Research On Tolerable Amounts Of Gluten

[Azzie]

Hi,

I just wanted to get other opinions on this. On another celiac forum, someone mentioned recent research in which the amount of gluten that most celiacs can tolerate was identified. I think it was 50 mg. I'm not sure. In any case, the person on the other website did an experiment in which he figured out that 50 mg is a sizable amount of crumbs, maybe a quarter teaspoon, big enough to be visible.

So my question is, Is a salad that has only had the croutons picked out of it contaminated or safe?

The experiment he did seems to indicate that it would be safe.

Thanks.

Shirley

[Carriefaith]

I personally would not eat a salad that had croutons picked out. I get sick every few months from the "invisible particle", whether it is gluten or something I am allergic to.

[larry mac]

..... I think it was 50 mg. I'm not sure. In any case, the person ... did an experiment in which he figured out that 50 mg is a sizable amount of crumbs, maybe a quarter teaspoon, big enough to be visible. Shirley

Did it say 50 milligrams (50 mg), or 50 micrograms? 50 milligrams might be 1/4 tsp dry bread crumbs, but 50 micrograms would be one thousand times less than that amount. I heard a doctor speak today and thought it was 50 micrograms.

best regards, lm

[tarnalberry]

ditto larrymac - I've heard it in the microgram range (which should be symbolized with ug if there's no access to greek letters, or mcg, but not everyone bothers).

[Azzie]

test

[larry mac]

ditto larrymac - I've heard it in the microgram range ....

In that case, I think maybe it would be 2-3 small dry bread crumbs. Just for grins, I'll check Monday, I work in a lab. lm

[Azzie]

Oh -- well, his post actually said MG but there's no link to the actual research..so I'll have to do some more searching I guess. Maybe it's micrograms then...... (bummer)

If anybody has a link to the research or to any source, please let me know. thanks. I just want to check it out to be sure.

Did it say 50 milligrams (50 mg), or 50 micrograms? 50 milligrams might be 1/4 tsp dry bread crumbs, but 50 micrograms would be one thousand times less than that amount. I heard a doctor speak today and thought it was 50 micrograms.

best regards, lm

[tarnalberry]

I certainly wouldn't eat a salad with the croutons removed. Why? Because there's going to be contamination you *can't* avoid because you don't know about it that will eat away at that "limit" of how much you can have; you don't want to use up the rest of it or go over that limit with contamination you know you can avoid.

[Ursa Major]

Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

[tarnalberry]

Even if it is 50mg of gluten, consider that one cup of flour is about 125g. Given that gluten makes up somewhere between 8-15% of flour, this all means that this supposed 'tolerable' level is 0.4% of a cup of flour. That's 1/5th of a teaspoon of flour - from all sources of contamination total. A few crumbs is going to go through that much pretty quickly.

[psawyer]

I certainly wouldn't eat a salad with the croutons removed. Why? Because there's going to be contamination you *can't* avoid because you don't know about it that will eat away at that "limit" of how much you can have; you don't want to use up the rest of it or go over that limit with contamination you know you can avoid.

I agree with this. While there is evidence to suggest that we may be able to tolerate *some* gluten in our diet, there are so many chances for trace contamination that I would not risk adding anything to that.

Unless you live in a hermetically sealed bubble that you grow all of your own food inside, there are things that are beyond your control, and those may introduce traces of gluten.

What I can control, I do control, and that means avoiding any known gluten source, however small. It does not mean that I assume anything not labelled "gluten-free" has gluten, and it does not mean that I reject anything from a "shared" facility. Heck, my own kitchen is a shared facility, since my wife eats some foods which contain gluten. We take precautions against cross-contamination, but we share the same dishes and utensils--they are well washed after each use.

[Guest cassidy]

Every time I have gotten sick since going gluten-free (after the first month when I got myself sick because I didn't know what I was doing) it was because of a small amount of gluten that I couldn't even see. It has usually been in restaurants where I order plain meat and veggies that certainly didn't have bread crumbs on them so it had to be cc from the pans they used. So, based on that I would never pick croutons out of a salad or anything like that. I usually don't eat in restaurants because I almost always get sick however I feel great if I make all my own food.

I just wonder how valid any studies are especially since it took me being sick for 28 years to be self-diagnosed. I'm not sure doctors or researchers that don't have celiac really understand it. Maybe some people can have a few crumbs and not get sick, but many of us can't, whether their study says so or not.

[Phyllis28]

Maybe some people can have a few crumbs and not get sick, but many of us can't, whether their study says so or not.

I agree with Cassidy. I couldn't tolerate 50mg of gluten especially since in the study it was given daily. I have found over the years that one mistake makes me a mildly ill but mistakes several days in a row and I will be very ill. I am talking about amounts from cross contamination which would be less than 50mg.

[jerseyangel]

I agree with this. While there is evidence to suggest that we may be able to tolerate *some* gluten in our diet, there are so many chances for trace contamination that I would not risk adding anything to that.

Unless you live in a hermetically sealed bubble that you grow all of your own food inside, there are things that are beyond your control, and those may introduce traces of gluten.

What I can control, I do control, and that means avoiding any known gluten source, however small. It does not mean that I assume anything not labelled "gluten-free" has gluten, and it does not mean that I reject anything from a "shared" facility. Heck, my own kitchen is a shared facility, since my wife eats some foods which contain gluten. We take precautions against cross-contamination, but we share the same dishes and utensils--they are well washed after each use.

Ditto Except substitute "husband" for "wife"

[Azzie]

Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

[Azzie]

Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

[Azzie]

Well, my point in asking was that 99% of the time, I do completely control my own food and therefore I know that I am 100% gluten free. In the 1% of the time where I am in a restaurant and have to trust the staff after explaining that I can't have gluten, it's always possible that there's cc. I figure ordering a salad cuts down on the chances of cc and if the study is true, then even if there was a crumb or 2 maybe it would not matter. I would not be taking in 50 mg daily, only on rare occassions when I eat out, which I try to avoid these days.... However, I will keep telling servers that I can't have any croutons or bread actually touch my food....... One time I asked if there was any wheat in the soup. I was assured there was not & then it was served to me with crackers!! Someone else linked Dr. Peter Green to this study and said that there is more info in his book. I've placed a hold on the book at the library and plan to read it soon...........

Here is a link to the article Scott posted on celiac.com. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1411

As you can see, it is 50 mg. Personally, I think it was a very small group they studied, some of those people didn't even get gluten, and one had a relapse from 10 mg a day. I wouldn't eat any gluten on purpose, even if it is crumbs, as some people get violent reactions from just one crumb.

This was a short-term study. Who knows how much damage there would be long-term, and how much higher the risk of cancer for instance would be if people would purposely have up to 50 mg of gluten every day.

[Ursa Major]

Okay, I get you now. I thought you would purposely eat gluten up to 50 mg a day. I agree that you shouldn't be paranoid about it, and understand your point now.