title: Oats in the diet of children with celiac disease: preliminary results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter Italian study.
abstract: A gluten-free diet (GFD) is currently the only available treatment for patients with celiac disease (CD). Several clinical trials have demonstrated that most celiac patients can tolerate a medium-high quantity of oats without any negative clinical effects; however, the inclusion of oats in GFD is still a matter of debate. In this study, Italian children with CD were enrolled in a 15-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial. Participants were randomized in two groups following either A-B treatment (6 months of diet "A", 3 months of standard GFD, 6 months of diet "B"), or B-A treatment (6 months of diet "B", 3 months of standard GFD, 6 months of diet "A"). A and B diets included gluten-free (GF) products (flour, pasta, biscuits, cakes and crisp toasts) with either purified oats or placebo. Clinical data (Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rate Scale [GSRS] score) and intestinal permeability tests (IPT), were measured through the study period. Although the study is still blinded, no significant differences were found in GSRS score or the urinary lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio between the two groups after 6 months of treatment. These preliminary results suggest that the addition of non-contaminated oats from selected varieties in the treatment of children with CD does not determine changes in intestinal permeability and gastrointestinal symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. simona.gatti@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Caporelli
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
authors.forename: Ruggiero
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Francavilla
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbato
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roggero
authors.forename: Basilio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Malamisura
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iacono
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Budelli
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gesuita
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catassi
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lionetti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018554:Avena; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055050:Diet, Gluten-Free; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D007558:Italy; D007792:Lactulose / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D008353:Mannitol / Q000652:urine; D010539:Permeability; D012639:Seeds
chemical_list: D008353:Mannitol; D007792:Lactulose