Gluten Free Living

There are many dire diseases associated with celiac disease however none are so insidious as its effect on fertility. While other diseases manifest themselves with observable symptoms, infertility is the absence of something (pregnancy) that until recently could not be proved or even inferred. While the information quoted below is not definitive, it strongly suggests that untreated CD can increase infertility and that maintaining a strict gluten free diet can massively reduce infertility effects.

The effects on pregnancy are better defined and are discussed at the end of this article.

CD FEMALE FERTILITY

The papers on celiac disease and infertility seem to quote the same statistics, which since 2000 all retain the same positive message. That is, If you are celiac, you must maintain your gluten free diet while attempting pregnancy and once successful, during pregnancy. The only extra advice is to replace the vitamins and minerals that you may be missing by excluding gluten grains from your diet.

The reason for maintaining a gluten free diet during attempts at conception are that it is believed that Infertility and miscarriage in celiacs are caused by mal-absorption affects – due to the body’s inability to absorb the nutrients required conceive and then carry a healthy baby. In fact studies have shown that “the incidence of celiac disease in women with unexplained infertility has been estimated at four to eight percent” (ref 1)

Researchers also found that “CD women who were not on the gluten-free diet started their menstrual cycle up to a year and a half later than women with celiac disease who were following the diet. In addition, researchers found that up to 39% of women not on the gluten free diet experienced periods of amenorrhea (irregular periods), compared to only nine percent of CD women who were on the gluten-free diet. Women with celiac disease who were not on the gluten-free diet were found to enter menopause four to five years earlier than women with celiac disease who were on the diet. (ref 1)

“Researchers who have studied women with infertility have found that they test positive for celiac disease-related antibodies at a rate that is ten-fold higher than the normal population.” (ref 1). It is noted that many of these ‘infertile’ women often go onto delivering healthy babies, assisted by eating a strict gluten free diet.

“Celiac disease and infertility causes the menstrual cycle to be an on again off again thing. Unfortunately, under those conditions, it may take longer to become pregnant, if at all, since a gluten free diet may bring on the menstrual cycle earlier and menopause earlier.” (ref 2)

While none of this data proves that celiac disease causes infertility, it strongly suggests that people diagnosed as celiacs are likely to have more difficulty conceiving and they can massively improve their chances when observing a strict gluten free diet.

CD MALE FERTILITY

“A Male CD person has a greater risk of infertility and other reproductive disturbances, as well as a greater incidence of hypoandrogenism.” (ref 4) This medical condition means a deficiency of androgens in the body that leads to a lack of virility and sexual potency.

“As regards nutritional aspects, the folic acid deficiency of CD can affect rapidly proliferating tissues, such as the embryo and the seminiferous epithelium. More attention should be paid to deficiencies of fat-soluble vitamins, such as A and E, observed in CD. Vitamin A is important for Sertoli cell function as well as for early spermatogenetic phases. Vitamin E supports the correct differentiation and function of epidydimal epithelium, spermatid maturation and secretion of proteins by the prostate. Therefore, CD male patients should be considered as vulnerable subjects” (ref 4).

The practical conclusion of this is that just as CD has a profound effect on women’s fertility, it has a similar effect on male fertility via the quality of their sperm. Again a gluten free diet is the only viable ‘fix’ for infertility issues for males who experience unexplained infertility.

PREGNANCY

The adverse effects of CD are equally devastating on pregnancy, though as for conception, celiacs pregnancies can be restored to near normal by following a gluten free diet. Rather than ‘gild the lily’ I will simply quote the known statistics below:

“In a study of 25 patients and 60 pregnancies of CD women, researchers found that 21% of women who were not on the gluten-free diet experienced pregnancy loss, and 16% of women experienced fetal growth restriction”. (ref 5)

“In a large Danish study with 211 infants and 127 mothers with celiac disease, researchers found that the mean birth weight of children born to mothers on a gluten-containing diet was significantly lower than babies born to mothers without celiac disease. Interestingly, this same study determined that women on the gluten-free diet gave birth to children weighing more than those born to mothers without celiac disease!” In a case-control study that looked at the effect of the gluten-free diet on pregnancy and lactation, investigators learned that women with celiac disease who were not on the gluten-free diet experienced pregnancy loss at a rate of 17.8%, compared to 2.4% of women with celiac disease who were on the gluten-free diet.

“in a group of women with celiac disease who had been pregnant more than once, researchers looked at the effect of the gluten-free diet on their future pregnancies. They concluded that the institution of the gluten-free diet upon diagnosis caused a relative 35.6% drop in pregnancy loss, 29.4% drop in low-birth weight babies and an increase of two and a half months of breastfeeding.” (ref 5)

As you can readily see, celiac disease, caused by eating grains that include gluten, has far reaching effects regarding inhibiting reproduction. If you have any of the symptoms (discussed on the site in the ref box), it is a relatively simple process to get yourself checked out. Unexplained infertility is a growing subset of the reason people can not have children. If you think you have some of the symptoms, as well as infertility, there are several non invasive tests you can try before going the IVF path.

References

1    http://www.maleinfertilitysolutions.com/celiac-disease-and-infertility.php

2    http://celiac-disease.com/how-does-celiac-disease-cause-infertility/

3    http://health.bloodyhealth.com/medicines-and-remedies/infertility-and-celiacrsquos-disease-the-warning-signs/

About The Author

Popularity: 4% [?]

Sometimes people’s priorities can be somewhat skewed by external factors that can lead to making the wrong choices. Most of the time it is not that big of a deal because what is lost in the course of the bad decision is material or replaceable, like money.

If you make a series of poor lifestyle choices, however, and it is your health that suffers no amount of money in the world will allow you to buy your health back. Yet most people make more mistakes when it comes to their health than any other aspect of their life.

This is why there are more cases of virtually every disease than ever before. More people are seeing doctors than ever before. More people are on more prescription drugs than ever before. People are more stressed out than ever before.

It is the dietary and lifestyle choices people make that drastically affect their health. With a little education and discipline, however, all of that could be reversed. One such dietary alteration that can be made is to make a commitment to gluten free living.

Problems Gluten Free Living Can Eliminate

There a host of problems that people can avoid if they prescribe to gluten free living. There are a number of minor discomforting conditions that people who have low tolerance for gluten may exhibit and there are also serious reactions that the body may undergo under certain circumstances.

Additionally, there is always the potential for a serious disease to develop from the ingestion of gluten. Now, this is not presented herein as a way of frightening anyone. Rather, this information is presented to make people aware of the potential benefits of gluten free living, as reducing gluten consumption may be a healthy move for you.

How To Start Living Gluten Free

To start you need to realize that you are obviously going to have to change your diet. Nothing is easy and seeking to live a diet that is completely gluten free will require a little discipline. There may be a need to get used to the new and unique gluten free foods.

To identify gluten free foods simply read the ingredients of what you are buying. If it contains gluten don’t buy it. Most pasta and wheat products contain gluten. However there are also many gluten free alternatives to the foods you love.

If you would like to learn about these simply pick up a gluten free guide or a gluten free cookbook. There are many available in health food stores and on the Internet. They contain tons of information about gluten intolerance, what foods to avoid, and what food you can eat as well as many substitutes for the foods you love that normally contain gluten.

Yes, this may sound simple, but it can be tough to put into action. Again, a little discipline will go a long way. But what do you have to live for if you don’t have your health? Start making an effort to make smarter choices when it comes to your food. Your body will thank you for it.

About the Author

Brue M. Baker, is an expert on natural health and fitness who has helped people from across the world sky-rocket their health and well-being. Rather than hitting your head against a wall trying to find unbiased health information let Brue take you by the hand and give you the best natural health information and resources on the web. Visit DietHealthAndFitness.com to learn more.

Popularity: 1% [?]

•    1/2 cup canola oil
•    1 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour
•    1/2 cup potato starch
•    1/4 cup arrowroot
•    1 1/4 cups sugar
•    2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
•    1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•    1 teaspoon salt
•    1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
•    2 tablespoons cinnamon
•    1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 7-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan with oil.
In larger bowl, whisk together flour, potato starch, arrowroot, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
In a smaller bowl, stir together oil, applesauce, and 1 cup hot water. Add applesauce mixture to dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Reserve 1/3 cup of batter in a small bowl. Pour the rest into the loaf pan. Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon into reserved batter. Add to loaf pan, swirling to combine.
Bake about 20 minutes. Brush top of loaf with oil. Bake 15 minutes more. Cool completely before unmolding.


Popularity: 2% [?]

By: Gen Wright

Poor nutrition is a concern that affects many people, but did you know that as many as 1 in every 133 Americans (or 2 million in the continental United States) suffer from a special kind of nutritional disorder called celiac disease that can lead to a variety of other health problems?

Once thought to be a disease that affected only a rare few is now known to be much more common. And while that does not bode well for those that suffer from its effects, it has led to a greater understanding of celiac disease that is aiding (and will continue to do so) the treatment effort.

What Is Celiac Disease?

For those who have never heard of celiac disease, here is how it works: quite simply, celiac disease is a disorder of the digestive system that inflicts damage to the small intestine and prevents proper absorption of nutrients. People afflicted have a particularly difficult time digesting gluten, which is a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. More specifically, celiac disease damages the villi, or protrusions of the small intestine lining that aid in absorption. As a result, no matter how much an individual eats, he or she will remain malnourished.

What Triggers Celiac Disease?

While celiac disease is a genetic disorder, certain factors can trigger it. You can expect celiac disease to become active, if it runs in the family and is not immediately noticeable, after events such as surgery, infection, stress, pregnancy, or childbirth.

Children and adults can exhibit symptoms of the disease differently. In children, signs such as these could raise the flag:

• Chronic diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Excessive weight loss
• Abdominal bloating
• Abnormalities in stool, such as fattiness, unusually foul odors, or discoloration
• Adults may exhibit some of these signs, though it is far less common. Usually, celiac disease manifests itself in one or more of the following ways:
• Fatigue
• Arthritis
• Depression or anxiety
• Seizures
• Sores inside of mouth
• Skin rashes
• Numbness of the feet and hands
• Osteoporosis
• Pain in bones or joints
• Unexplained iron deficiencies in blood (or anemia)

Keep in mind these symptoms are not automatic indicators you carry the disease. Awareness of family medical history is extremely helpful, and consultation with your doctor is essential. It is important for you to realize that celiac disease does not have to rule your life. There are treatments available, but you must take advantage of them. Oftentimes, a gluten-free diet helps you to live a normal life, free of the long-term effects, such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune thyroid and liver diseases.

But it is just as important for you to realize that celiac disease is a condition, which can lead to more harmful long-term effects. By knowing the limits of your body, and the proper nutritional information for how to deal with celiac disease, you place yourself at less risk. For more information on understanding celiac disease, visit our website, where you will find more details on what is celiac disease: how it affects you, how you can specifically fight back, and what to expect in both short and long terms.

About the Author

To learn What is Celiac Disease, visit www.WhatIsCeliacDisease.com.

Popularity: 1% [?]

When you are diagnosed with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance, your life can become quite difficult if you don’t know how or where to find food that is gluten free. The good news is that you can, it just takes a little effort on your part to learn how you can find the foods that you love, gluten free.

There is a long list of foods that contain gluten that you need to avoid. One of the items on that list is oats. That means that if you are gluten intolerant you can’t eat anything that is made with oats. This includes:

• Cereal
• Cookies
• Breading on some frozen foods

Gluten free oats can’t, or really shouldn’t, advertise themselves as gluten free until they get a certificate from the GFCO (Gluten Free Certification Organization). The GFCO is a non-profit organization that is a part of The Gluten Intolerance Group.

They work with the FDA on occasion. They only check food for the presence of gluten and nothing else. They still urge you to seek out a professional doctor for all your medical and Celiac or gluten intolerance questions.

Get Groats instead of Oats

No that is not a typo. A “groat” is otherwise known as an “oat berry.” They can be found mostly in health food stores, specialty food stores, and other online equivalents. They are round oats with hardly any gluten.

Just be sure to read the label carefully before purchasing. Groats are usually sold whole and you have to grind them yourself to make flour. However, many gluten free products are made with “oat groats,” which you now know are gluten free oats. You can have buckwheat groats, millet groats as well as oat groats.

What About Real Oats?

There are, indeed, gluten free oats made of real oats. They do not contain gluten, perhaps because they are not flattened, processed or treated with addictives and preservatives. You can find these oats by their label which says, “Gluten Free Oats.” However, you need to read the label for gluten content because usually these oats still contain small traces of gluten. Anything under 20 ppm (parts per million) is good, 10 ppm is great.

With all of that being said, there are some Celiacs and gluten intolerant people who do very well on fresh oats that haven’t had anything added to them. The New England Journal of Medicine in 2004 concluded that a small to occasional eating of oats, either gluten free oats or not, did no harm to some Celiacs.

If you are curious as to whether or not you can eat a small amount of real oats or not, consult your physician. If not, try some of the alternatives I listed above.

About the author:

Brue Baker

Brue M. Baker is a natural health and fitness expert whose distinguished ability to help people skyrocket their health and well-being has become known all over the country. If you would like to learn how you can live a simple, gluten free lifestyle let Brue introduce you to what he considers to be the best Gluten free lifestyle guide on the planet. Visit: www.CompletelyGlutenFree.com

Popularity: 3% [?]

When going down the isles of any health food store, you’ll find more and more cereals, breads, crackers, desserts, and supplements that claim to be gluten-free. Gluten refers to the peptides in wheat, rye, and barley that are problematic for gluten-sensitive individuals and cause great amounts of damage to the small intestine of those with celiac disease. About two million people in the US have celiacdisease, and possibly more that have yet to be diagnosed. Gluten-free foods can help people with celiac disease, as well as many other conditions, feel better. There is currently no FDA regulation that defines the term “gluten-free” in labeling of foods, as long as the claim is not misleading.

Many companies currently provide an extensive selection of gluten-free supplements so that they can meet the needs of gluten-free living. For those consumers desiring a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement, there are large varieties available from many different manufacturers. Many manufacturers are trying to create a product that is able to support the digestion of gluten. They want the peptide to be broken down so that its individual amino acid will no longer damage the gut or create food sensitivities.

Supplemental digestive enzymes have been shown to give an increased advantaged to those who use a gluten-free diet along with enzymes. The Salba seed was recently introduced to those suffering from any level of gluten intolerance as a good source of fiber. It is the perfect solution because it is extremely high in fiber content for every serving and is a whole food source of fiber, which makes it better for you than a supplement that is manufactured solely to deliver fiber. Salba can be purchased as a seed and ground and pure cold-pressed oil. Because the vast majority of gluten-free foods that are available today are manufactured for great taste instead of nutrition, Salba is a great solution because it can be incorporated into gluten-free foods. Therefore, adding all the nutrition that is lacking in the products themselves, without adding any taste. Salba is also assimilated into the body easily because it is a whole food.

By not labeling the absence or presence of gluten on products, retailers and consumers are greatly challenged. Although wheat is one of the major gluten-containing grains, it’s important to remember that rye, barley, and other grains are also a source of gluten. Retailers are able to help consumers determine which supplements are gluten-free by being more knowledgeable about ingredients containing gluten that are included in dietary supplements. For example, grains are used in the processing of many ingredients, so it is often necessary to seek out the hidden gluten. Among those ingredients that should be avoided by consumers seeking gluten-free products are modified starch, vegetable gum, and caramel. Gluten-intolerant consumers often deal with the issue of managing their own health while being around those who do not have to handle gluten-intolerant issues. Due to Salba’s neutral taste and ease of use, it is the perfect solution of gluten-free and non gluten-free members who are found in the same household and eating the same foods. Salba can help the whole family to improve their health dramatically.

About the author:

Darrell Miller

More information on Gluten free fiber supplements is available at VitaNet, LLC Health Food Store. http://vitanetonline.com/

Popularity: 2% [?]

Here are the ingredients you will need:

* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups gluten-free French Bread/Pizza Mix
* 4.5 teaspoon gluten-free yeast
* 1/4 cup powdered sugar
* 2/3 cup powdered milk
* 4 eggs
* 2 cups water
* 1/2 stick butter (melted)
* 1 teaspoon of cold-pressed olive oil

Mix the top 5 ingredients. Heat water to 110-115 degrees. Add butter and olive oil. Beat the eggs. Add to liquids. Beat to mix.

Add to remaining dry ingredients and beat for about 2 minutes high speed. Cover tightly and let rise for 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Beat for 2 minutes. Dough should be soft and sticky now.

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grab a sheet of aluminim foil. Prepare strips of round aluminum foil and seal by crimping the ends. Lightly scoop the dough and scoop out enough to fill the little aluminim foil rings. Rub olive oil on the bottom of a fat drinking glass and gently press on the dough to evenly smooth the top. Now cover with plastic wrap and let rise to the top of the foil rings. Brush gently tops with olive oil before baking. Then bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden color of liking.

Fire up the all natural low-fat burgers and delicious vegetables on the grill and you are set. Now anyone living a gluten-free lifestyle can be included at your next backyard BBQ.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jarrett_Sexton

Popularity: 3% [?]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathleen_Reale

Popularity: 2% [?]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_A._Bishop

Popularity: 2% [?]