Latest news with #glutenintolerance
ABC News
9 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
New coeliac disease blood test set to enable diagnosis on gluten-free diets
Eating gluten was making Eliza Long sick, but it was the only way for her to get a life-altering diagnosis. Aged 11, she underwent a gastroscopy at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, with a biopsy revealing she had coeliac disease. More than 350,000 Australians live with the disease, caused by an immune reaction to the gluten protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Current testing requires patients to eat gluten for weeks beforehand, in what is called the gluten challenge. "Knowing that what I was eating was going to make me feel really unwell was quite concerning," Ms Long, now aged 23, said. And the lengthy process was "confronting for a kid", she said. Researchers say the gluten challenge puts people off getting answers, with up to 80 per cent of coeliac cases remaining undiagnosed globally. Now, there is hope a "world-first" blood test being developed in Australia can bring that barrier down. Jason Tye-Din is the head of the coeliac research laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and a gastroenterologist at Royal Melbourne Hospital. He said a new test being developed by WEHI researchers with Brisbane-based Novoviah Pharmaceuticals could "revolutionise" the diagnostic process for patients. "It's just a simple blood test, they don't need an invasive gastroscopy and, importantly, they don't even need to be eating gluten for it to be accurate," he said. The test involves mixing a person's blood sample with gluten in a test tube, which then signals whether the T cells that cause coeliac disease are present. Dr Tye-Din said it could improve detection of the disease, particularly among those on gluten-free diets who did not want to eat gluten and make themselves unwell. "It's really important to make a diagnosis of coeliac disease because it can lead to long-term health issues such as gut symptoms, osteoporosis, infertility, even some forms of cancer, such as lymphoma." A study of 181 blood samples from people with and without coeliac disease found a "very high accuracy" for the new test to make a diagnosis or exclude it, even in those on gluten-free diets. In one case, Dr Tye-Din said a patient who had been diagnosed 10 years earlier tested negative, allowing a different diagnosis to be made. "This test allowed us to find the right treatment for her," he said. Researchers are working to confirm the test's accuracy across diverse populations and plan to make it available within the next two years. Ms Long said not having to eat gluten for her diagnosis would have been "life-changing".
The Sun
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Iceland recalls everyday lunchtime staple over health risk fears as shoppers warned ‘do not eat'
ICELAND has recalled an everyday lunchtime staple over health risk fears with a "do not eat" warning issued to shoppers. The retailer are recalling their Daily Bakery 4 Sub Rolls because of undeclared barley, which is not mentioned on the label. 1 This poses a potential risk to individuals with barley or gluten allergies or intolerances. The affected products have a best before date of June 2 2025. Shoppers who bought the affected products and have an allergy to barley must not eat them. Anyone with the product should return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. Customers do not need proof of receipt. A barley allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly identifies proteins in barley as harmful - triggering an allergic reaction. Barley contains gluten so it can affect those with Coeliac disease. Symptoms might include diarrhoea, bloating, stomach cramps and constipation. But there are also lesser-known symptoms including extreme fatigue, persistent mouth ulcers, subfertility and unexplained anaemia. Some experience recurrent miscarriage and even unexplained neurological symptoms such as ataxia, which affects balance and speech. Around one in 100 people in the UK are thought to have coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten intolerance, while others have a lower level of sensitivity. Your product recall rights Chief consumer reporter James Flanders reveals all you need to know. Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods. As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action. But it's often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk. If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer's website to see if a safety notice has been issued. When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you - the customer - to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don't there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault. If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer. They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice. In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected. You should not be charged for any recall work - such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item
