Hey readers! 🎄 Hope your holiday season is treating you well, whether you're navigating family dinners with that one relative who still thinks whole wheat is fine (spoiler: it's not) or perfecting your gluten-free tres leches cake cups. This week brings some genuinely useful research on everything from why your kid's constipation might not resolve on a GFD to whether we can finally skip some biopsies, plus a few heartwarming community stories to close out the year.
📊 This Week's Research Highlights
Only 1 in 10 children with high risk for celiac disease are being tested — A Beyond Celiac-funded study analyzing nearly 224,000 insurance claims found that just 10% of high-risk children receive celiac screening, with troubling racial disparities showing Black children tested at less than 7%. – Beyond Celiac
This one stings. We know early diagnosis improves outcomes, yet the vast majority of kids who should be tested simply aren't. The racial disparity adds another layer of concern that demands attention from healthcare systems.
Clinical outcome of constipation as the presenting symptom in children with celiac disease — A 30-year review of 248 children found that only 32% achieved constipation resolution on a gluten-free diet alone, with 68% requiring ongoing laxatives. – ESPGHAN/NASPGHAN
"Tissue transglutaminase antibody normalization was slower in children with unresolved constipation"
For parents and practitioners alike, this is important context. Constipation that persists despite strict dietary adherence may signal comorbidities like anxiety, depression, or thyroid issues rather than dietary non-compliance.
A Predictive Model of Duodenal Atrophy in Adults — Adults with tTG levels exceeding 5.5 times the upper normal limit showed 100% specificity for duodenal atrophy, potentially eliminating the need for diagnostic endoscopy in these cases. – World Journal of Gastroenterology
This could be meaningful for adult patients dreading the scope. While biopsy remains important for borderline cases, very high antibody levels may eventually allow some patients to skip the procedure entirely.
Quality of Life and societal Costs related to Celiac disease — A Dutch study of 2,691 celiac patients showed quality of life improved significantly post-diagnosis, with healthcare costs dropping 23% and societal costs falling 36%. – Wolters Kluwer Health
The economic case for diagnosis keeps getting stronger. Beyond feeling better, getting diagnosed and treated actually reduces the burden on healthcare systems.
🔬 More Research Worth Noting
Endocrine autoantibodies linked to intestinal damage severity — Children with anti-TPO, anti-GAD, or anti-insulin antibodies showed more severe villous atrophy, with all antibody-positive patients aged 10 or older. – The Author(s)
High co-incidence of celiac disease in pediatric type 1 diabetes — Researchers call for systematic celiac screening in children with T1D given the elevated overlap between conditions. – PubMed
Persistent symptoms despite gluten-free diet — A review highlights that measuring gluten immunogenic peptides in urine or stool can objectively confirm inadvertent gluten exposure, with several novel therapies now in Phase 1b/2 trials. – PubMed
Shared genes between celiac disease and IBS identified — Systems biology analysis found 439 genes common to both conditions, with drug repurposing candidates identified for potential future treatment. – BioMed Research International
Telemedicine cuts costs and emissions for pediatric follow-up — Virtual visits reduced CO₂ emissions by over 99% and costs from €15.70 to €0.55, with similar dietary adherence outcomes. – ESPGHAN/NASPGHAN
🌍 Community & Advocacy
Make Travel Family Friendly Again campaign launches — Twelve-year-old Jax Bari and his family are advocating for better gluten-free options at airports and rest stops, partnering with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's new initiative. – Celiac Journey
"Eating without fear is our hope. Food insecurity happens everyday for Celiacs like me, especially when we travel."
Rebecca Adlington shares her diagnosis journey — The double Olympic gold medalist endured years of fatigue, stomach pain, and miscarriages before finally being tested in October 2024, now using her platform to encourage earlier testing. – Coeliac UK
Sonny hosts first Battersea meet-up — A successful community gathering at a gluten-free accredited Pizza Express brought together newly diagnosed and long-time celiac patients for mutual support. – Coeliac UK
🍕 Gluten-Free Living
Detroit-style pizza success story — Reddit user Alextricity raves about GrainFreeTable's deep-dish dough recipe for achieving convincing results at home. – r/glutenfree
Holiday baking inspiration — Chevalamour4 shared stunning gluten-free tres leches cake cups with buttercream poinsettias made for their company holiday party. – r/glutenfree
Tips for gluten-free Christmas — Laura Strange offers practical swaps like cornflour for gravy and gluten-free breadcrumbs for stuffing to make the entire holiday dinner safe. – Coeliac UK
✈️ Travel Resources
Traveling abroad with celiac at 19 — Gracie Cook shares lessons from navigating Barcelona, Rome, Florence, and Paris, recommending the Gluten-Free Cards app and packing plenty of protein bars. – Beyond Celiac
Celiac Cruise offers worry-free vacations — Founded in 2017, the company partners with Royal Caribbean, Oceania, and AmaWaterways to coordinate completely gluten-free dining experiences. – Celiac Cruise
📈 Market Watch
Gluten-free market projected to reach $13.67 billion by 2030 — Growing at 10% annually, with North America holding 35% market share and the bakery segment leading product sales. – Grand View Research
More products, more options, more accessibility. The market growth reflects both increased diagnosis rates and broader health-conscious consumer behavior.
Made with ❤️ by Data Drift Press
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