Vitamin B Supplements Recommended For Celiac Patients

By Author: Red Wiseman
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Author, researcher, and humanitarian Tina Turbin (http://TinaTurbin.com), as a member of the celiac community (http://GlutenFreeHelp.info), knows that maintaining a gluten-free diet and staying healthy can be challenge. After all, it can be hard getting all the nutrients you need when you cut out gluten from your life-essential nutrients such as fiber and B vitamins. "As celiac disease research increases, I am constantly learning new ways of staying healthy with my gluten-free diet," She says. One of the gluten-free health issues that concerns her is the increased homocysteine levels associated with a gluten-free diet. Recently, a recent study found that by taking B vitamin supplements, celiac patients can reduce this risk, Tina informs us.

Tina Turbin stands out among gluten-free advocates in her efforts to raise support and awareness on behalf of the celiac community and funds for the Celiac Disease Research Center at the Columbia University Medical Center, headed by Dr. Peter Green, MD. Celiac disease (also spelled coeliac) is an autoimmune disease caused by an allergic reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, ...
... barley, and rye. An estimated 300 million Americans have it and only three percent of them know it, Dr. Green estimates. The importance of taking B vitamin supplements is one of the many celiac issues she is working to disseminate in the celiac community.

Celiac disease, an autoimmune disease caused by an allergic reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, affects about three million Americans and is treated with a gluten-free diet. When somebody with celiac disease ingests gluten-containing food, the gluten causes damage to the small intestine, blocking the absorption of vital nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Even when faithfully following a gluten-free diet, celiac patients are more likely to suffer from nutrient deficiencies and poor health. Gluten-free products are often low in B vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, magnesium, and fiber as very few gluten-free foods are not fortified with these nutrients. When Swedish researchers studied adult celiac patients who had been gluten-free for ten years, they found that half of them had vitamin deficiencies, including low levels of vitamin B-6 or folate, or both, and high levels of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart attacks, vascular disease, and strokes. Before the study, all the patients had biopsies to prove their intestines were in healthy condition, so these vitamin deficiencies could not be explained by malabsorption.

What exactly is homocysteine? "Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood," Tina says. "Studies have shown that too much homocysteine in the blood is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease." Other evidence suggests that homocysteine may have an effect on atherosclerosis by damaging the inner lining of arteries and promoting blood clots. A direct causal link, however, hasn't yet been established.

In the study that was recently conducted, celiac patients were treated with not only a gluten-free diet, healing their small intestine and increasing absorption of nutrients, but they were also given B vitamin supplements. It was found that those who took this supplement and maintained a gluten-free diet had significantly higher levels of B vitamins in the blood and lower levels of homocysteine, compared with a group who only maintained a gluten-free diet and another control group.

What does this mean for you? Researchers are now saying that B vitamin supplements "should be considered in disease management." In addition to your gluten-free diet, you should take B vitamin supplements daily, making sure these include vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12, Tina advises. It is fortunate the celiac community now has this vital information, and as celiac research continues, we can look forward to being further enlightened by researchers such as Tina Turbin.

For more information on celiac diseasse, visit http://GlutenFreeHelp.info. For more information on Tina Turbin, visit http://TinaTurbin.com.
About Author:
Red Wiseman is an avid and intelligent writer and researcher in the Humanities, Arts and Sciences. Wiseman is always on a quest to expand his horizons and those of others via his written and spoken words.