documented evidence of rice triggering gluten reactions in people with celiac disease.

This gives incorrect information regarding rice gluten.

Specifically, what is incorrect about it? There is no hard science that shows that rice triggers gluten reactions in people with celiac disease. The vast majority of celiac disease experts and researchers, American and European, including Dr. Peter Green, Dr. Andrew Fassano, and many others, consider rice to be perfectly safe for people with celiac disease. That is simply the overwhelming medical consensus, supported by research.

For anyone else who thinks rice is not safe for people with celiac disease, here is a link to the Mayo Clinic's gluten-free food list for people with celiac disease, please go to this website, or to the Mayo Clinic dot Org. Click diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/expert-answers/celiac-disease/faq-20058118

What qualifies someone as being a "celiac expert" or a "celiac specialist"? Here's a fact for your list: Celiac disease affects each patient differently. Some are more sensitive than others. I cannot tolerate any ppm, I cannot tolerate food items that were on the unsafe list when I was diagnosed but have been moved to the safe list. 20ppm is less than 1/8th of a teaspoon. Just because someone has celiac disease doesn't mean they know it all. Just because someones career is studying celiac disease doesn't make them an expert. We are all individuals with different tolerances. As for rice, it depends on where the rice is stored before packaging. The same for raw beans! I wish those who make statements would use the term "for most with celiac" and I wish packaging would be required to state the real ppm amount instead of being able to say "gluten free"!

FYI: 20ppm is FAR less that â…›th of a teaspoon. Also, you are referring to possible cross-contamination, not gluten in rice per se. Lastly, by "celiac experts," I am referring to major celiac disease researchers like Dr. Peter Green, Andrew Fassano, and doctors at places like the Mayo Clinic. I hope that helps.