"Let Food Be Your Medicine": the Dilemma of Lack of Access to Food Therapy in Celiac Disease

Authors

  • Francisco Echague Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
  • M. Inés Pinto-Sánchez Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9040-9824

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52787/agl.v54i2.415

Keywords:

Celiac disease, autoimmune condition, gluten-free diet

Abstract

Case Presentation

Celiac disease (CD) is the only autoimmune condition in which the main trigger is known: gluten.1 Thus, adherence to a strict gluten-free diet (GFD) is essential in people with CD for the recovery of the intestinal mucosa, symptomatic relief, and reduction of the risk of complications such as iron deficiency anemia, osteoporotic fractures, and intestinal cancer.2

However, strict compliance with the GFD can be challenging due to social challenges and primarily due to the high cost of gluten-free foods.3 Studies in different populations in North America and Europe report a price between 4 to 5 folds higher for gluten-free foods than those containing gluten.4 This is particularly problematic for those who rely on these foods to maintain their health, as with CD.

References

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-2. Kivelä L, Caminero A, Leffler DA, et al. Current and emerging therapies for coeliac disease. Nature Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020 Nov 20;1-15.

-3. Pinto-Sanchez MI, Verdu EF, Gordillo MC, et al. Tax-deductible provisions for gluten-free diet in Canada compared with systems for gluten-free diet coverage available in various countries. Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015;29(2):104-10.

-4. Babio N, Lladó Bellette N, Besora-Moreno M, et al. A comparison of the nutritional profile and price of gluten-free products and their gluten-containing counterparts available in the Spanish market. Nutr Hosp. 2020 Aug 27;37(4):814-822.

-5. Hall N. J., Rubin G., Charnock A. Systematic review: adherence to a gluten-free diet in adult patients with celiac disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2009;30:315-330.

-6. Gonzalez A, Temprano MP, Costa F et al. Costo, disponibilidad y valor nutricional de los alimentos libres de gluten en Argentina. Su relación con la adherencia a la dieta libre de gluten. Estudio multicéntrico Acta Gastroenterol Latinoam 2023;53(3):257-264.

-7. Pinto-Sanchez MI, Blom JJ, Gibson PR, Armstrong D. Nutrition Assessment and Management in Celiac Disease. Gastroenterology. 2024 Jun;167(1):116-131.e1.

-8. Aggarwal N, Agarwal A, Alarouri H, Dwarakanathan V, Dang S, Ahuja V, Makharia GK. Patients with Celiac Disease Have High Prevalence of Fatty Liver and Metabolic Syndrome. Dig Dis Sci. 2024 Apr 25.

-9. Moubarac JC. Ultra-processed foods in Canada: consumption, impact on diet quality and policy implications. In: Montreal: TRANSNUT, University of Montreal; 2017.

-10. Narula N, Chang NH, Mohammad D, Wong ECL, Ananthakrishnan AN, Chan SSM, Carbonnel F, Meyer A. Food Processing and Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2023;21:2483 2495.e2481. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2023.01.012

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Published

2024-07-01

How to Cite

Echague, F., & Pinto-Sánchez, M. I. (2024). "Let Food Be Your Medicine": the Dilemma of Lack of Access to Food Therapy in Celiac Disease. Acta Gastroenterológica Latinoamericana, 54(2), 111–114. https://doi.org/10.52787/agl.v54i2.415

Issue

Vol. 54 No. 2 (2024): Acta Gastroenterológica Latinoamericana

Section

Editorials

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Francisco Echague, M. Inés Pinto-Sánchez

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.