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Do celiac patients need to take vitamins?
Food nutrition in the case of celiac
disease is important to be considered. When people who
have celiac disease consume any foods containing gluten, their mucosa
membrane of the small intestine is inflamed and damaged. After this damage,
the small intestine’s ability to absorb vitamins is impaired. As a result
of this, vitamin deficiency occurs which can further lead to anemia, short
stature, fatigue, neurological dysfunction, osteoporosis, etc. Besides,
several studies have proved that celiac disease has vitamin deficiencies
as one of its symptoms.
After adopting a gluten-free diet also, some vitamin deficiencies seem
to persist for years or even longer. A study, conducted in 2009 at Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, including study participants
of 109 men and women affected with celiac disease, assessed these people
if their gluten-free diet was able to provide them with the necessary
vitamins and nutrients that the body requires in its normal functions.
The participants were asked to report all the foods they consumed without
leaving out any details for a period of three days. It showed up that
they lacked nutrients.
So the answer is obvious that celiacs need vitamin supplements
other than gluten-free diet.
Celiac Sprue Association warns in its website that celiacs were forbidden
from taking nutritional supplements without
their physician’s advice. Even the current guidelines for vitamin intakes
have been built based on the studies on healthy people who do have celiac
disease. Hence a celiac, prior to taking any supplements, must have their
vitamin status examined by a physician or a registered dietician, so that
he will get a glimpse of what vitamins he lack and in what amounts.
The following includes a list of nutrients that have been found to be
lacking in the study conducted in 2009 as well as the percentages of participants
lacking the recommended daily intake.
· Vitamin D: 92.7%
· Folate: 85.3%
· Thiamin: 58.7%
· Vitamin B6: 34.9%
· Vitamin B12: 29.4%
· Niacin: 29.4%
· Riboflavin: 24.8%
· Calcium: 81.7%
· Fiber: 74.3%
· Iron: 41.3%
The researchers in addition to these assessments, asked the study participants
in filling out a questionnaire for them about the quality of life they
live. The observations were that the participants, who had high fiber
intake, were found to have the best quality of life. You can just browse
the net if you want any tips for the addition of fiber content to the
gluten-free diet and consult your doctor before starting it.
Since very high percentages of people lack the recommended intake goals
in the case of many nutrients, supplements must be included into their
diet but only with the consultation of a doctor. The researchers confirmed
that this finding has given clues for the higher rates of anemia
and osteoporosis among the celiacs. They concluded their study stating
multivitamin supplements are inevitable for the celiac population.
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