Gliadin and cancer

[Guest guest]

This is from the celiac list ... it's the first study I've seen

to directly link a gluten diet directly with cancer.

-- Heidi

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------

J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2004 Feb; 38(2): 177-180

Gluten-Free Diet Has a Beneficial Effect on Chromosome Instability in

Lymphocytes of Children With Coeliac Disease.

Kolacek S, Jadresin O, Petkovic I I, Misak Z, Sonicki Z, Booth IW.

Children's Hospital Zagreb, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb,

Croatia; Department of Statistics, Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia;

Institute of Child Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United

Kingdom.

SUMMARY: OBJECTIVES Children with coeliac disease (CD) have an increased

number of chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Whether

genetically determined or a secondary phenomenon in CD, chromosome

abnormalities may be involved in the predisposition to cancer in CD

patients. The aim of the study was to follow a group of children with CD in

whom the initial frequency of chromosome aberrations at diagnosis was known

and to measure the same variable after a minimum of 2 years on a gluten-

free diet.METHODS Chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes

were determined in 17 patients with CD, before and after at least 24 months

of a gluten free diet (mean, 33 months), and in 15 healthy children. The

differences in the frequency of aberrations were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U

test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test.RESULTS Twelve patients

adhered to the diet and had a significantly lower frequency of chromosome

aberrations than did 5 patients not following the diet (0.16% v 1.2%; P =

0.03), whereas at presentation there had been no difference (1.54% v 1.2%;

P = 0.09). The frequency of aberrations at follow-up in patients who were

diet adherent was significantly lower than at presentation (1.54% v 0.16%;

P = 0.02) and remained unchanged in patients who were not diet adherent

(1.2% v 1.2%; P = 1). After at least 24 months of a gluten-free diet,

children with CD did not differ from healthy control subjects (0.16% v

0.27%; P = 0.54), whereas children not following the diet had an increased

frequency of aberrations (1.2% v 0.27%; P = 0.05).CONCLUSIONS The frequency

of chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with

CD decreased significantly on a gluten-free diet. We conclude that genomic

instability is a secondary phenomenon, possibly caused by chronic

intestinal inflammation.

PMID: 14734880 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

* * *