Coeliac Disease - Diarrhoea, Wind and Fatigue

Gluten which has been staple in our diet for about 8,000 years. You find it in breakfast cereals, bread, biscuits, and even gravy.

Image courtesy of rakratchada torsap / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gluten is the "glue" in wheat, barley and rye and can trigger in some people an allergic reaction which can give them a lot of nasty symptoms: diarrhoea, excessive wind, nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps. fatigue, bloating, and even headaches. Weight loss, mouth ulcers, skin rashes,  depression, joint and bone pains and even hair loss can be symptoms of Coeliac Disease.

It is the Gliadin which appears to be responsible for the reactions in sufferers. The symptoms can appear at any time of life and can be triggered by pregnancy, surgery or severe emotional stress. The treatment is avoiding gluten-containing foods!

Coeliac disease can be diagnosed by a blood test. Some people don't have a positive result on this test, but still suffer from an intolerance to gluten, which can give them similar symptoms.

What can and should you eat?

Corn, soya, potatoes, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth and rice are all gluten free alternatives you can choose from.

You should have plenty of leafy green vegetables, meat and eggs to get B vitamins, as well as omega-3 oils found in fish oil and flaxseeds. Omega-3 is anti-inflammatory and will help to make you feel better.

Vitamin C is important to keep your immune system running at its best. You can find it in fresh fruit and vegetables, but also supplements.

Get your calcium from leafy green vegetables, almonds, dried apricots and soya and stock up on iron through lean meats, eggs, dried fruit and leafy-green vegetables.

Peppermint can sooth your gut and encourage healthy digestion.

To encourage healthy digestion and balance the "good" bacteria in your gut you should have a probiotic supplement, aiming for at least 10 BU bacteria. Avoid "probiotic drinks" as they are loaded with sugar and contain a lot less probiotics.

What should you avoid?

• Any gluten-containing foods like breads, pasta, cereals, biscuits, cakes, pizza, gravies - if they are not labelled "gluten-free".
• Any grains that contain gluten: Wheat, spelt, bulgur, semolina, couscus, rye, barley, malt, and possibly oats (some coeliacs can tolerate them in moderation).
• Beer and alcohol that contain grains. Destilled products like vodka should be fine, but always drink in moderation!

How can you be tested?

In a study by the University of York  the IgA-tTG test outperformed the IgA-DGP test for diagnosis and/or exclusion of coeliac disease. *)

Genetic predisposition does play a key role in Coeliac Disease. Approximately 95% of patients are HLA-DQ2 positive and the remaining patients are usually HLA-DQ8 positive. They are necessary for disease but not sufficient for disease development with an estimated risk of 36-53%.

As people often suffer from a variety of intolerances, a Food intolerance test might be also useful.

How can I book an appointment with Dr Frey?

I have now a 24/7 online booking system. Simply go to www.bookanytime.co.uk/drfrey to schedule an appointment. For further information simply write to contact@dr-frey.com or leave a voicemail on 01449 833 833.

How much is your investment?

• The fee for a 30-min consultation is £ 75.00. 
• The IgA-tTG is available for £ 42.50.
• A complete Coeliac Disease profile including IgA-tTG and HLA DQ2/DQ8 is available for £ 124.00. 
• Food Intolerance Testing with ImuPro 300 which tests over 270 different food items is available for £ 449.00 

(Prices correct as of 13.07.2014)

*) Lewis NR, Scott BB. Meta-analysis: deamidated gliadin peptide antibody and tissue transglutaminase antibody compared as screening tests for coeliac disease. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2010; 31(1): 73-81

Stress Less: How to Eliminate Stress in Your Work Life

Stress Less: How to Eliminate Stress in Your Work Life

Warning to prescribe paracetamol for osteoarthritis

NICE warns against prescribing paracetamol for osteoarthritis | News Article | Pulse Today

Experts were "extremely concerned" about the link of higher doses of paracetamol for patients with osteoarthritis to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and renal adverse events.

It becomes more and more difficult to offer patients a workable solution for their pains. This proves again that prevention is better - and easier - than cure. 

Arthritis is one of many inflammatory diseases. It is important to feed your body with an anti-inflammatory diet, which fits to your genes.

Breastfeeding Duration Linked to Intelligence in Childhood

Breastfeeding Duration Linked to Intelligence in Childhood

(HealthDay News) – Breastfeeding duration is associated with receptive language at age 3 and intelligence at age 7, according to a study published online July 29 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Mandy B. Belfort, MD, MPH, from Boston Children's Hospital, and colleagues examined the correlations between breastfeeding duration and exclusivity and child cognition at ages 3 and 7, and assessed whether maternal fish consumption modifies these associations. Data were collected from 1,312 mothers and children from a prospective cohort study that enrolled mothers from April 1999 through July 2002 and followed the children to age 7.

The researchers found that longer breastfeeding duration correlated with higher Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test score at age 3 years and with higher intelligence on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test at age 7 years, after adjustment for sociodemographics, maternal intelligence, and home environment. There was no correlation between breastfeeding duration and Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning scores. Greater beneficial effects of breastfeeding were noted on the Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities at age 3 years for women who consumed ≥2 servings of fish per week vs. <2 servings.

"In summary, our results support a causal relationship of breastfeeding in infancy with receptive language at age 3 and with verbal and nonverbal IQ at school age," the authors write. "These findings support national and international recommendations to promote exclusive breastfeeding through age 6 months and continuation of breastfeeding through at least age 1 year."

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Source: http://www.empr.com/breastfeeding-duration-linked-to-intelligence-in-childhood/article/305215/

Fats – the good, the bad and the UGLY

Udo Erasmus wrote an excellent book called “Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill”. Fats can be divided into three categories: The good, the bad and the UGLY!

Ugly fats are fats, that can do you real harm. Why is this? Every cell in our body is like a box. And the wall of this box is made out of essential fatty acids and proteins. It is like building a house: If you don't have good building material, the house will not be of good quality.

If your diet contains “ugly” fats, your body will have to use those as cheap alternatives for essential fatty acids to build new cells. The problem with the ugly fats is, that they can make the cell walls rigid. Rigid cells cannot communicate well with other cells – they do not function well.

So what are these “ugly” fats? They were originally created as a substitute for butter in the 1800s. Margarine is made by hydrogenation of oils in the presence of a nickel catalyst. The high temperatures used in the process tend to “flip” the structure of some of the oils into the “trans” form, which results in partially hydrogenated “trans fats”.

Not only do trans fatty acids provide no known benefit to human health; there is a clear link between trans fatty acid intake and an increase in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Trans fats also lower levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), and therefore increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

The other problem is, that the oils commonly used are Omega-6 fats, which are pro-inflammatory, especially if consumed in big amounts. They also decrease the beneficial effect of the good Omega-3 fats.

According to Wikipedia there are no brands of spreads on sale in the UK which contain partially hydrogenated oils. But to my knowledge this is no guarantee that these fats are not used as ingredients in products.

The Food Authority of Australia also states that “commercially produced fats such as margarine spreads, fats used in deep frying and fats used in pastry doughs, are likely to contain some trans fats.”

When you go shopping next time, why not check the labels for words like “margarine”, “hydrogenated”, “trans fat” and “vegetable fat”. I do not touch foods with these ingredients.

Are you ready for an "oil change"? 

Have a healthy week,

Dr Oliver Frey, MD MRCGP

Food and Genes – the science of Nutrigenomics

As a busy GP in several NHS practices in Suffolk and Essex I see patients with a variety of chronic conditions, from arthritis to IBS. Many of them are not aware that changes to their diet could potentially improve their symptoms.

Our food is like fuel for a car: There is nothing wrong with Petrol or Diesel, but putting either of them in the tank of a car that requires different fuel, the engine will certainly not do well.

A couple of years ago whilst practising in Switzerland I saw a patient who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. He had been taking Methotrexate, a very powerful drug, for over 10 years. The potential side effects worried him and he asked for my help. We discovered that he had a gluten intolerance. After stopping gluten, his symptoms improved so drastically, that he decided to wean himself off the Methotrexate.

We have to keep in mind that our genetic plan is probably a couple of million years old, and our diet has changed drastically in that time. Dairy, cereals and eggs are now a staple in our diet, but they were not in the past. For some of us our genes just cannot keep up with that change.

Have you ever felt bloated after a meal? Chances are you ate something that does not fit to your genetic plan. Your digestive system aims to break down your foods into the smallest particles which are absorbed as building material or fuel. With some foods it might struggle to do this completely and instead the “left-over” pieces are broken down by bowel bacteria. They produce as by-product acid and gas.

The acid can “drill” little holes into your gut, leading to the “leaky gut syndrome”, which can be the start of a variety of inflammatory diseases.

The spectrum of possible symptoms is wide: Some people just feel chronically tired, others suffer from loose bowels, despite normal investigations.

If you think that any of these symptoms fit to you, speak to a qualified practitioner with an interest in functional/nutritional medicine. After excluding a more sinister cause of your problems, he/she can arrange tests to find out which foods work together with your genes, and which not – the science of nutrigenomics.

Best regards and good health,

Dr Oliver Frey MD MRCGP

Information presented in this article is for information only and not intended as a substitute for seeking professional medical advice. Dr Frey has a private medical practice in Stonham Aspal specialising in functional/nutritional medicine. He can be contacted by email via contact@dr-frey.com or his website www.dr-frey.com.

50% of mental health problems are established by age 14!

Artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.

Prof Jim Stevenson from the the university of Southampton and his team published in September 2007 in Lancet their study that artificial food colours and additives increased hyperactivity in children:

153 3-year-old and 144 8/9-year-old children were included in the study. Artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.

Source: The Lancet, Volume 370, Issue 9598, Pages 1560 - 1567, 3 November 2007

My comment: All food for children should be free from artificial colours, additives, preservatives, glucose-fructose syrup, hydrogenated trans-fats and other health hazards!

Hello Chefs! I am looking for recipes which include rice, fish, beans and vegetables ONLY. If you have a yummy one to share you have a chance to be featured in my new e-book "The E.D. plan" - a nutrition and lifestyle plan for great health! Looking forward hearing from you!