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Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 May 2024) | Viewed by 13536

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Division of Pediatrics, Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
Interests: pediatric; children; adolescents; neonates; celiac disease; obesity; metabolic syndrome

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, a gluten-free diet represents the only available therapeutic strategy for celiac disease. A life-long total and strict elimination of all sources of gluten is recommended. However, little is known about the possible effects of small but repeated gluten contaminations, how to detect them, and on the individual threshold of gluten tolerance. Moreover, the possible long-term repercussions of an elimination diet on the global health of subjects with celiac disease are not fully understood. Finally, new therapeutic options, other than or along with the gluten-free diet, are emerging, and preventive strategies would be advisable to avoid disease onset in genetically predisposed subjects such as first-degree relatives of patients with celiac disease.

Dr. Alice Monzani
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • celiac disease
  • gluten-free diet
  • dietary compliance
  • prevention
  • nutrition
  • dietary assessment
  • biomarkers

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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7 pages, 469 KiB  
Article
BMI Status of Children with Celiac Disease Has Changed in the Last Decades: A 30-Year Retrospective Study
by Alice Monzani, Silvia Marcolin, Federico Medina, Kevin Valentino and Ivana Rabbone
Nutrients 2024, 16(16), 2729; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16162729 - 16 Aug 2024
Viewed by 955
Abstract
The presenting pattern of celiac disease (CD) at diagnosis in children has changed over time, with a reduction of malabsorption-related phenotypes and an increase in regular or even excessive growth patterns. We retrospectively reviewed the body mass index (BMI) distribution of all patients [...] Read more.
The presenting pattern of celiac disease (CD) at diagnosis in children has changed over time, with a reduction of malabsorption-related phenotypes and an increase in regular or even excessive growth patterns. We retrospectively reviewed the body mass index (BMI) distribution of all patients with a new diagnosis of CD made in a Pediatric Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic in 1990–2011, compared to those diagnosed in 2012–2022, according to their clinical and serological characteristics. The 1990–2011 and 2012–2022 cohorts included 250 (M:F = 90:160, mean age 7.3 ± 6.1 years) and 243 children (M:F = 81:162, mean age 7.1 ± 3.7 years, NS), respectively. The prevalence of underweight (UW) was higher in the 1990–2011 cohort (61/250, 24.4% in 1990–2011 vs. 31/243, 12.7% in 2012–2022, p = 0.0001), whereas that of overweight (OW) and obese (OB) subjects was significantly higher in 2012–2022 (10/250, 4% in 1990–2011 vs. 24/243, 9.9% in 2012–2022, p = 0.012, and 1/250, 0.4% in 1990–2011 vs. 8/243, 3.3% in 2012–2022, p = 0.018, respectively). In both cohorts, gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent in OW/OB than in UW children (6/11, 54.5% vs. 5/61, 8.2% in 1990–2011, p < 0.0001, and 24/32, 75% vs. 10/31, 32.3%, p < 0.0001 in 2012–2022), and the extent of anti-transglutaminase antibody increase was similar in OW/OB and UW subjects. The prevalence of children with a normal or even high BMI at CD diagnosis has increased in the past three decades; therefore, CD should be suspected regardless of BMI status. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
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12 pages, 922 KiB  
Article
Differences in Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels at Diagnosis of Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes
by Monica Marino, Tiziana Galeazzi, Rosaria Gesuita, Salima Ricci, Carlo Catassi, Valentino Cherubini and Elena Lionetti
Nutrients 2024, 16(5), 743; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16050743 - 5 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1517
Abstract
Aim: The aim of this work is to assess the vitamin D levels, evaluated as plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D of children with a new diagnosis of celiac disease (CD), of children with a new onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and in children with [...] Read more.
Aim: The aim of this work is to assess the vitamin D levels, evaluated as plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D of children with a new diagnosis of celiac disease (CD), of children with a new onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and in children with CD at diagnosis of T1D (T1D&CD). Methods: In this single-center observational study, we collected data for four groups of children and adolescents: T1D, CD, T1D&CD, and a control group (CG). The CG included schoolchildren who had negative results during a mass screening campaign for CD and were not diagnosed for T1D, according to RIDI Marche registry data, were considered for the purposes of this study. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D2, and 25(OH)D3 were considered as the parameters for evaluating vitamin D nutritional status, and the date of measurement was recorded to analyze vitamin D level seasonality. Vitamin D nutritional status was categorized as follows: severe deficiency (<10 ng/mL), deficiency (<20 ng/mL), insufficiency (20–29 ng/mL), or sufficiency/adequacy (≥30 ng/mL). The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the groups. The association of 25(OH)D levels with health conditions and seasonal differences of 25(OH)D levels was analyzed using a multiple linear regression model. Results: The number of children enrolled for the present study was 393: 131 in the CG, 131 CD, 109 T1D, and 22 T1D&CD. Significantly lower levels of vitamin D were displayed for children with CD, T1D, or both the diseases. Interestingly, severe vitamin D deficiency was detected in no children with CD, 1.5% of children in the CG, in 24.4% with T1D, and 31.8% with T1D&CD (p < 0.001). As expected, the CG children vitamin D levels were significantly influenced by seasonality. Contrarily, no seasonal differences were reported in children with CD, T1D, and T1D&CD. Multiple regression analysis showed that children with T1D and T1D&CD had lower 25(OH)D levels of 9.9 ng/mL (95% CI: 5.4; 14.5) and 14.4 ng/mL (95% CI: 6.2–22.7) compared to CG children (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results showed low levels of vitamin D diagnosis of T1D, CD, and T1D&CD; however, severe deficiency was only reported in children with T1D and T1D&CD. More studies are needed to better understand the role of this deficiency in children newly diagnosed with CD and T1D. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
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16 pages, 772 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Immunochemical Characterization of a Water-Soluble Gluten Peptide Fraction for Improving the Diagnosis of Celiac Disease
by Niklas Meyer, Boris Illarionov, Markus Fischer and Herbert Wieser
Nutrients 2024, 16(5), 742; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16050742 - 5 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1299
Abstract
The diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) is complex and requires a multi-step procedure (symptoms, serology, duodenal biopsy, effect of a gluten-free diet, and optional genetic). The aim of the study was to contribute to the improvement of CD diagnosis by preparing a water-soluble [...] Read more.
The diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) is complex and requires a multi-step procedure (symptoms, serology, duodenal biopsy, effect of a gluten-free diet, and optional genetic). The aim of the study was to contribute to the improvement of CD diagnosis by preparing a water-soluble gluten peptide fraction (called Solgluten) and by selecting gluten-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for the detection of gluten immunogenic gluten peptides (GIPs) in urine and blood serum spiked with Solgluten. Food-grade Solgluten was prepared by the extraction of a peptic digest of vital gluten with water, centrifugation, and freeze-drying. The process was relatively easy, repeatable, and cheap. The content of gliadin-derived GIPs was 491 mg/g. Solgluten was used as antigenic material to compare two competitive ELISA kits (R7021 and K3012) and two sandwich ELISA kits (M2114 and R7041) in their quality regarding the quantitation of GIPs in urine and blood serum. The quality parameters were the reactivity, sensitivity, coefficients of variation and determination, and curve shape. The evaluation of the kits showed a number of discrepancies in individual quality parameters measured in urine and serum. Due to the lowest limit of quantitation and the highest coefficient of determination, M2114 may be the first choice, while R7021 appeared to be less suitable because of the high coefficients of variation and unfavorable curve progression. The results set the stage for improving CD diagnosis by supplementing conventional blood tests with oral provocation with Solgluten and subsequent ELISA measurement of GIPs that could support the no-biopsy approach and by better assessing the effect of a gluten-free diet by monitoring adherence to the diet by measuring GIPs in urine and blood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
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11 pages, 779 KiB  
Article
Celiac Disease on the Bed-Side: Embedding Case Finding and Screening in Hospitalized Children
by Angela Pepe, Claudia Mandato, Tiziana Di Leo, Giovanni Boccia, Giulia Lucaroni, Gianluigi Franci, Carolina Mauro, Giuseppe Di Cara and Francesco Valitutti
Nutrients 2023, 15(23), 4899; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234899 - 23 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1332
Abstract
Background: Strategies for diagnosing celiac disease (CD) include case-finding and population-screening programs. Case finding consists of testing individuals at increased risk for the disease due to symptoms or associated conditions. Screening programs are widespread campaigns, which definitely perform better in terms of unveiling [...] Read more.
Background: Strategies for diagnosing celiac disease (CD) include case-finding and population-screening programs. Case finding consists of testing individuals at increased risk for the disease due to symptoms or associated conditions. Screening programs are widespread campaigns, which definitely perform better in terms of unveiling CD diagnoses but nowadays are still debatable. The global prevalence of CD is around 1% but it almost doubles when considering screening programs among school children. Within this framework, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of CD among hospitalized children in the Pediatric Department of a Southern Italy University Hospital in the period from January 2018 through December 2021. In addition, we attempted to explore, at the time of diagnosis, the prevalence of leading clinical alerts due to malabsorption/malnutrition such as anemia or failure to thrive or due to systemic inflammation/immune dysfunction as hypertransaminasemia and thyroid dysfunction. Methods: Data records of pediatric patients admitted as inpatients and tested by anti-transglutaminase IgA antibodies (TGA-IgA) were retrospectively analyzed. CD was diagnosed according to either 2012 or 2020 ESPGHAN guidelines, depending on the year of diagnosis. CD autoimmunity (CDA) was a wider group defined within our protocol if patients had elevated TGA-IgA on at least one occasion, regardless of anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA-IgA) and without biopsy confirmation. Results: During the observation period, 3608 pediatric patients were admitted and 1320 were screened for CD (median age 5 years, IQR 2–9 years; CD test rate: 36.6% out of all admissions). The available prevalence of newly diagnosed CD was 1.59% (21 patients diagnosed) and the available prevalence of CDA was 3.86% (51 subjects). Among CD patients, underweight/malnourished children accounted for 28.6% (6 out of 21). Conclusions: The estimated prevalence of CD diagnoses within our setting was comparable to the most recent population-screening programs. The estimated prevalence of CDA was even higher. A hospital-admission CD testing during routine blood draws might be a non-invasive, cost-effective and valuable approach to reduce discrepancy of prevalence between case-finding and population-screening programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
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10 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
Determinants of Adherence to a Gluten-Free Diet in Children with Celiac Disease and the Influence of the Methods Used to Assess It
by Alice Monzani, Silvia Marcolin, Sara Giorda, Francesco Epis, Maristella Babral, Kevin Valentino, Lorenza Scotti, Enrico Felici and Ivana Rabbone
Nutrients 2023, 15(11), 2455; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112455 - 24 May 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1819
Abstract
Lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) is the cornerstone of management of celiac disease (CD), but adhering to a GFD can be hard. Although several factors are positively associated with adherence of pediatric CD patients to a GFD, it is unknown whether [...] Read more.
Lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) is the cornerstone of management of celiac disease (CD), but adhering to a GFD can be hard. Although several factors are positively associated with adherence of pediatric CD patients to a GFD, it is unknown whether these are influenced by variability caused by the specific tool used to assess adherence to a GFD. Here, we aimed to evaluate how individual patient characteristics and dietary counselling by a trained dietitian influence adherence to a GFD in children with CD, as assessed by two validated questionnaires: the Biagi questionnaire and the Leffler short questionnaire adapted for pediatric patients. Some 139 children and adolescents were recruited in a cross-sectional, multicenter study. Concordance between the two questionnaires in defining adherence was fair (weighted Cohen’s kappa coefficient 0.39, 95%CI 0.19–0.60). Upon regression analysis, having a cohabiting family member with CD, being of Italian origin, and receiving specialized dietary counselling during follow-up were found to positively influence stricter adherence to a GFD for children with CD. Neither questionnaire detected a significant relationship between adherence to a GFD and the presence of symptoms after gluten ingestion. This study provides important new data on the factors influencing GFD adherence in the pediatric population, and highlights the importance of dietician input and overcoming language and cultural barriers when educating patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
10 pages, 626 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Different Types of Rice and Cooking on Postprandial Glycemic Trends in Children with Type 1 Diabetes with or without Celiac Disease
by Antonio Colasanto, Silvia Savastio, Erica Pozzi, Carlotta Gorla, Jean Daniel Coïsson, Marco Arlorio and Ivana Rabbone
Nutrients 2023, 15(7), 1654; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15071654 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2388
Abstract
The aims of this study were to evaluate: (i) the chemical and nutritional composition of rice before and after cooking and (ii) postprandial glycemic impacts in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) after eating two different types of rice (“Gigante Vercelli” [...] Read more.
The aims of this study were to evaluate: (i) the chemical and nutritional composition of rice before and after cooking and (ii) postprandial glycemic impacts in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) after eating two different types of rice (“Gigante Vercelli” white rice and “Artemide” black rice) or white rice cooked “risotto” style or boiled using an advanced hybrid closed loop (AHCL) system (Tandem Control-IQTM). General composition and spectrophotometric analyses of raw and cooked rice were performed. Eight T1D subjects (four males and four females, aged 11 ± 1.4 years), two with celiac disease (CD), using an AHCL system were enrolled. “Gigante Vercelli” white rice cooked as risotto or boiled and boiled “Artemide” rice were prepared by the same cook on two evenings. Continuous glucose monitoring metrics were evaluated for 12 h after meal consumption. Total dietary fiber was higher for both rice types after cooking compared with raw rice. Cooking as risotto increased polyphenols and antioxidants (p < 0.05) in both rice varieties, and total starch decreased after boiling (p < 0.05) in white rice. There was a significant peak in glycemia after consuming risotto and boiled white rice (p < 0.05), while the mean glycemic peak remained <180 mg/dL in individuals eating boiled Artemide rice. There were no significant differences in automatic basal or auto-bolus insulin deliveries by the AHCL according to different types of rice or cooking method. Our findings suggest that glycemic trends are impacted by the different chemical and nutritional profiles of rice but are nevertheless well controlled by AHCL systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
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Review

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19 pages, 358 KiB  
Review
Celiac Disease: The Importance of Studying the Duodenal Mucosa-Associated Microbiota
by Alessandro Annunziato, Mirco Vacca, Fernanda Cristofori, Vanessa Nadia Dargenio, Giuseppe Celano, Ruggiero Francavilla and Maria De Angelis
Nutrients 2024, 16(11), 1649; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16111649 - 27 May 2024
Viewed by 1162
Abstract
There is increasing evidence indicating that changes in both the composition and functionality of the intestinal microbiome are closely associated with the development of several chronic inflammatory diseases, with celiac disease (CeD) being particularly noteworthy. Thanks to the advent of culture-independent methodologies, the [...] Read more.
There is increasing evidence indicating that changes in both the composition and functionality of the intestinal microbiome are closely associated with the development of several chronic inflammatory diseases, with celiac disease (CeD) being particularly noteworthy. Thanks to the advent of culture-independent methodologies, the ability to identify and quantify the diverse microbial communities residing within the human body has been significantly improved. However, in the context of CeD, a notable challenge lies in characterizing the specific microbiota present on the mucosal surfaces of the intestine, rather than relying solely on fecal samples, which may not fully represent the relevant microbial populations. Currently, our comprehension of the composition and functional importance of mucosa-associated microbiota (MAM) in CeD remains an ongoing field of research because the limited number of available studies have reported few and sometimes contradictory results. MAM plays a crucial role in the development and progression of CeD, potentially acting as both a trigger and modulator of the immune response within the intestinal mucosa, given its proximity to the epithelial cells and direct interaction. According to this background, this review aims to consolidate the existing literature specifically focused on MAM in CeD. By elucidating the complex interplay between the host immune system and the gut microbiota, we aim to pave the way for new interventions based on novel therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers for MAM in CeD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
16 pages, 1665 KiB  
Review
Cutaneous Disorders Masking Celiac Disease: Case Report and Mini Review with Proposal for a Practical Clinical Approach
by Silvana Ancona, Silvia Bianchin, Noemi Zampatti, Valentina Nosratian, Carolina Bigatti, Jacopo Ferro, Chiara Trambaiolo Antonelli, Gianmaria Viglizzo, Paolo Gandullia, Federica Malerba and Marco Crocco
Nutrients 2024, 16(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16010083 - 26 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2367
Abstract
Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic gluten-related disorder characterized by a wide spectrum of intestinal and extra-intestinal manifestations, including damage to cutaneous and connective tissue. We report a rare case of chronic severe dermatitis involving connective tissue and cutaneous vascular vessels as [...] Read more.
Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic gluten-related disorder characterized by a wide spectrum of intestinal and extra-intestinal manifestations, including damage to cutaneous and connective tissue. We report a rare case of chronic severe dermatitis involving connective tissue and cutaneous vascular vessels as the main clinical presentation of undiagnosed seronegative gluten disorder. A gluten-free diet dramatically improved the intestinal and cutaneous clinical damage in the patient. Pitfalls and the steps of differential diagnosis are described. We also review the literature regarding studies of CD and connective tissue diseases to extend the knowledge of these rare associations. We propose a practical diagnostic approach in suspected CD in autoimmune cutaneous disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Immunobiology of Celiac Disease)
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