30. January 2011 by admin.

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2001) — ST. Paul, MN – It may be worthwhile to consider how much wheat you eat if you suffer from headaches or lack of coordination and have gluten sensitivity.

Researchers found that removing or cutting back on gluten – a protein in wheat and other grains –in the diet greatly reduced these symptoms among a middle-aged study group.

The study was reported in the latest issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study reported 10 patients with gluten sensitivity whose MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) tests suggested inflammation of the central nervous system. All had experienced occasional headaches and some suffered from unsteadiness and failure of muscle coordination. After removing gluten from their diets, nine of the 10 patients in the study found full or partial relief. One patient would not try the diet.

In one of the cases, a 50-year-old man developed headaches and nausea along with confusion and agitation. He had experienced episodic headache for four years but then the attacks progressed in frequency and severity. After starting a gluten-free diet his balance improved rapidly and his headaches cleared completely. After a relaxation of the gluten-free diet, his intermittent headaches returned.

In a similar case reported elsewhere, said study author and neurologist Marios Hadjivassiliou, M.D., a 45-year-old man had suffered from migraine since childhood, and that over time his attacks had become more severe and resistant to treatment. Following the diagnosis of gluten sensitivity and introduction of the gluten-free diet, his headaches were resolved.

“Removing the trigger factor, in this case gluten, may be a therapeutic intervention for some patients with gluten sensitivity and headache,” said Hadjivassiliou.

The diagnosis of gluten sensitivity and gluten-related neurological dysfunction relies on the presence of antibodies. In addition, certain genes make some individuals more susceptible to gluten sensitivity.

A neurologist is a medical doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 17,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit its web site at http://www.aan.com

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30. January 2011 by admin.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2009) — Celiac disease (CD) is an inherited intestinal disorder characterized by life-long intolerance to the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Although CD can be diagnosed at any age, it commonly occurs during early childhood (between 9 and 24 months). Reduced bone mineral density is often found in individuals with CD.

A new article in the journal Nutrition Reviews examines the literature on the topic and reveals that a gluten-free diet can affect children’s recovery.

Metabolic bone disease remains a significant and common complication of CD. Reduced bone mineral density can lead to the inability to develop optimal bone mass in children and the loss of bone in adults, both of which increase the risk of osteoporosis. There also exists an additional risk of fracture in people with CD.

However, evidence suggests that a gluten-free diet (GFD) promotes a rapid increase in bone mineral density that leads to complete recovery of bone mineralization in children. A GFD improves, although rarely normalizes, bone mineral density in adults. Children may attain normal peak bone mass if the diagnosis is made and treatment is given before puberty, thereby preventing osteoporosis in later life.

Also, nutritional supplements consisting of calcium and vitamin D seem to increase the bone mineral density of children and adolescents with CD.

“Our findings reinforce the importance of a strict gluten-free diet, which remains the only scientific proven treatment for celiac disease to date,” the authors conclude. “Early diagnosis and therapy are critical in preventing celiac disease complications, like reduced bone mineral density.”

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wiley-Blackwell, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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30. January 2011 by admin.

ScienceDaily (June 28, 2010) — Fifty three percent of food products specifically targeted to babies and toddlers in Canadian grocery stores have an excessive proportion — more than 20 per cent — of calories coming from sugar, according to a new study by University of Calgary professor Charlene Elliott.

The study, funded by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest Canada, examined sugar and sodium levels in 186 food products specifically marketed for babies and toddlers. Published in the advanced online version of the Journal of Public Health, the study also analysed four categories of baby/toddler foods against their adult counterparts to reveal whether a ‘halo effect’ attributed to baby/toddler food is warranted.

“There is a presumed halo effect around baby and toddler foods because people expect these foods to be held to a higher standard,” says Elliott, an associate professor in the Communications & Culture department. “Yet this is not necessarily the case.”

The study sought to draw attention to the new, and expanding category of “toddler” foods available in the supermarket — which include fruit snacks, cereal bars, desserts, and cookies — as well as baby food products outside of simple purees of fruits and vegetables (which could be classified as pure foods).

Products in the study included pureed dinners and desserts, toddler entrees and dinners, snacks (biscuits, cookies, fruit snacks, snack bars and yogurts) and some cereals. Excluded were simple purees of fruits and vegetables, juices and beverages, and also infant formulas and infant cereals designed to be mixed with breast milk or water. The study also made specific comparisons between four types of toddler food products — toddler cereal bars, cookies/biscuits, fruit snacks and yogurt — and their adult equivalents. It found that these baby/toddler foods were not nutritionally superior to the adult equivalents when it comes to sugar and in some cases fared worse.

“Assessing sugar levels in baby and toddler foods is challenging because there is currently no universally accepted standard,” explained Elliott. “While the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that adults should limit their consumption of added sugars to six teaspoons a day for women and nine teaspoons a day for men, these recommendations do not extend to children or toddlers. In fact, the AHA has not published specific ‘added sugar’ recommendations for children or toddlers — even though high sugar foods are deliberately created for them. Health Canada, similarly, offers no direct recommendations — or cautions — regarding sugar intake or upper limits on the intake of added sugar for very young children, or for toddlers, per se.”

Given this, the study used established guidelines that suggest foods are of poor nutritional quality if more than 20 per cent of their calories derive from sugar. Over half (53 per cent) of the products examined met these criteria. Forty percent of products listed sugar — or some variant like corn syrup, cane syrup, brown sugar, or dextrose) — in the first four ingredients on the label. Nineteen percent listed sugar (or some variant) as either the first or second ingredient.

“This draws attention to the, perhaps obvious, need to carefully examine the ingredient list,” says Elliott. “While some products derive their sugar content from naturally occurring fruit sugars, many products also contain added sugars. It remains fair to ask why it is necessary to add sugar to these baby or toddler products in the first place.”

Elliott also observes that much of the packaging, labeling and framing of such foods play to adult conceptions and classifications of treats and of what it means to eat a meal. “The study contained baby food desserts and ‘premium organic cookies’ for toddlers — products that would be target adult tastes, as there is no nutritional reason that babies should complete their meals with Banana Coconut Cream Dessert puree or cookies, organic or otherwise. Equally significant is the way such products steer our youngest consumers down the wrong path in terms of reinforcing tastes for sweet foods.”

Journal Reference:

1. Elliott et al. Sweet and salty: nutritional content and analysis of baby and toddler foods. Journal of Public Health, 2010; DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdq037

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