Celiac Disease

After battling stomach problems for years, Sarah Croessmann took action. On the advice of her doctor, she tried eating fewer fats, then removing dairy. Four years ago, she hit on a winner: She cut gluten from her diet. Croessmann, a 25-year-old Baltimore resident, is one of 1.6 million Americans on gluten-free diets who have not been diagnosed with celiac disease, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Celiac disease is triggered by the gluten found in wheat, barley, rye and possibly oats, which causes an autoimmune reaction and can lead to damage to the small intestine.

For Maureen Burke, “gluten-free” is not just the latest diet trend -- it's a way of life. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease in the late 1980s, Burke has wrestled with her intolerance of gluten. And now, as chef and owner of One Dish Cuisine, in Ellicott City, she shares the fruits of her labor over the past two decades with others who suffer from food allergies and intolerances: a restaurant that serves food they can eat. Burke, now 49, was diagnosed with celiac disease and lactose intolerance when she was 25. Back then, celiac disease was relatively unheard of and there weren't many options.

Henry Hunt said goodbye to gluten not because a doctor told him to, but because — like so many others — he decided he was better off without it. "I diagnosed myself," he says, "because I'm really in tune with my body. " The Baltimore insurance salesman heartily endorsed his gluten-free diet recently while lunching at Sweet 27, a cafe that has similarly done away with the protein that's become the latest nutritional boogeyman — the new carb or fat or red meat. At the tiny Remington restaurant, the owner's wife says she can't tolerate gluten, the owner avoids it out of sympathy, and since working there, the cashier has decided that he must also be one of the people who can't eat it. By some estimates, as much as a quarter of the country has cut back on gluten or eliminated it altogether.

A nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center regularly provides a guest post. This week, Shanti Lewis weighs in on gluten-free diets. Have you walked in the grocery store lately and seen a plethora of products labeled "gluten-free?" Do you think that gluten free is a means to help you lose weight or improve your health? Here's what you need to know. What is gluten? Gluten refers to a protein composite found in wheat, barley and rye. Some people suffer from celiac disease where they have an autoimmune reaction to gluten.

When it comes to holiday desserts, going gluten-free doesn't require hours in the kitchen. "Baltimore is a haven for those who require a gluten-free diet," says Kate Hudkins, the editor of the Gluten-free in Baltimore blog ( glutenfreebaltimore.blogspot.com ). "As the years have gone by, I've seen an amazing increase in the number of options available for gluten-free desserts on menus at local restaurants and bakeries. " So put down the spatula and pick up the phone. Bakeries all over the Baltimore region are whipping up delicious gluten-free desserts that will look great on any holiday table.

A nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center regularly provides a guest post. This week, Shanti Lewis weighs in on gluten-free diets. Have you walked in the grocery store lately and seen a plethora of products labeled "gluten-free?" Do you think that gluten free is a means to help you lose weight or improve your health? Here's what you need to know. What is gluten? Gluten refers to a protein composite found in wheat, barley and rye. Some people suffer from celiac disease where they have an autoimmune reaction to gluten.

In one examining room is an adorable 2-year-old girl in pigtails who is finally gaining weight. In the past six weeks, she has put on 2 pounds - in the year before that, she gained just 1. In another room is an athletic 11-year-old whose debilitating migraines caused her to miss long stretches of school, spend time in two hospital emergency rooms and go back and forth between doctors in an effort to find out why she was so sick. Down the clinic hallway is a 20-year-old college student who's exhausted all the time with unexplained stomach pains.

Celiac disease, a digestive disorder that can cause children to starve no matter how much they eat, is much more common than previously thought, according to a study by researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Despite the perception that the disorder is rare, Dr. Alessio Fasano found celiac disease in 1 out of 133 people who did not have obvious symptoms or risk factors. This means celiac disease may afflict more than 1.5 million Americans, making it more common than Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and cystic fibrosis combined.

Not so long ago, celiac disease was considered to be an allergy to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains, that predominantly affected children. Now, however, it is known that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects about 1 percent of people in the United States, says Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. What is celiac disease? Nowadays, celiac disease is perceived to be an autoimmune disease like diabetes and multiple sclerosis, not a food allergy to wheat as thought before.

Domino's became the nation's largest pizza chain this week to offer a gluten-free pizza crust, a step to meet the needs of gluten-sensitive customers, Nation's Restaurant News reported. But the crust, made from rice flour, rice starch and potato starch, is not recommended for consumers with celiac disease, according to the trade journal report. Domino's said its new product, available in all of the chain's nearly 5,000 locations and made with no wheat, rye or barley, still is risky for those with celiac disease because the pizzas are made in the same kitchens as pizzas with wheat crust.

When it comes to holiday desserts, going gluten-free doesn't require hours in the kitchen. "Baltimore is a haven for those who require a gluten-free diet," says Kate Hudkins, the editor of the Gluten-free in Baltimore blog ( glutenfreebaltimore.blogspot.com ). "As the years have gone by, I've seen an amazing increase in the number of options available for gluten-free desserts on menus at local restaurants and bakeries. " So put down the spatula and pick up the phone. Bakeries all over the Baltimore region are whipping up delicious gluten-free desserts that will look great on any holiday table.

After battling stomach problems for years, Sarah Croessmann took action. On the advice of her doctor, she tried eating fewer fats, then removing dairy. Four years ago, she hit on a winner: She cut gluten from her diet. Croessmann, a 25-year-old Baltimore resident, is one of 1.6 million Americans on gluten-free diets who have not been diagnosed with celiac disease, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Celiac disease is triggered by the gluten found in wheat, barley, rye and possibly oats, which causes an autoimmune reaction and can lead to damage to the small intestine.

Domino's became the nation's largest pizza chain this week to offer a gluten-free pizza crust, a step to meet the needs of gluten-sensitive customers, Nation's Restaurant News reported. But the crust, made from rice flour, rice starch and potato starch, is not recommended for consumers with celiac disease, according to the trade journal report. Domino's said its new product, available in all of the chain's nearly 5,000 locations and made with no wheat, rye or barley, still is risky for those with celiac disease because the pizzas are made in the same kitchens as pizzas with wheat crust.

Henry Hunt said goodbye to gluten not because a doctor told him to, but because — like so many others — he decided he was better off without it. "I diagnosed myself," he says, "because I'm really in tune with my body. " The Baltimore insurance salesman heartily endorsed his gluten-free diet recently while lunching at Sweet 27, a cafe that has similarly done away with the protein that's become the latest nutritional boogeyman — the new carb or fat or red meat. At the tiny Remington restaurant, the owner's wife says she can't tolerate gluten, the owner avoids it out of sympathy, and since working there, the cashier has decided that he must also be one of the people who can't eat it. By some estimates, as much as a quarter of the country has cut back on gluten or eliminated it altogether.

A Salisbury company on Tuesday touted its launch of the world's first gluten-free crab cakes for commercial sale. Handy International, which has been in the seafood business since the early 1900s, said the crab cakes were certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, an independent auditing body. Millions of consumers are adopting gluten-free diets to avoid certain types of cereals which could be damaging to the gastrointestinal system or cause allergies. Those who suffer from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine, also may adopt a gluten-free diet.

Doctors at the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research have received a major boost in their efforts to find new treatments, and even a cure, for the autoimmune disease — a $45 million donation that is a record for the university system. The donation, directed by the family of a grateful patient from Indiana, was announced Thursday by the center's director, Dr. Alessio Fasano during a press conference in the University of Maryland BioPark in West Baltimore, which was attended by top university administrators, staff and some patients.

Maryland researchers have identified a key receptor in the intestine that can trigger celiac disease, and they hope their findings can be applied to other autoimmune disorders, such as Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Celiac disease is a digestive disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. People with the condition cannot process a protein called gluten - most commonly found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley, but also found in medicines and vitamins.

Benjamin Schlossmann, 8, totes the same gear to all his friends' birthday parties: a gift for the guest of honor, of course, and specially made pizza and cake for himself. That's because his body rejects foods made of wheat, rye and barley. Benjamin has celiac disease, a little-known genetic disorder that prevents his body from processing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats. The only treatment is to avoid pizza, bread, pasta and ice cream - unless they are gluten-free - although experts say a cure might be just a decade away.

It's almost cool to be gluten-free. More national brands are offering gluten-free versions of their popular products, cookbooks for celiac disease sufferers are available at your local bookstore and now allergy-friendly bakeries - such as Sweet Sin Bakery in Waverly - are available at your doorstep. But it hasn't always been that way. Jules E.D. Shepard of Catonsville was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999, what she calls "the dark ages of cooking gluten free." At the time of her diagnosis, Shepard was an avid baker, whipping up cupcakes for friends and classmates.

It's almost cool to be gluten-free. More national brands are offering gluten-free versions of their popular products, cookbooks for celiac disease sufferers are available at your local bookstore and now allergy-friendly bakeries -- such as Sweet Sin Bakery in Waverly -- are available at your doorstep. But it hasn't always been that way. Jules E.D. Shepard of Catonsville was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999, what she calls "the dark ages of cooking gluten free." At the time of her diagnosis, Shepard was an avid baker, whipping up cupcakes for friends and classmates.