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G'day Guys It amazes me constantly, the number of new people I meet suffering from celiac disease, from all age groups, genders and ethnicities. With this in mind, I just googled which country has the highest incidence of celiac disease (per capita); to my surprise, it turns out Finland of all places.. Google AI generated: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finland has the highest population‑wide (per capita) rate of celiac disease among sovereign nations, with an estimated ~2.4% of its population affected — roughly double the ~1% seen in most of Western Europe and North America. One important caveat: The single highest recorded prevalence anywhere (~5.6–6%) is not a country but the Sahrawi refugee population in the Tindouf camps of Algeria, an extreme outlier driven by a high HLA‑DQ2 frequency plus a sudden dietary shift to wheat‑based food aid. So: The highest country (general population): Finland (~2.4%) Highest population overall (not a sovereign state): the Sahrawi people (~5.6%) Note: Many of the higher "country" figures in some rankings (e.g., ~5.5% in Yemen, Kuwait, Tunisia) come from narrow clinical subgroups such as patients with chronic diarrhea, not the general population, so they aren't comparable to Finland's population‑wide estimate. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Celiac.com 09/11/2026 - Takeda has discontinued development of another experimental treatment for celiac disease, narrowing its once-broad drug pipeline for the condition to a single remaining phase two candidate. The decision affects TAK-101, an immune-focused therapy designed to teach the body to tolerate gliadin, one of the main protein components of gluten. The setback is disappointing for people hoping for a treatment that could reduce the immune reaction caused by accidental gluten exposure. However, it does not mean that celiac disease drug research has stopped or that the underlying treatment strategy has been disproven. It does show how difficult it is to create a therapy that can safely and reliably change the immune response to gluten. What Was TAK-101? TAK-101 was an experimental treatment built around microscopic particles containing gliadin. Rather than breaking gluten apart in the digestive tract, the therapy was designed to change how the immune system responded to it. In celiac disease, gluten exposure activates immune cells that contribute to inflammation and damage in the lining of the small intestine. TAK-101 was intended to deliver gliadin to the immune system in a way that encouraged tolerance instead of an inflammatory attack. This approach was particularly ambitious because it aimed at the autoimmune process itself. If successful, an immune-tolerance therapy might someday reduce the body’s harmful reaction to small amounts of gluten rather than simply

Celiac.com 09/10/2026 - Psyllium has long been associated with fiber supplements and digestive regularity, but food manufacturers are increasingly viewing it as something more versatile. The ingredient is gaining attention not only for its nutritional value, but also for its ability to improve the texture, structure, and moisture of foods. This combination is especially valuable in gluten-free baking. Without gluten, bread dough and similar products can struggle to hold together, trap air, retain moisture, and maintain a soft texture. Psyllium can help address several of these problems at once, which may explain why it is appearing in a growing number of gluten-free breads, pizza crusts, wraps, pastas, and baked goods. What Is Psyllium? Psyllium comes from the seeds of a plant called Plantago ovata. The outer husk of the seed is rich in soluble fiber and absorbs a large amount of water. When mixed with liquid, psyllium forms a thick gel. This gel-forming ability is responsible for many of its effects in both digestion and food preparation. In the digestive system, psyllium can help normalize stool consistency. It can soften hard stools by holding water, but it can also add structure to loose stools. This is one reason it is commonly used in fiber supplements and digestive health products. In food production, the same water-binding properties can help ingredients stick together, reduce crumbling, improve moisture retention, and create a more stable texture. Why Psyllium Works

My husband is cooking us a Full English Breakfast today aka 'a fry-up' , with an American addition - hash browns. He has just asked me, "Do you eat yeast extract?", which apparently they contain. In the UK there is a product called Marmite which is a spread made almost entirely from yeast extract which, since my diagnosis, has been deemed unsafe for coeliacs as I understand in Marmite's case the yeast is a by-product of beer brewing using malted barley and wheat. However, I was told by the daughter of a coeliac that Tesco's equivalent is safe (I should say, I haven't checked this for myself yet). It seems to me that our otherwise rigorous food labelling laws haven't yet quite tightened up on this one, and things are still a bit vague - I think this is another instance where it would be helpful if yeast containing food could be labelled 'safe for coeliacs'. Do you eat yeast extract?

Celiac.com 09/09/2026 - For people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, food labels can be both helpful and confusing. A package may say “gluten-free” on the front, while another product with similar ingredients may say “may contain wheat,” “made on shared equipment,” or “produced in a facility that also processes wheat.” For anyone trying to avoid gluten, those phrases can raise an important question: is this food safe, risky, or simply being labeled cautiously? The answer depends on the exact wording, the product, the manufacturer, and whether the food also carries a gluten-free claim. Understanding the difference between required allergen labeling, voluntary advisory statements, and regulated gluten-free claims can help people with celiac disease make safer and more confident choices. Wheat Allergy Labels Are Not the Same as Gluten-Free Labels One of the most common sources of confusion is the difference between wheat and gluten. Wheat is one of the major food allergens that must be clearly identified on packaged food labels when it is intentionally used as an ingredient. Gluten, however, is a protein found not only in wheat, but also in barley, rye, and related grains. That means a food label that says “Contains wheat” is warning people with wheat allergy that wheat is present. For people with celiac disease, that warning is also important because wheat contains gluten. However, the absence of a wheat warning does not automatically mean a product is gluten-free. Bar

G'day guys. I was doing some googling about gluten-free beer (Peroni Lager- 9ppm) and the AI included this recent study here. Australia's legal benchmark is "no detectable gluten" (< 3 ppm), the strictest gluten-free standard in the world, set by FSANZ under the Food Standards Code. This is the level that research (Bruins Slot 2015) identifies as protective for all coeliac patients, including the most sensitive and recovering ones, whereas the international 20 ppm standard only protects most. However, Coeliac Australia's own 2016 systematic review concluded that current evidence precludes establishing a definitive threshold guaranteed safe for all people with coeliac disease, due to individual variability in gluten tolerance. A 2026 Wesley Research Institute trial further confirmed that immune activation can occur at levels permitted under the 20 ppm standard, reinforcing the need for the stricter Australian limit. In practice, the < 3 ppm "no detectable gluten" rule is the benchmark that offers the greatest safety margin across all sensitivity levels. I hope this provides some context for those that fall into the super-sensitive category.. Stay healthy. Cheers Mark.

Celiac.com 09/08/2026 - Xanthan gum is a common food additive used to thicken, stabilize, and improve the texture of many processed foods. It is especially familiar to people who follow a gluten-free diet because it often helps replace some of the structure normally provided by gluten in breads, baked goods, sauces, dressings, and other products. A new animal study examined what might happen inside the colon when xanthan gum is consumed regularly over an extended period. The researchers found signs of inflammation, changes in proteins that help control the intestinal barrier, and alterations in certain types of gut bacteria. However, the study was conducted in rats, not people, so it cannot prove that ordinary xanthan gum consumption causes the same effects in humans. Why Researchers Studied Xanthan Gum Xanthan gum is produced through bacterial fermentation and is valued because it remains stable under many temperatures and levels of acidity. In addition to its use in packaged food, it is used as a thickener for people who have difficulty swallowing. Earlier research had raised questions about whether prolonged exposure to xanthan gum might affect immune activity or intestinal tissues. Particular concern had previously arisen after reports involving premature infants who developed a serious intestinal condition after receiving a xanthan gum-based liquid thickener. The researchers behind the new study wanted to investigate whether long-term xanthan gum intake could promote inf

Hi everyone, I am posting out of absolute desperation for a family member. He was officially diagnosed with Celiac Disease 14 years ago, but tragically, he never stopped eating gluten. Over the last few years, his health has completely spiraled. He has severe GI issues, but his neurological symptoms have become profound. He has severe asymmetric stiffness, rigidness, and involuntary jerking in his limbs. A neurologist recently gave him a terminal diagnosis of Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) / Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD). Because his body has been in an active state of severe immune warfare against gluten for 14 years, we are strongly questioning if this is actually advanced Gluten Encephalopathy and celiac myoclonus completely mimicking CBS. Has anyone here or a loved one experienced severe, progressive neurological damage from long-term untreated celiac that looked like a fatal brain disease? Did removing gluten stop or reverse the neurological progression after so many years of damage? How do we safely transition someone off gluten who is this sick without shocking his GI system? Any advice, research papers, or doctor recommendations (we are in Kentucky) would mean the world.

Celiac.com 09/05/2026 - Gluten-free bread has improved greatly in recent years, but many products still struggle to match the softness, rise, flexibility, and overall eating quality of conventional wheat bread. A new study examined whether a modified form of locust bean gum could help solve some of these problems by improving the structure of gluten-free batter and producing bread with better volume, softness, and resilience. The researchers focused on locust bean gum, a plant-derived ingredient already used in food production as a thickener and stabilizer. Although locust bean gum can help imitate some of the structural functions normally provided by gluten, it also has practical drawbacks. It can be difficult to dissolve, especially at room temperature, and it may create excessive thickness before it is fully and evenly mixed into a batter. To address these limitations, the researchers used an enzyme called beta-mannanase to partially break down the locust bean gum. Their goal was not to destroy its useful properties, but to adjust its structure so that it would dissolve more easily and work more effectively in gluten-free bread. Why Gluten-Free Bread Is So Difficult to Make Gluten performs several important jobs in conventional bread. When wheat flour is mixed with water, gluten proteins form an elastic network that helps the dough stretch and trap gases produced during fermentation. This network allows bread to expand without collapsing and gives the finished loaf its fam

This cake is very popular with my family. I experimented with the flours before settling on this mixture. I got the basic idea for this recipe from a post for Cherry Jazz on this website (www.celiac.com/forums/topic/53991-dessert-ideas/#comment-495010) but I decided to make my own cake mix for it. I got the basic yellow cake recipe from here (https://glutenfreebaking.com/gluten-free-yellow-cake-recipe/) and further modified it through trial and error using ideas from here (https://bojongourmet.com/beginners-guide-baking-with-gluten-free-flours/). The ingredient amounts are calibrated to my cast iron 9 x 13 in baking dish. Ingredients 2 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend (12 ½ ounces; 355 grams) • 1 cup sweet rice flour • ¾ cup millet flour • ¾ cup teff flour • 1-2 Tbsp tapioca flour/starch 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (10 ½ ounces; 298 grams) 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 1 cup vegetable oil (7 ounces; 198 grams) ⅔ cup milk, traditional or dairy-free (5 ⅓ ounces; 150 grams) 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2-3 14 oz cans pie filling or drained canned fruit (fresh fruit also can work) * ~ 1 cup coconut oil (might be optional with a wet cake mix, but I've always done this) oil or butter to grease the pan (might be optional, but I've always done this) Instructions • Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease 9 by 13 inch pan. Drain canned fruit (if needed) • Whisk together gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in large bowl. Add oil, milk, eggs, vanilla extract. Stir un

I learned the basic version of this recipe from a 2008 post on this site (www.celiac.com/forums/topic/53991-dessert-ideas/#comment-495010). I formalized the simplest version here. In a following post I will give my modified version of it. To be honest, I never made the cake exactly like the recipe here because I didn't have a prepared cake mix on hand. So, I made my own cake mix (in the following post). Once I modified the recipe I just stayed with the modified version. Ingredients 2 or 3 cans gluten-free cherry pie filling * 1 gluten-free vanilla or yellow cake mix (you want one that makes two layers) about a cup of melted coconut oil Directions • Dump pie filling into 9 by 13 inch pan • Dump a (dry) gluten-free vanilla or yellow cake mix on top. • Then drizzle about a cup of melted coconut oil on top. You'll find that the coconut oil might pool in the corners, so use a spoon to carefully redistribute it so the powder gets covered. • Bake at 350 until slightly browned on the top. * you can use other fruit such as canned peaches, fruit cocktail or other types of pie filling if you prefer. If using other canned fruit, drain off the juice.

I really enjoy this recipe, which I modified slightly from this one: cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020283-dodo-fried-plantains (probably behind a paywall). This makes a tasty side dish for almost any meal. The original recipe calls for discarding the fried onions in the 3rd step, but we find them rather tasty after draining briefly on a paper towel. Ingredients 4 to 6 servings 4 medium ripe, deep-yellow plantains (about 2 pounds) 1 small-med red onion, peeled and halved Canola or other neutral oil, for frying (about 3 cups) 1 lime, zest removed in strips and julienned, plus 1 tablespoon juice (might want to double this) 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (might want to double this) Kosher salt Preparation • Cut off tips of each plantain. Use sharp knife to create slit in skin along length of each plantain, carefully making sure not to cut into flesh. Remove and discard skin by peeling it apart. Slice each plantain in half lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces. • Cut red onion in half and remove skin. Take one half and slice thinly (preferably lengthwise, but either way works). Transfer slices to medium bowl. Take other half and quarter lengthwise; pull layers apart. • In large, deep skillet or sauté pan, pour ½ inch oil and heat over medium. When hot, add larger onion pieces and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove and discard (or eat separately) cooked onion. • Working in batches to avoid crowding, fry plantains, stirring ha