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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Clinical Nutrition

Celiac disease

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

/ˈsiːliæk dɪˈziːz/nounCommon term

In nutrition & dietetics, celiac disease means: An autoimmune condition in which eating gluten damages the lining of the small intestine and reduces the absorption of nutrients. It is managed with a strict lifelong gluten-free diet.

In Turkish: çölyak hastalığı, çölyak

How it is used

Diagnosed by doctors with blood tests and usually an intestinal biopsy, done while the person is still eating gluten. Dietitians help patients learn about hidden gluten, cross-contamination, label reading and possible nutrient gaps. People with the condition may describe themselves as 'celiac'.

Example sentences

  1. Celiac disease affects about one in a hundred people, but many cases are never diagnosed.

  2. After her diagnosis of celiac disease, she met the dietitian to learn about gluten-free shopping.

Common collocations

  • diagnosed with celiac disease
  • celiac disease screening
  • strict gluten-free diet
  • cross-contamination
  • gluten-freeNot containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. In the EU and the US, a food labeled gluten-free must keep gluten below a legal limit of about 20 mg per kg.
  • food intoleranceDifficulty digesting or reacting to a food that does not involve the immune system, such as lactose intolerance. Symptoms are usually digestive and depend on the amount eaten.
  • food allergyA harmful reaction of the immune system to a specific food protein, such as those in peanuts, milk or eggs. Symptoms can range from a rash to a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.
  • absorptionThe process by which digested nutrients pass from the intestine, mainly the small intestine, into the blood or lymph so the body can use them.

More terms: Clinical Nutrition

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