RECENT STUDIES

One of the benefits of belonging to the Westchester Celiac Sprue Support Group (WCSSG) is the group's newsletter, which usually reports on recent medical studies. The new newsletter is no exception. Here are highlights:

OATS A Spanish study of 134 oat products from North American and Europe found many (but not all) to be contaminated by rye, wheat, and—most often—barley.

PREGNANCY AND MISCARRIAGE An Italian study concluded that, although "celiac disease is a frequent cause of recurrent miscarriage," adapting a gluten-free diet "seems to favor a positive outcome of pregnancy in most CD patients with recurrent miscarriage."

SOCIAL PHOBIA An Italian study looked into reports of anxiety and depression being highly prevalent among people with celiac disease. Comparing 40 patients with celiac disease with 50 "healthy" subjects, the study found that "Despite the limited number of cases evaluated, the present study showed a significantly higher prevalence of social phobia in CD patients compared with...healthy subjects. Future studies are needed to clarify the possible social phobia-induced risks such as school and/or work failure in CD patients."

SALIVA TEST An Italian study finds that a salivary test can be used to diagnose celiac disease and monitor dietary compliance. [NOTE: Such as test has not been adopted in the United States, where diagnosis and monitoring currently revolves around a set of blood tests, or serologic panel.]

The newsletter also includes information about a study-in-progress: Drs. Elizabeth Shane and Peter Green of Columbia-Presbyterian University Medical Center are conducting a study of the effect of a gluten-free diet on bone growth and regeneration. If you are planning to start or you have recently started a gluten-free diet and you are able to travel to Columbia Presbyterian, you can contact Halley Eisenberg at 212-342-5725 for more information.

And, if you are interested in studying Dr. Green, be aware that he will be the guest speaker at the fall meeting of the WCSSG on September 21, 2008. That's one week after the 2008 Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease in, um, Rye.