My Favourite Chocolate Cake recipe from Elana's Pantry

Here is my favourite Chocolate Cake recipe from Elana's Pantry called New German Chocolate cake.

The recipe fits the "Specific Carbohydrate diet"," GAPS "diet and the "Paleo" diet. She says it's a little complicated but you can make it in stages: make the cake the day before, make the icing an hour before you plan on serving it as it has to cool and thicken. If you are serving it for dessert at a dinner party, cool the icing just before serving the main course. It should be ready just when you're ready for dessert. I iced the cake infront of everyone after the main course, just before I served it. Everyone needs a little entertainment.

Just a final note: I never use agave because it is almost 100% fructose, instead I use honey and I adjust the amount by using 3/4 of what is asked for in the recipe.

Enjoy!
To your health
Dr. Barbara

Gluten Sensitivity Disease Can Increase Reproductive Problems

Infertility, small for dates babies, miscarriages and unexplained stillbirths are tragic events for a couple trying to conceive. If this should be occurring,  I recommend screening for celiac disease or gluten sensitivity because there is a higher incidence of these problems; with small for dates babies, there is a 7.75 times increased incidence according to this study.

This report comes from Jefferson Adams.

Dr. Kumar, of Maulana Azad Medical College & Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi, reported in a study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology that women with latent celiac disease, those who test positive for celiac antibodies but show normal small bowel biopsies, may develop more reproductive problems.

"Women having unexplained infertility, recurrent abortions, stillbirths or intrauterine growth retardation could have subclinical celiac disease, which can be detected by serological screening tests," Dr. Ashok Kumar told Reuters Health by email.

Improved diagnostic tools, and greater access to screening have led to more diagnosis of latent or subclinical celiac disease, says Dr. Kumar.

Doctors know that women with full, biopsy-proven, untreated celiac disease have more reproductive problems if they don't follow a gluten-free diet.

To study the effect of latent celiac disease on reproductive performance, the researchers examined 893 women.

They found that a total of 104 women had undergone idiopathic recurrent abortion, 104 had unexplained stillbirth, 230 had unexplained infertility, and 150 were pregnant, but showed idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction. The remaining 305 women, with normal obstetric histories, and served as control subjects.

Based on IgA tTG antibody titers, latent celiac disease was 5.43 times more common in the group with recurrent spontaneous abortion than in the control group.

Rates of latent celiac disease for the group with stillbirth were 4.61 times greater than the control group.

Rates for the group with intrauterine growth restriction were 7.75 times greater than control subjects, while rates for those with unexplained infertility were 4.51 higher.

The researchers also found that women with positive blood screens showed higher rates of  previous early births, low-weight births, and cesarean sections than did seronegative subjects.

Moreover, the researchers note that "the classic presentation of diarrhea and malabsorption is now less common, and atypical and silent presentations are increasing."

As a result of their findings, Dr. Kumar and his colleagues are recommending celiac disease blood screens for women with idiopathic cases of poor reproductive performance.

Source:

• World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Dec 14;16(46):5810-4

Ron Hoggan's response to article about "gluten-free dieting"

Dr. Ron Hoggan, co- author of Cereal Killers  and Dangerous Grains, has some interesting things to say in regards to some common myths about gluten-free eating and he emphasizes that gluten sensitivity has been found to be more dangerous than celiac disease.

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Recently I have noticed a trend in articles that demonize the gluten-free diet, and imply that there is something unhealthy or even dangerous about it. Here is an example of one that I forwarded to Dr. Ron Hoggan:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11017/1118230-114.stm
and below is his response to its author:

Dear China Millman,
Thank you for your interesting article on gluten-free dieting.  I was very pleased to read that you include patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity among those who should follow a gluten free diet.  I assume that you have arrived at your estimate of 20 million who are afflicted with wheat allergy, non-celiac and celiac gluten sensitivity using Dr. Fasano’s  estimate that 6 to 7 percent of Americans have what you refer to as this “milder form of gluten intolerance”.  There are other estimates. For instance, Dr. Kenneth Fine did random blood draws at a shopping center in Dallas, Texas and found an 11% rate of gluten sensitivity. Congruently, Dr. Marios Hadjivassiliou has reported rates as high as 12% in the United Kingdom and Dr. Rodney Ford reports a prevalence estimate of 10% in New Zealand.  Each investigator used different methods to arrive at their estimate, and each method is likely to underestimate the true prevalence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. For instance, they all rely on a single class of antibody reaction against a single sub-group of proteins found in gluten grains. Thus, Dr. Fasano’s estimate may be unduly conservative as it is substantially lower than others have found in similar populations and the testing used to arrive at Dr. Fasano's estimate also carries all of the other limitations mentioned above.

As for the notion that non-celiac gluten sensitivity is milder than celiac disease, Anderson et al, in their study titled “Malignancy and mortality in a population-based cohort of patients with coeliac disease or ‘gluten sensitivity’ World J Gastroenterol 2007 January 7; 13(1): 146-151, report a higher rate of malignancy and early mortality among those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity than among those with celiac disease.  This finding may be the result of the common recommendation that patients ignore test results that show non-celiac gluten sensitivity, as many physicians believe that such results are “non-specific” and do not warrant a gluten free diet. However, it may also reflect that non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a more serious illness than celiac disease. It may also reflect something entirely different than these two interpretations, but it does make a very good case for the need for more research in this very neglected area.

As for the comments by Heather Mangieri and the American Dietetics Association, they might benefit from reading studies such as the one by Dr. Cheng et al titled “Body Mass Index in Celiac Disease Beneficial Effect of a Gluten-free Diet” in the 2009 Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. They found that, after diagnosis with celiac disease, about half of the overweight and obese patients lost weight. Given the conservative data you report, suggesting that at least 90% of American cases of celiac disease go undiagnosed, there can be little doubt that a large portion of those with undiagnosed celiac disease who are overweight or obese would be likely to lose weight. The number who would lose weight should be greater among those who chose to follow a gluten free diet to lose weight, as some of those who are diagnosed with celiac disease do not comply with the diet.  If one accepts the proposition that those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, IBS, and IBD often have similarly problematic reactions to gluten, the number of Americans who could lose weight and live healthier, and therefore happier, lives (eating a gluten free diet) rises exponentially.

....In the current context of excessive under-diagnosis of celiac disease and limited understandings of the dynamics by which a gluten free diet causes weight loss among celiac patients, and an enormously greater number of Americans who have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, it is difficult to understand why anyone would be cautioned against following a gluten free diet with weight loss as their objective.  Whether these individuals are undiagnosed celiac patients, have undiagnosed non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or they find that a gluten free diet is helping them to achieve their body mass objectives, there is little legitimate cause to "warn" people away from a gluten free diet. Overall, your article does raise awareness of gluten as a potential health threat, so its overall impact is positive despite the misinformation that a gluten free diet does not help with weight loss.

Sincerely,
Ron Hoggan, Ed. D.

The best diet for celiac/gluten sensitivity is the GAPS diet.

The pathology of gluten sensitivity/celiac disease is in the connective tissues that are structurally and functionally different and the resultant permeable intestine sometimes called a "leaky gut". 


To really thrive, the best diet is the GAPS diet or the Gut and Psychology diet developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. She updated the specific carbohydrate diet using the newest information we have about foods.The GAPS diet tries to heal the "leaky gut". Supplements are also recommended both to make up for the nutritional deficiencies brought on by the "leaky gut" and because there are higher needs for some vitamens because of genetic (connective tissue) abnormalities.

I don't recommend a gluten free diet because I rarely see gluten sensitive/celiac persons do well on it. (Perhaps 1 out of 10). Autoimmune diseases still continue to present themselves and nutritional deficiencies persist. There are lots of problems with the flour substitutes from contamination, undiagnosed food allergies to high glycemic load. And store bought gluten free products are also made with seed oils which aggravates the omega 3-6-9 ratio. And grains have anti-nutrients in them.


A gluten free (GF) diet does help to some degree, for example we know that cancer rates start to drop from four times higher and by five years on a GF diet the risk of cancer (in a gluten sensitive/celiac person) is at the rate of the general population (RR =1). But is that enough when a person still doesn't feel well?

A GF diet, as apposed to a grain free diet or GAPS diet, rarely heals or stops any inflammatory processes that already exist nor stops the onset of autoimmune diseases (which are 12 times more common in GS/Celiac). Why does the GF diet fail? Because it doesn't heal the "leaky gut".

One of the best GAPS diet blogs is produced by Kat .

Brain, SPECT and Celiac

Gluten has strong pathophysiological effects on the brain and nervous tissues in persons genetically susceptible to gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.

One of its effects is to cause hypo-perfusion or reduction of blood flow. SPECT scans have helped illusidate those changes of the blood flow of the brain exposed to gluten in the person who is gluten sensitive or celiac. In a study done by Dr Giovanni Addolorato and associates, out of the Institute of Internal Medicine,Catholic University of Rome, and reported in Am J Med 2004http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343%2803%2900696-X/abstract, SPECT scan results showed the presence of regional cerebral hypo-perfusion in 73% of the untreated Celiac (CD) patients, compared with only 7% of CD patients on gluten free diet and none of the controls.Similar cerebral blood flow changes have been reported in patients suffering from different psychiatric disorders.

This happens in real life, to all those who have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease whether they know they have it or not. There are between 7 to 13 people undiagnosed for every celiac diagnosed depending on the study.

Dr. Charles Parker has some great pictures of the SPECT scans of a brain under the influence of gluten. Most of the problems occur in the prefrontal areas.

Dr. Parker writes:
Brain, SPECT and Celiac
Brain changes do appear on SPECT imaging with bowel immune dysfunction: think gluten sensitivity and celiac. Seeing real pathological evidence, bottom to top, does help with believing. Just a few months ago we reported at CorePsych Blog the interesting findings, reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, of all places, on SPECT brain imaging, celiac and a clearing of schizophrenic symptoms when the gluten sensitivity was effectively treated. Schizophrenia cured by eating a proper diet… and reported in an Internal Medicine journal? Interesting how others are seeing evidence for what some of us in mental health are missing.

The Villi Tell The Tale

Gluten Villi in Stages of Deterioration
This pathology slide set shows what celiac and early gluten sensitivity look like on the bowel level from the Columbia University Celiac Disease Center:

Just below: a typical brain image we often see using SPECT imaging for individuals with immune dysregulation. So many articles are coming up regarding brain imaging with SPECT with celiac I thought you would like to see the actual brain level findings that we see in our office.
The Immune Brain
Here you can easily see the temporal lobe and prefrontal hypoperfusion, so often referenced in the literature, that lead us to always chase down possible immune dysfunction/bowel/celiac issues as reported in the article below. -Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words…

Metabolic Brain

Another article [ref PubMed] supports additional SPECT imaging evidence in celiac disease:
Frontal cortical perfusion abnormalities related to gluten intake and associated autoimmune disease in adult coeliac disease: 99mTc-ECD brain SPECT study. Usai P et al. Dig Liver Dis. 2004; 36(8): 513-8
See the conclusions below:

RESULTS: Twenty-four out of 34 patients (71%) showed brain single-photon emission computed tomography abnormalities confirmed by abnormal regional asymmetry index (>5%; range 5.8-18.5%). Topographic comparison of the brain areas showed that the more significant abnormalities were localised in frontal regions, and were significantly different from controls only in coeliac disease patients on unrestricted diet. The prevalence of single-photon emission computed tomography abnormalities was similar in coeliac disease patients with (74%) and without (69%) associated autoimmune disease. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormalities of brain perfusion seem common in coeliac disease. This phenomenon is similar to that previously described in other autoimmune diseases, but does not appear to be related to associated autoimmunity and, at least in the frontal region, may be improved by a gluten-free diet.

These interesting articles reveal the growing interface between brain and body evidence in immune dysfunction. It’s interesting to bring these brain studies together with real office laboratory findings that confirm the pathophysiology on a gut cellular level.
Of further interest: SPECT is demonstrating changes in mold neurotoxin, neuroimmune conditions as well – more on mold findings in a later post. CP 

See his blog for more information on brain health.http://www.corepsychblog.com/2008/01/spect-imaging-notes-more-on-celiac-brain-hypofunction/

Yes, it is interesting to see the evidence that there are more medical conditions, including celiac/gluten sensitivity that cause or aggravate conditions we call mental illnesses. Which then in turn increases our hope to truly help those who are suffering by making a diagnosis.

Test or be tested for Gluten sensitivity. It could save a life.
 

Gluten causes brain disease!

The name of the blog, Celiac Brain can mean different things such as the state of denial one gets when one is first presented with the possibility of being gluten sensitivity and of starting a gluten free way of eating.

Or it can refer to the serious negative effects of gluten on the brain and nerves. There will be more to come on this subject.

This is an excerpt of Dr Fords article but see the full article here. 

Gluten Causes Brain Disease! By Prof. Rodney Ford M.B., B.S., M.D., F.R.A.C.P.

• By Dr. Rodney Ford M.D.
• Published 12/11/2006
• Celiac Disease
• Rating: Unrated

Dr. Rodney Ford M.D.

Dr. Rodney Ford is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He was Professor of Pediatrics at the Christchurch School of Medicine. He runs the Children’s Gastroenterology and Allergy Clinic in New Zealand. He has written a series of 7 books on gluten (www.DrRodneyFord.com). His main theory is that symptoms from gluten reactions arise from brain and nerve damage. His latest book is "The Gluten Syndrome" which encapsulates current ideas and concepts of gluten and the harm that it does.
View all articles by Dr. Rodney Ford M.D.

This article appeared in the Autumn 2006 edition of Celiac.coms Scott-Free Newsletter.
Celiac.com 12/11/2006 - Yes, thats what I think. Gluten-sensitivity is a disease of your brain and nerves.
The gluten puzzle
I have come to this conclusion after studying the effects of gluten on my patients for over a decade. I am a pediatric gastroenterologist and allergist. I run a busy clinic for children and their parents. I have been increasingly concerned by the large numbers of my patients who are affected by gluten. I was perplexed by their wide-ranging symptoms. The puzzle was to explain how gluten could cause so much ill health to so many people in so many different ways, including celiac disease.
Faulty brain control
Eureka! The solution came when deep in discussion with my friend and colleague, Ron Harper, Professor of Neurobiology, UCLA. We were both struggling with the concept of multiple symptoms that needed to be explained. The answer appeared absurdly simple: disturbed "brain control". It suddenly seemed obvious—gluten could disturb the neural pathways of the body. Gluten was gradually damaging the brain and the nerves of susceptible people. It was the brain that was the common pathway for the manifestations of all of the gluten symptoms. So I set out to research what the world medical literature had to say. ....

The shocking truth
The shocking truth about gluten is that gluten foods are causing tremendous damage—but currently this is going mostly unrecognized. Unfortunately, gluten grains have become our staple diet. The quantity of gluten in our food supply has been steadily increasing. Yet worse, official Health Policies endorse gluten grains as the foundation of our food pyramid....

Links for more info on celiac/gluten sensitivity

The link I find most useful is to Scott Adam's Celiac.com. One can subscribe to their newsletter free of charge and to The Journal of Gluten Sensitivity (fee involved). It covers scientific findings, articles on managing a gluten free lifestyle and recipes.

Dr. Rodney Ford, MD and Professor of Pediatrics writes that he thinks gluten causes brain disease. The brain is significantly affected and gluten is a neurotoxin. I will be writing on this in the near future but in the mean time read this article.