has an article on the McDonald's Fries issue. It's in the Ask the Doctor section, and the question is answered by Dr. Stefano Guandalini, professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago, and worldwide president of the Federation of International Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.
He reached pretty much the same conclusion that I did. He pointed out that McDonald's can't detect any gluten, using the best test available, but there probably are tiny amounts present, so they are caught by the new law, and can't call it gluten free, since it does indeed have gluten added, and they can't prove that it is all removed by processing.
It comes down to a quesion of what you are willing to live with. He claims that all of his patients who continue to eat the fries show no symptoms, but some parents choose to not let their kids eat them, and he doesn't see anything wrong with that either, (mostly since he considers fries to be junk food, anyway. LOL).
Here's the part that bothers me. He recommends that parents who allow their kids to eat the fries, also have their kids regularly tested for gliadin antibodies, just to be sure they are not reacting. The troubling part is that he recommends that the testing should be done by a simple blood test. Am I looking at this wrong, or are they going to miss all but full-blown reactions that way? IOW, they will have to eat gluten regularly, for an extended period, in order to get a positive result, will they not?
Tex
Luce - The New Summer 2006 Issue of LIVING WITHOUT Magazine
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Luce - The New Summer 2006 Issue of LIVING WITHOUT Magazine
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex,
Thanks so much for the heads-up on LW for the summer. I was just at WFs on June 1, and that issue wasn't there yet, I don't believe. I just pick up a copy if something in it looks interesting rather than subscribe like I used to, so I would've certainly bought that issue. Hope there are some left next visit.
Dr. G is certainly one of the big, mainstream guys in the conventional celiac world, so I'm pretty sure lots of diagnosed celiacs or their parents will take what he says to heart. Still, from what you report, it sounds as if he leaves some room for decision-making on the part of parents, doesn't it? I'll have to read that article to make sure I understand his stand, and then, let you know.
Sometimes I think that those of us with M.C. are even MORE sensitive to gluten and other things than the typical celiac, but maybe I've become an M.C. chauvenist (sp) since I acquired this disease.
You know how family members get Dr. Fine's tests when one of their family gets diagnosed...well, even Dr. Fine doesn't recommend that the family of a diagnosed person go gf if he doesn't have any symptoms, but then his tests don't miss ANY full blown celiac disease like the conventional blood tests do, so they can pick up damage much earlier. I assume he recommends retesting often, even without the appearance of symptoms just to make sure that silent damage doesn't sneak up on people. Hope so.
Yours , Luce
Thanks so much for the heads-up on LW for the summer. I was just at WFs on June 1, and that issue wasn't there yet, I don't believe. I just pick up a copy if something in it looks interesting rather than subscribe like I used to, so I would've certainly bought that issue. Hope there are some left next visit.
Dr. G is certainly one of the big, mainstream guys in the conventional celiac world, so I'm pretty sure lots of diagnosed celiacs or their parents will take what he says to heart. Still, from what you report, it sounds as if he leaves some room for decision-making on the part of parents, doesn't it? I'll have to read that article to make sure I understand his stand, and then, let you know.
Sometimes I think that those of us with M.C. are even MORE sensitive to gluten and other things than the typical celiac, but maybe I've become an M.C. chauvenist (sp) since I acquired this disease.
You know how family members get Dr. Fine's tests when one of their family gets diagnosed...well, even Dr. Fine doesn't recommend that the family of a diagnosed person go gf if he doesn't have any symptoms, but then his tests don't miss ANY full blown celiac disease like the conventional blood tests do, so they can pick up damage much earlier. I assume he recommends retesting often, even without the appearance of symptoms just to make sure that silent damage doesn't sneak up on people. Hope so.
Yours , Luce