Episode 162 March 2021 Roundup

A Conversation with Ellen Bayens

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

It’s the beginning of March and time again to talk with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com to delve into some of the studies and information she has brought us over the past month about celiac disease and the gluten free diet.  Ellen and I talk about a new non-invasive patch that might make diagnosis of celiac disease easier and might be a great tool where patients don’t have access to sophisticated medical labs.  Also, there is a study Ellen has highlighted done in the UK looking at why the diagnosis of celiac disease is often missed or slowed and what steps could be taken to overcome these issues.  The necessity for a gluten challenge to diagnose those who have already started a gluten free diet has long been an issue for our community.  Ellen tells us that researchers are working on a test that might allow those already on a gluten free diet to still be properly diagnosed.  I was curious to learn from Ellen about one of the directions of research into Covid-19 that might have repercussions for celiac disease.  Long-haul Covid-19 patients are showing signs of an autoimmune reaction which the researchers find curious and may lead to more investigation into the triggers for autoimmune conditions including celiac disease.  Ellen and I always get around to talking about food and on this episode we discuss an article presented by Schar about wheat starch, which is common in Europe and not well understood in North America.

Microneedle Patch – Non-Invasive Biomarker May be Way of the Future

Medical Inertia to Blame for Delayed / Missed Celiac Disease Diagnoses

Test Could Preclude Gluten Challenge in Some Patients Who Have Already Gone Gluten Free

Something Celiacs Can Relate to: COVID-19 Virus May Prompt Body to Attack Itself

What is Wheat Starch and is it Safe for Celiacs?

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I’m glad Ellen has taken on the job of uncovering scientific studies and investigations.  It’s not something I would ever tackle.  When a particular study that catches my interest has been brought to my attention, often by Ellen, I am sometimes able to track down one of the investigators and interview them for the podcast.  I enjoy delving into the information, but not necessarily researching to uncover it.

After I finished my conversation with Ellen I thought about what the diagnosis of celiac disease might look like in 10, 15, or even 20 years from now.  My celiac daughter is an adult now, and hopefully one day she will choose to have children.  We both will be concerned about whether her children, my grandchildren, will develop celiac disease.  They likely will be the lucky ones, as we will be watching for the signs.  My other daughter who is not celiac, but knows a great deal about it, will also be watching for the signs.  What about other mothers and fathers?

Fortunate are those who get a relatively quick diagnosis because another family member has been diagnosed.  There are so many others, that it makes me wonder how the scientific research being done now will affect the way we diagnose celiac disease in the future, and what ramifications that might have for the diagnosis of other genetic related, or autoimmune conditions.

It’s not unreasonable to think that in the future, a visit to a doctor complaining about particular symptoms could leave a patient with a prescription for a series of patches, similar to the delivery systems for birth control, or the continuous measurement of glucose levels.  Wearing patches, targeted at the body’s reactions to toxins (by attracting particular anti-bodies) is so new now, but may be the norm in not so many years. 

The UK study which looked at the delays in diagnosis of celiac disease may be a thing of the past, if wearing a patch might unlock a diagnosis.  It’s easy for foresee celiac disease being on a list of conditions that might be diagnosed this way, and it would be up the doctor to use the patches to confirm or rule out these conditions.

What a world that would be.  So many questions – how big would the celiac/gluten free population be?  How would that effect our supply and variety of gluten free foods and the availability to eat in restaurants? How many others would be properly diagnosed with other conditions that have jumped the hurdles of diagnosis. 

What if the research into long-haul patients of Covid-19 resulted in a discovery of a trigger for celiac disease? 

The future of medical science is so bright, even if we just look through the narrow lens of celiac disease.  Ellen, you’ve put my brain to work in a good way on the studies you’ve uncovered this month – thanks for that!