Conference on celiac disease set

Of each 133 Americans, one suffers a serious illness called celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, most often not diagnosed. National celiac disease experts are gathering in Salt Lake City June 9-11 to present research, health and coping tips for those who have been diagnosed and to raise awareness of the disease.

The Gluten Intolerance Group of North America's national education conference will be held at the Sheraton City Centre hotel, 150 W. 500 South.

Key presenters include Dr. Alessio Fasano of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research on latest advances; Dr. John Zone, University of Utah School of Medicine, who will discuss skin health and celiac disease; Dr. Janet Harnsberger, pediatrician, on raising children with the disease; Carol Fenster, who will demonstrate how to bake delicacies without wheat; and Shelley Case, registered dietician, who will detail the basics of the gluten-free diet.

Celiac disease is a chronic, inherited disease that results from an immune-mediated response to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. The gluten in people with celiac disease damages the small intestine and the condition can trigger at any time in a person's life.

It is associated with and can lead to as many as 200 other diseases, including osteoporosis, lymphoma, stomach cancer, anemia, lactose intolerance, dermatitis herpetiformis, Type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease, Down syndrome, unexplained infertility, miscarriage, neurological conditions and rheumatoid arthritis, according to the Gluten Intolerance Group.

For information, go online to www.gluten.net.