By Jason Clevenger
Summary: The effects of long-term gluten-free oat exposure on patients with celiac disease were studied by British clinicians. In the study, 46 patients (16 male, 30 female) positively diagnosed with celiac disease ingested an average of 10 ounces of gluten-free rolled oats per week for one year. The patients enrolled in the study maintained a symptom diary as well as underwent blood testing every three months and a duodenal biopsy before and at the conclusion of the study. None of the patients exhibited adverse effects from the oat challenge.
Conclusion: Conflicting results from previous studies suggested that long-term oat consumption at a sufficient quantity may activate celiac disease in some individuals. This study adds to the growing body of literature that uncontaminated oats are safe for celiac disease patients and that the immune response caused by gluten exposure is fundamentally different than that caused by oats.
[1] “Immunological indicators of coeliac disease activity are not altered by long-term oats challenge.”, Cooper SE, Kennedy NP, Mohamed BM, Abuzakouk M, Dunne J, Byrne G, McDonald G, Davies A, Edwards C, Kelly J, Feighery CF, Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2013 Mar;171(3):313-8.
