Gluten is a mixture of proteins or peptides found in some cereals, particularly wheat. It is the gliadin component of gluten which is responsible for celiac disease. A gluten-free diet is not the same as a wheat-free diet, and some gluten -free foods are not wheat free. Despite a good deal of research, it is unknown how or exactly why gluten harms the gut. It is now considered likely that celiac disease involves an abnormal immunologic response, rather than an enzyme deficiency as was suggested in the past.

Celiac disease is the prototype of an immune mediated response dominated by the activation of the adaptive immune system and in particular of CD4+ HLA class II restricted T cells. Patients with celiac's disease have an intolerance to the protein in gluten which damages their intestinal lining and makes it difficult to absorb nutrients.

Celica Disease symptoms
The major modes of presentation of patients with celiac disease are the classic diarrhea-predominant form and silent celiac disease. Those with silent celiac disease lack diarrhea, although they may present with manifestations of celiac disease that include an irritable bowel syndrome, anemia, osteoporosis, neurologic diseases, or malignancy.

Celiac Disease and Osteoporosis
Some people develop osteoporosis, the mineral loss disease that leads to brittle bones, because their bodies cannot tolerate wheat flour. Gluten intolerance, called celiac disease, can be treated, so the damage done by osteoporosis can be reversed in such patients. As many as three to four percent of patients who have osteoporosis have the bone disease as a consequence of having celiac disease, which makes them unable to absorb normal amounts of calcium and vitamin D

Causes of Celiac Disease
While there is a genetic predisposition for celiac disease, many people don't develop symptoms until later in life. Chemotherapy for certain forms of cancer can sometimes induce celiac disease.

A gluten free diet is worth a try in those with rheumatoid arthritis,

Some people with migraine do better by avoiding gluten. A few individuals with psoriasis may also benefit by reducing or avoiding gluten intake.

FDA gluten food standard
January 2007 - Makers of foods claiming to be free of gluten-containing grains such as wheat and barley face tighter standards under new FDA rules to help protect patients with a digestive disease that prevents them from absorbing the gluten protein. Under the new rules, foods claiming to be " gluten - free " must not contain any type of wheat, rye or barley, including hybrids. They also cannot use any ingredient made from such grains without having the gluten removed first.

Country Life Vitamins is Certified Gluten Free
April 9, 2008 – The Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) announced today that it has certified Country Life Vitamins as certified gluten-free. Country Life has been producing a full line of vitamins and nutritional supplements since 1971. Country Life’s entire product line is gluten-free, allowing them to meet the needs of a growing market of persons following a gluten-free diet, who may not be able to meet all their nutritional needs from the foods they consume.

Gluten questions
Q. I would like to order 3 products to help with insomnia, 5-Htp, L-tryptophan, and melatonin. I wanted to know if any of these 3 products at Physician Formulas contained wheat, rye or barley as I am sensitive to them.
   A. To the best of our knowledge, there is no gluten in these products.