News Release

Could non-gluten proteins play a role in celiac disease?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Chemical Society

Although gluten-free foods are trendy among the health-conscious, they are necessary for those with celiac disease. But gluten, the primary trigger for health problems in these patients, may not be the only culprit. Scientists are reporting in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research that people with the disease also have reactions to non-gluten wheat proteins. The results could help scientists better understand how the disease works and could have implications for how to treat it.

Armin Alaedini, Susan B. Altenbach and colleagues point out that celiac disease symptoms are triggered when someone with the disease eats wheat, rye or barley. Research has shown that the group of proteins known as gluten, which in wheat make up about 75 percent of all proteins, causes an immune reaction in people with celiac disease. As a result, patients experience problems, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, anemia and nutritional deficiencies. Currently, the only recommended treatment is to avoid gluten-containing foods altogether. Scientists have largely ignored non-gluten proteins, and the few studies on their potential role in celiac disease produced conflicting results. Alaedini and Altenbach's teams wanted to further investigate the matter.

The researchers found that a substantial number of the subjects with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (a rash associated with the disease) had an immune reaction to five groups of non-gluten proteins. The scientists conclude that current and future research into clinical treatments for celiac disease should take non-gluten proteins into account.

###

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us: Twitter Facebook


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.