Eat! Gluten-Free News

2020 marks the 30th Anniversary for the Celiac Disease Foundation. We're celebrating 30 years with a highlight reel of CDF's most notable yearly accomplishments, posted each day throughout the month of May on CDF’s Facebook & Twitter.

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month - the perfect time to join the Celiac Disease Foundation in generating support for research for treatments and a cure! Raise or Donate between May 1 - May 31 and receive gluten-free products from Proud Sponsor Schar.

In a global effort to support nonprofit organizations struggling with the economic and social impact of COVID-19, this Tuesday, May 5, has been designated as a special #GivingTuesdayNow. Your donation on #GivingTuesdayNow and throughout the month of May puts us one step closer to solving celiac disease and will be rewarded with gluten-free treats from Proud Sponsor Schar!

Confronted with the reality of an all-consuming global pandemic, every nonprofit, including the Celiac Disease Foundation, has to figure out where we fit in a world that is quickly changing and into a future that no one can predict.

The first mice with characteristics of celiac disease have been developed at the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. For the first time researchers can observe celiac disease onset as the mouse’s immune system launches a coordinated attack against gluten.

The Celiac Disease Foundation uses peer-reviewed research to push our federal government to act responsibly. Our sponsorship of Columbia University’s Biennial Symposium, where the world’s expert celiac researchers share their findings and collaborate on future projects, continues this work.

Last week, one of our 2019 Young Investigator Award recipients, Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, co-authored a study that showed a small, but statistically significant increase in mortality rates for patients with celiac disease.

People with celiac disease have a small but significantly increased mortality rate. The finding comes from the largest study of its kind, which used long-term health records of celiac patients in Sweden between 1969 and 2017.

There may be a silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud. The pandemic might actually improve diagnostic rates and follow-up care for people with celiac disease. Celiac disease clinics have begun to provide medical and dietary consultations via telehealth to protect patients and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients who previously have not had access to doctors…

Dr. Dan Leffler, Celiac Disease Foundation Medical Advisory Board Member and clinician and researcher at Harvard Medical School and Takeda, spoke about the profound ineffectiveness and failure of the gluten-free diet as a treatment for celiac disease.