Celiac - Discover The Link With The Obesity

By Cinzia Cervellini

Against the common believe, it's seems that there's a connection between the obesity and the celiac, even if today the scientific researchers are trying to find some confirms.

Most probably the causes that link these two diseases are:

genetic predisposition;
the malabsorbtion syndrome that cause a desire of the food, despite having absorbed enough calories. When the caloric amount is excessive the need of continuous eating, carrying the main fat through the body, so the pancreas's activity is reduced damaging the capacity of the cells to burn the fat stored provoking the weight's increase.

Definition:
the celiac is much diffused disease, but still very little known because of the insufficient information's campaign about this issue, a digestive disease of genetic origin that provokes the malabsorption of the food, is caused from chronic inflammation of the tenuous intestine due to the immunity reaction triggered from a mix of proteins – gliadins – contained in the “gluten”, protein that is founds in the grain and cereals.

When it appears:

in pediatric age with the following symptoms:

1.weight loss;2.diarrhoea;3.low growth;4.anaemia;5.herpetiforme dermatitis.

It can show itself also in adult age, in some cases the patient doesn't introduce any symptoms, for this reason it's known of:

Silent celiac:
there are alterations in the patients intestinal mucosa, but the subjects doesn't show the symptoms, because it's interested only one part of the tenuous intestine, but the remaining works regularly. But it's possible that increasing the doses of “gluten” present in the feeding, they trigger the symptoms.

Latent celiac:
the patient shows the genetic sensibility to the disturb but doesn't have neither the intestinal mucosa damaged nor the symptoms. But it's possible that increasing the assumed doses of “gluten” with the feeding, because an important event, like a surgery intervention, pregnancy or childbirth, they trigger the symptoms.

Diagnosis:
a child who doesn't grow must be submitted to a pediatric visit and must have a test verifying the existence of the malabsorption syndrome. Blood exams revealing the responsible antibody presence of the disease. For a confirm of the diagnosis it's necessary to resort the intestinal biopsy and to state the damages provoked by the gluten to the intestinal mucosa.

If the child is too little it's necessary repeating the exam after 6 months of gluten-free diet and after others 6 months of diet containing the gluten. All this to establish that the damages to the intestinal mucosa is provoked from the gluten.

The treatment:
despite this is a disease much diffused that it can have serious consequences for the child's and adult's health, actually is possible to cure it just with a gluten-free diet for lifetime.

Warning:
during the cooking of the meals, avoid accurately, to use the same cutlery stirring food for the family and the celiac subject, because you could contaminate the food of the patient rendering the gluten-free diet inefficient.

If the gluten free diet is not followed exactly it risks to develop the following diseases:

• low height (most of all when the disease is developed in childhood age and so the malabsorption syndrome provokes denutrition);
• abdominal pains;
• delay of development puberal;
• liver's diseases;
• intestinal cancer (intestinal linphom, adenocarcinoma);
• osteoporosis (provoked from a malabsorption of the calcium);
• epileptic convulsions (caused from a deficiency of folic acid);
• type 2 diabetes (youth insulin-dependent).

Advice:

Try to get, through the celiac associations, the “manual” to carry always with you, a product list of which the industries warranty the absolute absence of gluten.

Who says that the celiacs are forced to deprive themselves of the pleasures of the table? The problem, following a gluten-free diet, can be afforded with much serenity without renouncing to the taste and the social life.

No to gluten, yes to the eating pleasures!

Cinzia Cervellini is a private article writer and owner of blog: http://defeat-childhood-obesity.blogspot.com a public space where she loves sharing with the persons who asking and looking forward the responses about childhood obesity, issue of critical and increasing importance.