The Oat Controversy

If  I’m on a gluten free diet, can I eat oats?
The oat controversy has come up over and over again in Celiac and Gluten Free Support Groups across the nation, for more than four decades.  There are two main concerns regarding oats and the gluten free diet:

... (1)   Firstly, many oats are contaminated with gluten and can contain hundreds to thousands of parts per million.  Contamination is the result of several production issues.

(a)     For years, oats have been crop rotated with wheat and other gluten grains in order to encourage healthy microbes in the soil.
(b)    Machines that sow seeds for oats are often used to sow the seeds for other gluten grains like wheat.
(c)    Storage areas that store oats, often times store other gluten containing grains which results in contamination of the oat grain.
(d)   Transportation of grains is often done in open containers in trucks which can result in contamination during transport.

(2)   Secondly, the avenin protein in oats has a similar amino chain to that in wheat.

(a)    Current research shows that 1out of every 5 individuals with Celiac Disease cannot safely consume oats.  A tTG test is usually used to determine which Celiacs can and cannot consume oats safely.
(b)   It is unknown the number of gluten sensitive individuals that cannot consume oats.  There is currently no test to show whether or not a gluten sensitive person is reacting to oats.  The elimination diet is the only way of determining whether an individual reacts to oats.  The elimination diet can be performed most effectively with a nutritionist or dietician and involves eliminating oats from the diet for 6 months or more, and observing symptoms when oats are placed back into the diet.

In summary, a gluten elimination diet should not include oats.  For one out of five Celiacs, and potentially a percentage of individuals sensitive or intolerant to gluten, the inclusion of oats in a gluten elimination diet can prevent symptom elimination and therefore result in false negative results.  In other words, if you eat oats during a gluten elimination diet and don’t see symptom improvement, you may need to do a gluten elimination diet without oats.  Gluten elimination diets that involve immune system activity, like Celiac Disease and potentially diseases like Sjorgen’s Syndrome, require a 100% gluten free diet, without any form of contamination, before symptoms begin to dissipate.

For gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive clients, health practitioners and dieticians familiar with gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity will often eliminate gluten and oats until symptoms disappear.  Once symptoms have been eliminated, if the client wants to consume oats, then a test for re-introduction of oats can be performed.  To test the re-introduction of oats are added back into the diet, many practitioners will instruct their client to maintain a food and mood journal during the re-introduction of oats.  The food and mood journal, involves recording what food is consumed, emotions before and after eating and body symptoms that may be related to the consumption of gluten*.

For Celiacs, many doctors familiar with Celiac Disease, will eliminate gluten and oats after diagnosis until a negative tTG test is arrived at.    If the patient wants to eat oats after a negative tTG test has been performed, then the doctor will slowly add gluten-free oats into the patients diet and test the patient for tTG over a period of at least 6 months.  If the tTG results are negative after 6 months of consuming oats and gluten related symptoms have not occurred, then most doctors assume that the patient can safely consume oats.
*Gluten related to Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance and Gluten Sensitivity MAY Include, but are not limited to the following:

Gastric Symptoms: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Constipation or Diarrhea
Neurological Symptoms: Depression, Nervousness, Anxiety or Seizures
Auto Immune Symptoms: Arthritis, Raynaud’s Disease or Sjorgen’s Syndrome
Vitamin Deficiencies: Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, B Vitamins, ect…
Skin Rashes: Dermatits, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, Rosacea
Hormone or Reproductive Complications: Miscarriage, Infertility, Heavy Bleeding, or Amenorrhea

 
Information Provided by:
Melanie Weir
Gluten Free Specialty Market
2612 J Street, #1
Sacramento, CA  95816
www.gfspecialty.com

Information in this article can be reproduced in exact form with credits to Melanie Weir from Gluten Free Specialty Market.  Copyright 2011.