Nutrient intake differs among persons with celiac disease and gluten-related disorders in the United States

Characteristics of Hospitalized Patients With and Without Celiac Disease on a Gluten-Free Diet

BACKGROUND

Most people maintaining a gluten-free diet (GFD) do not have celiac disease (CD). Comorbidities and associated conditions in this population are largely unknown.

AIMS

This study identified demographics, dietary patterns, and diagnoses for patients prescribed a GFD during hospitalization and compared patients with CD to those without CD.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study for hospital admissions with a GFD between Jan 1, 2010 and June 30, 2022, while excluding patients missing demographic data (n = 113). We compared patients with and without a CD diagnosis, including multivariable logistic regression to identify characteristics independently associated with a CD diagnosis.

RESULTS

We analyzed 1527 hospitalized patients of all ages. A minority (n = 467, 30.6%) carried a CD diagnosis. Age, sex, body mass index, and Medicare/Medicaid enrollment and additional diagnoses associated with a GFD (e.g., IBS) were not significantly different. The CD cohort was more predominantly white (66.6% vs 58.4%, p = 0.007) and non-Hispanic (62.5% vs. 52.7%, p = 0.001). While hospitalized, patients with CD had fewer additional dietary restrictions (mean 0.33 vs 0.56, p < 0.001) and more frequent micronutrient supplementation (26.6% vs 21.4%, p = 0.03). CD was independently associated with malnutrition (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.31-2.65) and inversely associated with a vegetarian diet (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.15-0.81), reduced lactose diet (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.13-0.50), and Hispanic ethnicity (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35-0.90) while controlling for other covariates.

DISCUSSION

Two-thirds of hospitalized patients receiving a GFD do not have a diagnosis of CD. Among GFD inpatients, CD is associated with fewer dietary restrictions and independently associated with malnutrition.

Dietary Adherence to Recommendations among a Cohort of Adults and Teens with Celiac Disease Maintaining a Gluten-Free Diet Compared to a Nationally Representative Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study

Celiac disease (CeD) is a common autoimmune condition, with a prevalence of ~1%. Currently, a gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only treatment option. Due to fortification rules excluding gluten-free products in the United States of America (U.S.A.), understanding the nutritional adequacy of a GFD is important for promoting optimal health among those with CeD. Cross-sectional examination of multiple 24 h dietary recalls from a study sample of 50 adults and 30 teens with CeD was used to determine nutritional adequacy and excesses according to U.S.A. recommendations. The results were compared with those of 15,777 adults and 2296 teens from a nationally representative sample not reporting CeD, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2014. Compared with NHANES, our study population was more at risk of low folate and carbohydrate (adults) consumption, and of excessive niacin and vitamin A (teens), as well as saturated and total fat consumption (adults). Overall, though, compared with NHANES, our study participants had similar nutrient concerns but fewer nutritional imbalances, with some notable exceptions. In addition to maintaining a GFD, individuals with CeD should be counseled to maintain a balanced diet and to pay attention to nutrient-dense foods. Special attention should be given to teens in providing dietary counseling to potentially mitigate the risk of future morbidity.

LLL 44 - Module 3: Micronutrients in Chronic disease

Micronutrients (MN), i.e. trace elements and vitamins, are essential organic molecules, which are required in the diet in relatively small amounts in any form of nutrition (oral, enteral, parenteral). The probability of MN depletion or deficiencies should be considered in all chronic illnesses, especially in those that can interfere with intake, digestion, or intestinal absorption. Low socio-economic status and food deprivation are recognized as the most prevalent reasons for MN deficiencies world-wide. Elderly multimorbid patients with multimodal therapy, as well as patients with long-lasting menu restrictions, are at high risk for both disease related malnutrition as well as multiple MN deficiencies, needing careful specific follow-up. The importance of monitoring MN blood levels along with CRP is essential for optimal care. Drug interactions are also highlighted. In patients with chronic conditions depending on medical nutrition therapy, the provision of adequate dietary reference intakes (DRI) of MN doses and monitoring of their adequacy belongs to standard of care.

Past, Present, and Future of Noninvasive Tests to Assess Gluten Exposure, Celiac Disease Activity, and End-Organ Damage

Although many biomarkers have been proposed, and several are in widespread clinical use, there is no single readout or combination of readouts that correlates tightly with gluten exposure, disease activity, or end-organ damage in treated patients with celiac disease. Challenges to developing and evaluating better biomarkers include significant interindividual variability-related to immune amplification of gluten exposure and how effects of immune activation are manifest. Furthermore, the current "gold standard" for assessment of end-organ damage, small intestinal biopsy, is itself highly imperfect, such that a marker that is a better reflection of the "ground truth" may indeed appear to perform poorly. The goal of this review was to analyze past and present efforts to establish robust noninvasive tools for monitoring treated patients with celiac disease and to highlight emerging tools that may prove to be useful in clinical practice.

Guidelines for best practices in monitoring established coeliac disease in adult patients

Coeliac disease (CeD) is an immunological disease triggered by the consumption of gluten contained in food in individuals with a genetic predisposition. Diagnosis is based on the presence of small bowel mucosal atrophy and circulating autoantibodies (anti-type 2 transglutaminase antibodies). After diagnosis, patients follow a strict, life-long gluten-free diet. Although the criteria for diagnosis of this disease are well defined, the monitoring phase has been studied less and there is a lack of specific guidelines for this phase. To develop a set of clinical guidelines for CeD monitoring, we followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology. Statements and recommendations with the level of evidence were developed and approved by the working group, which comprised gastroenterologists, pathologists, dieticians and biostatisticians. The proposed guidelines, endorsed by the North American and European coeliac disease scientific societies, make recommendations for best practices in monitoring patients with CeD based on the available evidence. The evidence level is low for many topics, suggesting that further research in specific aspects of CeD would be valuable. In conclusion, the present guidelines support clinicians in improving CeD treatment and follow-up and highlight novel issues that should be considered in future studies.

Nutritional status, nutrient imbalances, food-related behaviors and dietary supplements use among patients with celiac disease on a gluten free diet in Lebanon: a national cross-sectional study

Background: Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, that occurs in susceptible individuals and is associated with dietary restriction and subsequent nutritional deficiencies. This study investigated the diet quality, nutrition imbalances and nutrition status among young children,adolescents and adults with CD who followed a gluten free diet an who were referred to several hospitals in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 50 individuals (31.74 ± 15.64 years) with CD was conducted, using biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements, dietary and physical activity assessments. Results: Of the 50 participants, 38% and 16% were presenting low serum levels of iron and vitamin B12, respectively. The majority of participants were physically inactive and around 40% of them had low muscle mass. A weight loss of 10% to 30% indicating mild to moderate malnutrition was shown in 14% of individuals. The assessment of food-related behaviors shows that 80% of participants were reading nutrition labels and 96% of them were following gluten-free diets. Some barriers including family ignorance (6%), language of the nutrition labels (20%) and expensive GF products (78%) were limiting the adherence to GFD. The inadequacy of the daily energy intake along with insufficient intakes of calcium and vitamin D were remarked among individuals with CD. However, protein and iron intake were exceeding the recommendations among all age groups, except in males aged 4-8 years and 19-30 years. Half the study participants were using dietary supplements where 38%, 10%, 46%, 18%, 16% and 4% used vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, folate and probiotics, respectively. Conclusion: GFD is the key treatment for CD. However, it is not without inadequacies and may cause certain deficiencies such as calcium and vitamin D leading to reduced bone density. This underlines the critical role of dietitians in education and maintenance of healthy GFD among individuals with CD.

The Update of the Italian Food Composition Database of Gluten-Free Products and Its Application in Food-Based Dietary Guidelines Menus

Complete food composition databases (FCDBs) on gluten-free (GF) foods are needed to assess the nutrient intakes of celiac disease patients. The aim of the present work was to update the previously developed version of the Italian GF-FCDB and to apply it to a theoretical GF diet. The updated GF-FCDB includes the composition of 108 GF cereal-based foods, as sold, in terms of energy and macro- and micro-nutrients, imputed using food label information combined with the standard recipe approach. Three scenarios (i.e., refined, mixed, and wholegrain cereals) of the weekly guideline menu for the general Italian population were analyzed for energy and nutrient content in a theoretical dietary assessment using traditional gluten-containing (GC) foods and the corresponding GF substitutes. All GF menus were higher than the corresponding GC menus in polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, and vitamin E. Zinc was lower in GF than in GC menus only in the wholegrain-cereal scenario. Thanks to the application of the updated GF-FCDB including a comprehensive list of micronutrients, we observed that it is possible for celiac disease patients to meet nutrient requirements by simply substituting GC with GF cereal-based products following recommendations for the general population.

Dietary Acid Load in Gluten-Free Diets: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

The gluten-free diet (GFD) ensures improvement of clinical symptoms in the vast majority of celiac disease (CD) patients. Despite stable CD rates in many countries, an increasing number of healthy individuals are adopting gluten-free diets, believing that this diet is an inherently healthier choice. The health effects of gluten-free diets are controversial, and a recent study added to the debate by reporting a lower acidogenic potential of this diet. The effects of the GFD on potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP)—two important markers of dietary acid load (DAL)—are poorly understood, and have never been examined in a Western population. Using cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, we estimated DAL in U.S. individuals reporting a GFD and contrasted the results to the general U.S. population consuming gluten and denying special diets. The GFD was associated with significantly lower crude DAL scores, and after adjustments for confounders in multivariate regression, the results remain significant. Yet, our study could not confirm the reported alkalizing properties of the GFD. Although overall DAL scores were significantly lower in the GFD group, they were comparable to Western diets producing 50–75 mEq of acid per day.

Nutritional status, nutrient imbalances, food-related behaviors and dietary supplements use among patients with celiac disease in Lebanon: a national cross-sectional study

Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, that occurs in susceptible individuals and is associated with dietary restriction and subsequent nutritional deficiencies. This study investigated the diet quality, nutrition imbalances and nutrition status among young children, adolescents and adults with CD who were referred to several hospitals in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 50 individuals (31.74 ± 15.64 years) with CD was conducted, using biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements, dietary and physical activity assessments. Results: Of the 50 participants, 38% and 16% were presenting low serum levels of iron and vitamin B12, respectively. The majority of participants were physically inactive and around 40% of them had low muscle mass. A weight loss of 10% to 30% indicating mild to moderate malnutrition was shown in 14% of individuals. The assessment of food-related behaviors shows that 80% of participants were reading nutrition labels and 96% of them were following gluten-free diets (GFD). Some barriers including family ignorance (6%), language of the nutrition labels (20%) and expensive GF products (78%) were limiting the adherence to GFD. The inadequacy of the daily energy intake along with insufficient intakes of calcium and vitamin D were remarked among individuals with CD. However, protein and iron intake were exceeding the recommendations among all age groups, except in males aged 4-8 years and 19-30 years. Half the study participants were using dietary supplements where 38%, 10%, 46%, 18%, 16% and 4% used vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, folate and probiotics, respectively. Conclusion: GFD is the key treatment for CD. However, it is not without inadequacies and may cause certain deficiencies such as calcium and vitamin D leading to reduced bone density. This underlines the critical role of dietitians in education and maintenance of healthy GFD among individuals with CD.

Nutritional status, nutrient imbalances, food-related behaviors and dietary supplements use among patients with celiac disease on a gluten free diet in Lebanon: a national cross-sectional study

Background: Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, that occurs in susceptible individuals and is associated with dietary restriction and subsequent nutritional deficiencies. This study investigated the diet quality, nutrition imbalances and nutrition status among young children,adolescents and adults with CD who were referred to several hospitals in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 50 individuals (31.74 ± 15.64 years) with CD who follow a gluten free diet was conducted, using biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements, dietary and physical activity assessments. Results: Of the 50 participants, 38% and 16% were presenting low serum levels of iron and vitamin B12, respectively. The majority of participants were physically inactive and around 40% of them had low muscle mass. A weight loss of 10% to 30% indicating mild to moderate malnutrition was shown in 14% of individuals. The assessment of food-related behaviors shows that 80% of participants were reading nutrition labels and 96% of them were following gluten-free diets (GFD). Some barriers including family ignorance (6%), language of the nutrition labels (20%) and expensive GF products (78%) were limiting the adherence to GFD. The inadequacy of the daily energy intake along with insufficient intakes of calcium and vitamin D were remarked among individuals with CD. However, protein and iron intake were exceeding the recommendations among all age groups, except in males aged 4-8 years and 19-30 years. Half the study participants were using dietary supplements where 38%, 10%, 46%, 18%, 16% and 4% used vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, folate and probiotics, respectively. Conclusion: GFD is the key treatment for CD. However, it is not without inadequacies and may cause certain deficiencies such as calcium and vitamin D leading to reduced bone density. This underlines the critical role of dietitians in education and maintenance of healthy GFD among individuals with CD.