Despite continuous scientific progress, medicine still does not have appropriate medication for the treatment of coeliac disease. The only effective treatment for those affected by coeliac disease is still the adoption for life of a strict diet comprised of gluten-free food. The elimination of gluten from the diet enables complete clinical recovery and normalisation of intestinal mucosa. To follow up this food regime, it is necessary to totally exclude from food, wheat, barley, rye and all their derivatives including starches. Gluten is also present in oats but latest studies have highlighted that moderate ingestion (50 g/day) is tolerated as long as it is not contaminated with gluten from other toxic cereals during the elaboration of food.

It is not easy to follow a gluten-free diet in western countries in which wheat is the cereal most frequently consumed. Moreover, 70% of manufactured food products contain gluten since this is incorporated into its composition together with preservatives, aromas, colourings, thickeners, additives, anti-moisturisers, etc. To meet the needs of a coeliac group that is constantly increasing, several companies have established production lines of special gluten-free foods: flours from cereals for domestic elaboration, pre-cooked breads, pastas, pizzas, sweets, biscuits, cakes, etc. Other companies, given the growing demand, optimise their products, gluten-free by nature, to certify the absence of this composite. However, thanks to the advance in gluten detection techniques it is common to find large amounts of gluten in this type of product as a consequence of crossed contamination. Exhaustive and careful control of gluten content in these foods is essential for the health of consumers. Therefore, a new European Directive was drawn up (Directive 2003/89/EC) that has been generally applied in Spain since November 2005 and which requires foods that contain gluten to include it as an ingredient on its labels.

 

Note: There is no consensus relating to the minimum amount of gluten a coeliac patient has to ingest to trigger the process of destruction of intestinal epithelium in their body. The Codex Alimentarius stipulates that a naturally gluten-free food should contain an amount that is less than 20 ppm whilst if the food has been elaborated from sources that contain gluten, this figure should be less than 200 ppm. Coeliac patient groups, guided by some scientific studies demand that the permitted limited of gluten content in special gluten-free foods be reduced to 20 or even 10 ppm.