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. 1974 Oct 26;4(5938):189–191. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5938.189

Lack of Harmful Effect of Oats on Small-intestinal Mucosa in Coeliac Disease

A S Dissanayake, S C Truelove, R Whitehead
PMCID: PMC1612349  PMID: 4417208

Abstract

It is well established that wheat, rye, and barley are harmful to patients with coeliac disease, but the effect of oats remains in doubt. Four patients with coeliac disease, who had shown complete mucosal recovery after prolonged treatment with a strict gluten-free diet, volunteered to consume oats in addition to their gluten-free diet for a period of one month and were studied by jejunal biopsy before and after the experimental period. The patients remained entirely symptom-free and, more important, the jejunal mucosa was undamaged as judged by appearances under dissecting and light microscopes, quantitative histological studies, and disaccharidase content. It is concluded that oats are harmless to coeliac subjects and can be included in a gluten-free diet.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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