Many people with celiac disease turn to probiotics for better gut health.
But a new study suggests that’s probably not a good idea. Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center say their tests showed more than half of the popular probiotic products they tested contain gluten, the protein that causes problems for people with celiac disease.
Gluten exposure can cause a variety of harmful … and sometimes painful … bodily responses. Symptoms include digestive problems, achy joints, rashes and acid reflux, to name a few. The digestive problems result from damage that occurs in the intestines.
In severe cases of the disease … or with prolonged gluten exposure … intestinal damage can be so bad that the organ no longer pulls nutrients from food.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards for a “gluten-free” food or supplements label require fewer than 20 gluten parts per million. However, researchers say this standard may not be strict enough. Specifically, they point to the problem of repeated exposure to small amounts of gluten, such as those they found in numerous probiotic products.
Of the 22 items studied, 12 contained gluten. Eight of those items were labeled gluten free. All but two abided by F-D-A rules for levels of gluten allowable under the label.
This many supposedly gluten-free products with gluten in them is a problem, the researchers say, because about a quarter of people with celiac disease take dietary supplements. What’s more, according to their past research, celiac patients taking supplements tend to have more celiac-related problems than those who don’t take them.
One thing is sure: More research is needed to understand how these uber-small amounts of gluten affect people with celiac disease.