The Gluten-Free Diet and Glycaemic Index in the Management of Coeliac Disease Associated with Type 1 Diabetes

ABSTRACT

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is frequently associated with coeliac disease (CD). Individuals with concomitant diseases, should adhere to a strict gluten-free diet (GFD) and control glycaemia to avoid the complications associated with both conditions. However, many aspects of the GFD which is a highly eliminative diet is inferior, compared to conventional gluten-containing diet. In this review, the management of CD associated with T1D are presented and the treatment dilemmas concerning a GFD are discussed in the context of the glycaemic response of gluten-free products. A great deal was also focused on glycaemia control as potential protection against chronic diseases.

KEYWORDS:

• Coeliac disease
• type 1 diabetes
• gluten-free diet
• glycaemic index
• metabolic syndrome
• hepatic steatosis
• autoimmune diseases

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the grant of KNOW Consortium “Healthy Animal - Safe Food”, MS&HE Decision No. 05-1/KNOW2/2015.