Celiac Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: The Important Role of Good Nutrition

Celiac Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: The Important Role of Good Nutrition

If you have celiac disease, you’re at significantly greater risk for developing multiple sclerosis compared to the non-CD population. In fact, one study found MS occurred in more than one in every 10 patients with CD and 32 percent of their first-degree relatives (parents, children and siblings).1

The common denominator for these two conditions is the immune system; when that system comes under fire from one autoimmune disease, it makes you prone to a whole host of other immune-related conditions.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disabling and progressive disease that affects the central nervous system, disrupting the flow of information between the nerves and the brain, and it’s just one of several neurological conditions that have been associated with celiac disease2.

There no doubt that nutrition is important for maintaining optimal immune and nervous system health. Studies have shown several nutrients, including vitamin D, vitamin A3, omega-3 fatty acids4, and antioxidants like vitamins C and E5, all help maintain good immune system health. Likewise, research has demonstrated the important role of the B family of vitamins like folate, thiamin and B₁₂ in preserving the myelin sheath, the protective “jacket” that surrounds nerves and allows them to communicate with each other. Iron is also important6 in promoting development of myelin-producing cells called oligodendrocytes.

Unfortunately, because intestinal absorption of these and other nutrients can be impaired in celiac disease, many people with the disease don’t get the nutrients they need to maintain good health. Nutritional supplementation, therefore, becomes critically important for supporting not just a healthy immune system, but a healthy neurological system as well.

CeliVites supplements by Gluten Free Therapeutics were developed specifically to meet the nutritional deficiencies of celiac patients. Gluten Free Therapeutics President Leigh Reynolds, herself the mother of an adult child with CD, says she founded Gluten Free Therapeutics to fill a void by providing up-to-the-minute, research-backed information about CD as well as nutritional products designed for CD patients.

“CeliVites use the most absorbable forms of each nutrient to ensure the best nutrition possible, despite the digestive issues experienced by CD patients,” Reynolds says. “We’re committed to helping those with CD and gluten-intolerance enjoy full, happy lives through great nutrition. We also have a personal connection with MS. We have family members who have the MS and CD combination. We felt compelled to share this information to the MS and CD communities.”

To learn more about CeliVites and to see the complete line of Gluten Free Therapeutics supplements and nutritional products, visit the company website or follow GFT on Facebook or Twitter. And to learn more about multiple sclerosis, visit the websites of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.

1 Rodrigo L. et al. (2011) Prevalence of celiac disease in multiple sclerosis. BMC Neurol. 11:31.
2 Freeman H.J. (2008) Neurological disorders in adult celiac disease. Can J Gastroenterol. 22: 909–91
3 Mora J.R. et al. (2008)Vitamin effects on the immune system: vitamins A and D take centre stage Nat Rev Immunol. 8: 685-698.
4 Maskrey BH et al. (2013) Emerging importance of omega-3 fatty acids in the innate immune response: molecular mechanisms and lipidomic strategies for their analysis. Mol Nutr Food Res. 57:1390-400.
5Brambilla D. et al. (2008) The role of antioxidant supplement in immune system, neoplastic, and neurodegenerative disorders: a point of view for an assessment of the risk/benefit profile. Nutr. J. 7:29.
6 Drake V.J. (2011) Micronutrients and cognitive function. Linus Pauling Institute Research Newsletter.

This original article is made possible by Gluten Free Therapeutics. Our mission is to educate, inform, and provide the most effective nutritional products possible to allow those with celiac disease and serious gluten intolerances to heal their bodies. CeliVites complete line of superior gluten free supplements includes multivitamin/multimineral supplements, iron supplements, and calcium supplements for people living with celiac disease. All CeliVites products are designed to help you heal, restore and rebuild your body, because going gluten free isn’t enough!