近期在健康食品店有越來越多的無麩質食品。而很多人誤以為只要進行無麩質飲食就會變得健康。 事實上，很多人可能患有乳糜瀉而需要進行無麩質飲食從而令健康得到改善，但真正去接受診斷的人卻少之有少。這種情況出現的原因有很多，例如﹕患者缺乏對乳糜瀉的認識，又或者從沒接受正確的診斷。 甚麼是乳糜瀉？ 乳糜瀉是一種對麩質有免疫反應的疾病。麩質是指可從小麥、大麥和黑麥裡找到的一種蛋白質。這個反應可以直接損害腸壁，並可能會導致營養吸收不良。 吸收不良會減少養分輸送到重要器官。若果身體內並沒有乳糜瀉的抗體，這就意味著您可能對麩質過敏了。也許麩質過敏不是很大問題，但若果您患的是與麩質過敏相似的乳糜瀉就可以延伸出的問題包括但不限於：疲勞，偏頭痛，自身免疫性疾病及情緒問題（抑鬱，焦慮、過度活躍症）。 如果診斷？ 很多人自身患有乳糜瀉或麩質過敏而不知道；再者，很多人都誤以為亞洲人就不會有麩質過敏的這個問題。而事實上並非如此，乳糜瀉在亞洲區越來越普遍。 2012年，美國梅約診所研究發現，在亞洲的麩質過敏症發病率大約高於五十年前的四倍。因此，大家應該當心留意自己是患有乳糜瀉，還是對麩質過敏。 檢測自己有否患有乳糜瀉，還是對麩質過敏有兩種方法： (1) 到營養師或醫生診所進行檢測； (2) 進行排除飲食。進行排除飲食需要2-3星期，您需於這段時間內在您的日常飲食中完全排除麩質。於第4星期開始，重新恢復有麩質的飲食，看看有麩質的飲食對您有沒有影響。若您發覺有很明顯的影響，麩質就有很大機會正在影響您的身體。這個時候，您應到營養師或醫生診所進行檢測，找出根源。 如何進行無麩質飲食？ 無麩質飲食看似是一個一個艱巨的任務，其實您可以遵循一些指引： (1) 除非以下食物被明確標示為無麩質，否則都應該完全避免，如：麵食、麵包、麥片、啤酒、薯片和沙津醬 (2) 有些食品並沒有經過處理而含麩質穀物的都應當小心。有許多食品都含有小麥而必須避免的，如：幹小麥，硬粒小麥粉，谷粉，全麥麵粉，卡姆小麥，粗麵粉和斯佩爾特小麥。同樣重要的是，要確保飲料不含有大麥，黑麥，小黑麥，或小麥。 (3) 應注意食物有否曾於制作過程中與麩質食品接觸。這可能發生在工廠、家中的廚房或餐廳。當您於餐廳用餐時，應該提醒店員及廚師，食品及用具需避免跟麩質食品接觸，並且需要檢查使用的加工食品有否含有麩質。 HK BioTek的伙伴 - 城康家居廚房，現已設立一個網上香港無麩質飲食地圖，讓更多人了解於香港如何進行無麩質生活。 網址：http://urbanhealth.hk/eating-out-gluten-free/ 無麩質飲食的好處 無麩質飲食會有助於消除乳糜瀉及麩質過敏帶來的負面影響，若您沒有乳糜瀉及麩質過敏，無麩質飲食則不一定會帶來很大的好處。倘若您是有麩質過敏，而排除飲食令您身體得到改善，無麩質飲食顯然會為您帶來很大的好處。 資料來源： 撰文：Urban Health 譯本：HK BioTek Ltd. 由HK BioTek Ltd. 提供

These days, more and more gluten-free diets/products are emerging on the market. The barrage of publicity swarming the issue may be disorienting for someone unfamiliar with Celiac disease or gluten-free lifestyles. In fact, many people who may suffer from Celiac disease or could benefit from a gluten-free diet never get diagnosed. This can happen for a number of reasons ranging from the lack of proper diagnosis to misinformation. At Urban Health, we will do our best to help you understand what Celiac disease is, how to diagnose it, the benefits of gluten-free diets, and the steps you can take to effectively introduce the diet into your life. What is Celiac Disease? Celiac disease “is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.” This reaction directly damages the intestinal lining and can lead to malabsorbtion of nutrients. Malabsorbtion decreases nutrient flow to vital organs. If antibodies attributed to Celiac disease are not present this means that you may be gluten sensitive. Though not as severe, gluten sensitivity can lead to the same symptoms as Celiac disease, which include but are not limited to: fatigue, migraines, autoimmune diseases, and mood issues (depression, anxiety ADHD). How To Diagnose For Celiac Disease Many people have Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity but don’t know it. It is a common misconception that Asians do not face issues regarding gluten-intolerance. However, this is not the case, as Celiac disease becomes more and more prevalent in Asian communities. A 2012 Mayo Clinic study found that in Asia the “incidence of celiac disease is around four times higher than it was five decades ago“. Therefore, it is important for everyone to know if they have Celiac disease or face issues with the digestion of gluten products. There are two main ways to find out if you have Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. The first is to get a test from a nutritionist or an M.D. The next option would be to go on an elimination diet. An elimination diet takes 2-3 weeks during which you should fully eliminate your consumption of gluten. After this, reintroduce gluten to your diet and see if you notice any effects from the gluten. If you notice a significant decrease in your well-being, it is extremely likely that you have a problem with gluten in your diet. How to Eat Gluten-Free There is no way around it–initially adapting to a gluten-free diet can seem like a daunting task. A few guidelines should be established. 1. Certain foods should always be avoided unless they are explicitly labelled as gluten-free, such as: pasta, bread, cereals, beer, potato chips, and salad dressings. 2. You must be careful that foods have not been processed with gluten containing grains. There are many different products containing wheat which must be avoided, such as: bulgur, durum flour, farina, graham flour, kamut, semolina, and spelt. It is also important to make sure that drinks don’t contain barley, rye, triticale, or wheat. 3. Cross-contamination can take place during food preparation when foods come into contact with gluten. This can occur in factories, your home kitchen, or at restaurants. Be sure to specify with the chef when you are ordering your food, wash thoroughly the utensils that have come into contact with gluten, and examine labels for gluten-containing products that are used in processing. Urban Health has put together a map of Celiac-friendly restaurants and restaurants that provide gluten-free options in Hong Kong. Website: http://urbanhealth.hk/eating-out-gluten-free/ Benefits Of Gluten-free Diet A gluten-free diet will help to eliminate the negative side effects which come with Celiac disease and gluten-sensitivity. For those of us who do not have either, a gluten-free diet may not necessarily be of much benefit. However, if you are experiencing any of the negative side effects which come with gluten sensitivity, it does not hurt to try an elimination diet. If you see an improvement in your health, this likely means that you experience a certain degree of gluten-sensitivity. A gluten-free diet then would be of great benefit for you.

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