Patients who are newly diagnosed with celiac disease often find that they have nutritional deficiencies, and what’s worse, gluten-free products are often low in B vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, magnesium, and fiber and aren’t fortified in these nutrients.
When Swedish researchers studied adult celiac patients who had been gluten-free for ten years, they found that half of them had vitamin deficiencies, including low levels of vitamin B-6 or folate, or both, and high levels of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart attacks, vascular disease, and strokes. Before the study, all the patients had biopsies to prove their intestines were in healthy condition, so these vitamin deficiencies could not be explained by malabsorption. Italian researchers have found similar deficiencies in gluten-free adolescents.
I recommend that at your annual check-up, you should ask your doctor whether your vitamin status needs to be measured and whether you should be taking folic acid and vitamin supplements.
Article Courtesy: Tina Turbin
Let Us Know What You Think