It appears that some researchers are working on a pill for celiac disease. The idea is that, someday, this medication would help adults and children who have celiac disease to tolerate foods that contain gluten. Could this really work, or is it “too good to be true”?
Before you get too excited, please realize that this amazing sounding pill is not yet on the market. It is currently being worked on by two different groups of researchers. You cannot, at the time I am writing this blog, go to your child’s doctor and request the pill for celiac disease.
One group of researchers includes Justin B. Siegel, PhD, who is an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine, and chemistry, at the University of California at Davis. Their study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
In short, they tested a new enzyme, called KumaMax, that breaks down gluten. It was tested in a lab. The enzyme was found to have “dismantled” more than 95% of a protein component that is thought to trigger celiac disease. The enzyme has not yet been tested on people.
Another group working on a pill for celiac disease is a company called Alvine pharmaceuticals. They are also testing an enzyme based pill. This one has been tested on people who had celiac disease. One group got a placebo, and another group got the enzyme based pill.
This small study showed that those who got the enzyme pill had less damage happen to their small intestine after eating food that contained gluten than did the group that got the placebo. A larger study will need to be done to confirm the results of the small study.
Celiac Disease is a genetic disorder that has been described as an extreme immune response to gluten. This can affect children and adults. Those who have it experience damage to the villi in their intestines after eating foods that contain gluten. They also have difficulty absorbing food properly. This can lead to malnutrition and other problems.
The celiac disease pill will not make it possible for a person who has celiac disease to eat whatever he or she wants without having to worry about whether or not it contains gluten. Instead, it will reduce the person’s sensitivity to gluten, by a little bit, for a limited amount of time. This is similar to how Lactaid works for people who are lactose intolerant.
Joseph A. Murray, MD, is a gastroenterologist and celiac disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He had this to say about the new pill:
It probably will only reduce your sensitivity to gluten, but it won’t block it. Instead of taking in no gluten, you might be able to take in the equivalent of half a slice of bread and get away with it. It’s very unlikely that you could eat a pizza and get away with it.
Image by Basheer Tome on Flickr