A new study of celiacs eating oats has found definite signs of the typical immune response in some persons with celiac disease, even when they were eating oats that were known to be pure and uncontaminated. The study found, as other recent studies have also found, that some people with celiac disease can tolerate oats, while others definitely can not.
See the results of the study
here.
This confirms what we have thought for some time now, and it seems that it further reduces the likelihood that a persistent myth in the celiac community is true. Many have said, and still do, that "All oats grown in the USA are contaminated with wheat."
I believe the origins of this myth are now revealed through scientific study. It is clear that some people with celiac disease will definitely react to oats in the same way that they react to wheat. I think people in this situation who have eaten oats expecting no trouble, but then reacting, have concluded incorrectly that their reaction was because the oats contained wheat. Now we can see that it is quite likely that the real cause of unexpected reactions when eating oats is that some celiacs simply do react to oats directly - not to contamination.
I'm not suggesting that oats in the USA are never contaminated. I simply reject the claim that all oats are contaminated.
An important point raised in the summary of the research linked above is that celiacs who do incorporate oats into their diet should ask their doctors to watch for medical signs that they are in fact suffering from the practice. This mighty be done by blood tests looking for antigens, or by means of a biopsy of small intestine tissue.
If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease, and you think adding oats back into your diet would benefit you, we suggest you discuss this subject with your doctor.
And whatever you do, never ask an employee of a health food store for advice about the gluten free diet. Just don't.
