People who suffer from celiac disease may soon enjoy gluten without any of the painful repercussions.
A gluten-free pill is in the works, and if all goes well, may be available to the public in a year or two. The pill was developed at the University of Alberta and is now headed to trials.
Gluten is a protein found in foods like wheat, rye and barley. A key component of gluten is gliadin, which damages the lining of the intestine of people with celiac disease.
When a person with celiac disease eats gluten it causes extreme gastric discomfort as well as headaches.
Since there is no cure, people with celiac disease must avoid gluten if they want to avoid the painful side-effects of gliadin. That means going an extremely strict diet, one without bread, pasta, beer, pizza, pretzels, hamburger buns, bagels, muffins, cookies and so on.
However, if the pill proves successful in trials, people with celiac will be able to enjoy all their favorite gluten-containing foods for a couple of hours after taking a dose.
The pill contains a substance made from the yolks of chicken eggs and prevents the absorption of gliadin. It binds with gliadin and neutralizes it, so that as the gluten passes through the intestine, it does not injure it.
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