A gluten-free diet improves symptoms of coeliac disease

By Dr Jodie Abramovitch

Coeliac disease is a condition in which the immune system launches an inflammatory response to gluten. In healthy individuals, this immune reaction does not occur. Due to the inflammatory response, patients with coeliac disease typically have damaged small intestines which can lead to malnutrition, weight loss and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and bloating.

A gluten-free diet is ‘prescribed’ for patients with coeliac disease. Currently, prospective studies of the short and long term effects of a gluten-free diet on the symptoms and pathology of coeliac disease are lacking.

Professor Peter Gibson - Head of the Department
of Gastroenterology

Monash researchers from the Eastern Health Clinical School and supervised by Professor Peter Gibson from the Department of Gastroenterology at the Central Clinical School aimed to determine the time frame in which intestinal damage and associated nutritional deficiencies caused by coeliac disease were successfully treated.

Is gluten linked to depression?

A recent pilot study completed by Monash University and Alfred researchers has found that many patients with self reported non coeliac gluten sensitivity continued to suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms on a gluten free diet, but had an improved mental state. Prof Peter Gibson, who co-authored the study said that the results were surprising. "We found that gluten ingestion was associated with significantly higher depression scores compared to a placebo diet," Prof Gibson said. A larger study, currently in its recruitment phase, will further examine these results. See pilot study