Giving Blood

I just got a postcard inviting me to donate blood and receive of a pair of Mets tickets in the process. I did this last year, and it went very smoothly.

The details:

Donation on Thursday, July 23, 2009
10:00am through 5:00pm
Citi Field First Base VIP Entrance
Flushing, NY

People with celiac disease are qualified to give blood, though of course they are still subject to standard requirements. For instance, you must be between 16 and 76 (and have written consent if you're 16 and a doctor's note if you're 75 or older). Your weight must be at least 110 lbs. You should bring your ID to the event. You should eat and drink before donating, and (sorry, hipsters) you must not have tattoos or piercings less than a year old.

You can call 1-800-688-0900 for eligibility requirements.

Bringing your own snack and drinks should help with the "refilling" part of the process.

Starbucks: Back to the Drawing Board

The Saga Continues


















Starbucks has put considerable effort into serving gluten-free food, but it hasn't seemed happy with what it has produced.

First, in April 2007, there were the brownies that were test-marketed in New York City.

Then came the months and months of research and brainstorming that resulted in the May 2009 unveiling of the Valencia Orange Cake.

And now the saga continues with the discontinuation of the orange cake—after fewer than three months!—and its replacement with Kind Fruit & Nut Bars.

Photo: David Marc Fischer

Shameless Shirt Promotion

This Women's V-Neck T-Shirt is just one of many items available at The Gluten-Free NYC Boutique!

Gluten-Free Tasting Day

@ Whole Foods Union Square

From the store calendar:

Monday, July 13th
Gluten Free Tasting Day

11 a.m. - 7 p.m. FREE!

Join us for our very first Gluten Free Tasting Day. Representatives from Attune, Glow Gluten Free, Enjoy Life Foods, Bakery on Main and Gilbert's Gourmet Cookies will be on hand to sample their gluten free delicacies.

Chef Juan Pablo will be demonstrating a signature summery gluten free dish as well.

Thanks to Myra for the twittery tip!

Celiac Disease Prevalence and Mortality

Dr. Joseph Murray Speaks

Word continues to spread about the recent Mayo Clinic findings on mortality and the growing prevalence of celiac disease.

Here's Dr. Joseph Murray of the Mayo Clinic discussing the findings.



Source (4:25)

Study: Celiac Disease and Autism

The Focus Might Surprise You

A bunch of studies related to autism, gluten, and/or celiac disease seem to be in the works, but so far it appears that not many have made it very far into the public eye.

Now the July 6 online edition of Pediatrics includes an international study that links autism with celiac disease, but perhaps not in a way that many people might have anticipated.

The study found, in part, that the children of mothers with celiac disease were more than three times more at risk for autism, reports HealthDay reporter Steven Reinberg,

So what does this mean in terms of treating autism with a gluten-free diet? The basic GFNYC stance remains the same: Before putting a child on a gluten-free diet, simply have the child tested for celiac disease by an informed pediatrician who understands that, depending on the age of the child, the serum test criteria for child diagnosis may be slightly different than those for adult diagnosis. (For infants and anyone else with neurological disorders, the anti-tissue antibodies may not be as important as the anti-gliadin antibodies.) Should the results be positive and the child go on a gluten-free diet, much improvement might result—and compliance with the diet can be monitored with using the original blood tests as a baseline.

To complement this testing, mothers (and fathers) might want to have themselves tested too.

The estimated prevalance of celiac disease in the general population is about 1:133—and possibly increasing, although most people remain undiagnosed. (Autism is slightly rarer in the United States, at about 1:150.) Among children with celiac-related developmental problems including failure to thrive, short stature, and dental enamel and tooth growth issues, it might be safe to say that they may be even more likely candidatest to be tested for celiac disease.

Certainly first- and second-degree relatives of people with celiac disease are much more likely to have the condition themselves. (The odds are about 1:22 and 1:39, respectively.)

More data can be expected over the coming months. But for now, if you're ready to put a child on a gluten-free diet, seize the opportunity to test for celiac disease first. Once a patient is gluten-free, testing for celiac disease and monitoring for dietary compliance becomes more difficult.

And, if your child has been diagnosed with autism, consider getting tested for celiac disease yourself. It could help to clarify some significant family health issues.

Lindsey Ellerson Report on ABCNews.com

News Report on Prevalence Studies; GMA Story on Being GF

Yesterday ABCNews.com producer Lindsey Ellerson posted "Living With Celiac Disease: One Woman's Story." Subtitled "Gluten Intolerance Increasingly Common, According to New Mayo Clinic Study," the article covers a lot of ground: It profiles Vanessa Maltin, reports on the recent Mayo Clinic study on prevalence and mortality, and includes the very important message, "Celiac disease now affects nearly one percent of the U.S. population, [Dr. Joseph] Murray told ABC News, but the vast majority of people living with celiac disease, do not know they have it."

Also of note is the tag line for the article: "The author of this article was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2004." So hey, Ms. Ellerson (right): Thank you for being "out" as a gluten-free newsperson!

Ellerson shared her own story in the May 9, 2007 Reporter's Notebook article "Top Chefs Support Gluten-Free Living."

My personal experience with celiac disease involved only unprovoked fainting spells that occurred periodically during my third year of college while studying abroad in London.

After numerous unexplained episodes of passing out on the Tube, at the Tower of London and while touring Trafalgar Square, I flew home for some medical tests.

I soon learned I was so severely anemic that I would require a blood transfusion if I wanted to return to England to complete the semester. I remained in the United States and after three months of dizziness, lack of energy and nausea, doctors were able to make the diagnosis of celiac disease.

The online package also includes a May 12, 2009 Good Morning America segment on "What you can eat if you have to go gluten-free." I'm not so keen on this tie-in with Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book The G-Free Diet featuring dietitian Ashley Koff (described as "a contributor" to the book). It's not hard to see connections, as Koff, like Hasselbeck, seems very eager to broaden interest in being gluten-free to a very broad audience, as if finding the millions of undiagnosed people with celiac disease wouldn't be enough of an achievement at the moment. True, Koff says that people curious about their symptoms should see their physicians ("that's critical")...but then she goes on to talk about autism, sensitivity, and intolerance—subjects that aren't necessarily likely to get much validation from conscientious physicians at this time. Like Hasselbeck, Koff also tries to seize on a weight-loss angle for the diet. Furthermore, she touts a probiotics line that she works with, vaguely explaining that it is the only one "clinically shown to address all of the digestive problems." It all adds up to overselling, in my opinion.

Let's hope that, with informed newspeople like Lindsey Ellerson, ABC will develop and retain sources such as Dr. Murray and dietitians affiliated with celiac disease centers and not feel as much of a need to build up The G-Free Diet, which is more of a ABC celebrity book than a reliable health book.