The myths about coeliac disease

Four times more people have coeliac disease than 20 years ago, according to researchers from the University of Nottingham.

But what are the myths surrounding the condition that means people cannot eat food products containing gluten?

According to CoeliacUK, they are:

‘Coeliac disease is rare’

• Research shows 1 in 100 people in the UK have it, and 500,000 people with it are yet to be diagnosed.

‘Coeliac disease is a food allergy’

• It is not an allergy or an intolerance, it is an autoimmune disease, that can affect a number of parts of the body.

‘You have to have gut symptoms such as diarrhoea to have coeliac disease’

• It affects a number of areas in the body, and symptoms differ in different people.

‘Only children get coeliac disease’

• It can develop and be diagnosed at any age.

'You have to be underweight to have undiagnosed coeliac disease’

• Recent research suggests that most people with coeliac disease are of normal weight or overweight at diagnosis.

‘You can ‘grow out’ of having coeliac disease’

• Coeliac disease is a lifelong condition.

‘A breadcrumb won’t hurt someone with coeliac disease’

• Even very small amounts of gluten can be damaging to people with coeliac disease.

For more information on coeliac disease visit the CoeliacUK website.