[KimS]

I find their conclusions to be faulty... otherwise why would so many children have had to pull out of the study?

**************

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

The GFD-oats and GFD-std groups did not differ significantly at the end of the study regarding coeliac serology markers or small bowel mucosal architecture, including numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes. Significantly more children in the youngest age group withdrew.

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first randomised double blind study showing that the addition of moderate amounts of oats to a GFD does not prevent clinical or small bowel mucosal healing, or humoral immunological downregulation in coeliac children. This is in accordance with the findings of studies in adult coeliacs and indicates that oats, added to the otherwise GFD, can be accepted and tolerated by the majority of children with CD.

[aklap]

Hi Kim..here's some more recent studies....


Coeliac children on a gluten-free diet with or without oats display equal anti-avenin antibody titres. (2006)


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

1: Scand J Gastroenterol. 2006 Jan;41(1):42-7. Links

Hollen E,
Holmgren Peterson K,
Sundqvist T,
Grodzinsky E,
Hogberg L,
Laurin P,
Stenhammar L,
Falth-Magnusson K,
Magnusson KE.
Division of Medical Microbiology, Linkoping University, Sweden. eliho@imk.liu.se

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies report negligible toxicity of oats in the majority of coeliac disease (CD) patients. It has previously been shown that children with untreated CD have circulating antibodies to oats avenin. In this study we performed serial assessments of anti-avenin antibodies in children under investigation for CD on a gluten-free diet with or without oats.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 116 children, randomized to a standard gluten-free diet or a gluten-free diet supplemented with oats. Sera were obtained from 86 children, 48 in the standard gluten-free group and 38 in the gluten-free oats group, of which 33 consumed at least 10 g of oats daily. IgA and IgG anti-avenin antibodies were monitored at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months. Nitric oxide metabolites were measured in 7 patients, with deviating antibody results.

RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in anti-avenin antibodies in both groups at the end as compared to the beginning of the study, (p<0.001), but no difference was found between the two groups. IgA titres already declined after 3 months. IgG titres, although significantly decreased, remained high in the majority of patients in both groups. Nitric oxide levels were high in four of the analysed samples.

CONCLUSIONS: Oats per se, do not seem to produce a humoral immune reaction in children with CD when given in an otherwise gluten-free diet, indicating that the reaction requires gluten challenge. Anti-avenin antibodies were equal in the two study groups, and these findings strengthen the clinical impression that oats can be tolerated by the majority of patients with CD.

PMID: 16373275 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Hmmm, they checked the IgA and IgG anti-avenin antibodies, but what about the IgA and IgG anti-gliadin antibodies?? Might have been interesting to check those. Or did they use pure GF oats?? It's hard to tell from their description.


Finland: Oats in the treatment of childhood coeliac disease: a 2-year controlled trial and a long-term clinical follow-up study.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

1: Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 May 15;23(10):1463-72. Links

Holm K,
Maki M,
Vuolteenaho N,
Mustalahti K,
Ashorn M,
Ruuska T,
Kaukinen K.
Department of Paediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.

BACKGROUND: The exclusion of oats from the diet in coeliac disease is controversial.

AIM: To study the long-term safety of oats in the treatment of children with coeliac disease.

METHODS: Altogether 32 children with coeliac disease were enrolled in a 2-year controlled trial. Twenty-three children in remission were randomized either to oats or gluten challenge; when small bowel histological relapse was evident after gluten challenge, a gluten-free diet including oats was started. Furthermore, nine newly detected coeliac patients adopted an oat-containing gluten-free diet. Small bowel mucosal morphology, CD3+, alphabeta+ and gammadelta+ intraepithelial lymphocytes, human leucocyte antigen (HLA) DR expression and coeliac serology were determined. After the trial, the children were allowed to eat oats freely; follow-up was extended up to 7 years.

RESULTS: In coeliac children in remission, oats had no detrimental effect on intestinal histology or serology during the 2-year trial. In contrast, the gluten-challenge group relapsed after 3-12 months. Complete recovery from the disease was accomplished in all relapsed and newly detected patients on an oat-containing gluten-free diet. After the trial, 86% of the children preferred to consume oats and they all remained in remission.

CONCLUSION: In most children with coeliac disease, long-term consumption of oats is well tolerated, and it does not result in small bowel mucosal deterioration or immune activation.

PMID: 16669961 [PubMed - in process]

[jamietwo]

I appreciate studies, but I have to go with our experience. Initially my son was off gluten 4 months (after tummy aches), then on gluten 5 months, then back off gluten (after behavorial issues). He became my sweet little boy again ... for a while. Then it occurred to me that I hadn't taken him off oats this time around. So I did, and my sweet little boy came back again. That's good enough for me! This time around he's been off gluten for 10 months and I believe he's accepted that we don't eat the stuff!

ETA: Of course, after his system is healed, who's to say he won't be able to eat oats? I think I'll wait until he's an adult and let HIM do the test! Thank goodness for quinoa flakes! They are a great substitute for rolled oats in baking! And Kim, thanks to you, I am now using cooked brown rice in baking too!

[aklap]

2 Pure Oat companies:

http://glutenfreeoats.com/default.aspx

http://www.creamhillestates.com/


McCann's

http://www.mccanns.ie/pages/faq.html

Testing on commercial oats:

http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1054

To summarize the study—12 containers of oats representing 4 different lots of 3 brands (Quaker, Country Choice, and McCann’s)

[KimS]

Of course you know that my son also doesn't tolerate oats. He got such a bad reaction when we challenged them that I can't bring myself to have them in the house. So they're in the same catergory as gluten here.

There is that study out there that says, though they don't cause damage, they do cause inflammation. Well, who wants inflammation? All the studies that say they're okay do not deny inflammation, they simple address visible damage. So I don't trust the ones that say oats are okay. (I am glad that Al posted the opposite side as everyone really needs to decide for themselves what kinds of chances they are willing to take.)

I'm going to try to find the one that talks about inflammation so everyone can read it for themselves.

Jamie: Maybe you and I should start a thread of "Baking Without Flour"?

I can't find the one I was thinking of but here are a couple of others:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that some celiac disease patients have avenin-reactive mucosal T-cells that can cause mucosal inflammation. Oat intolerance may be a reason for villous atrophy and inflammation in patients with celiac disease who are eating oats but otherwise are adhering to a strict gluten-free diet. Clinical follow-up of celiac disease patients eating oats is advisable.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

CONCLUSION: The oats-containing gluten-free diet caused more intestinal symptoms than the traditional diet. Mucosal integrity was not disturbed, but more inflammation was evident in the oats group. Oats provide an alternative in the gluten-free diet, but coeliac patients should be aware of the possible increase in intestinal symptoms.

[NancyM]

How about "Baking without Grains"? You can make flour out of anything. Pumpkin, potatos, chestnuts, nuts, seeds, veggies...

[KimS]

Actually, that was originally what I had put... but then realized that we were talking about baking with cooked rice...

Also, it's hard to find those alternative flours... so what if we collected recipes that use things that are easy to find and bake with... like squash, pumpkin and all those other things you mentioned... but they wouldn't start in the form of flour, they would start in their original form.

More suggestions?

[NancyM]

I am curious why you cook the rice first? Couldn't you just use uncooked rice and grind it to flour yourself? I did it the other day to "clean" the grinder I use for grinding spices, although I threw it out afterwards. But it had a very floury texture, although more fiberous than milled flour since it had all the bran and stuff still on the rice (brown rice).

Do you cook first, then dry it? Or do you just use it cooked?

[Leslieand]

I bake exclusively with 100% brown rice flour now. Everyone loves it and it works well in everything cake to bread. I refresh my older loaves by heating the bread slices in a ceramic tortilla heater in the microwave. It makes them spongy again.
Leslie

[KimS]

Rice flour is too contaminated (with gluten) for some people to use, which is why we were talking about using cooked rice (which has not been contaminated in a mixed mill).