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Celiac Disease and Eating and Weight Disorders

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Hidden and Lesser-known Disordered Eating Behaviors in Medical and Psychiatric Conditions

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Abstract

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy activated by gluten ingestion causing small bowel inflammation and chronic nutrient malabsorption. The CD prevalence has increased in the last years and is common in all parts of the world and in all ethnic groups. Once celiac disease is diagnosed, the only effective treatment is a strict gluten-free diet lifelong, which means that bread, pasta, and other processed foods made from unsafe grains cannot be eaten. This permanent restriction on foods containing gluten induces significant changes in the lifestyle of the affected individuals and may disrupt the individual’s overall emotional balance.

Evidences show that the focus on food and food habits, and probably the level of adherence to a special diet, may be associated with an increased risk of psychosocial problems and eating disorder patterns in individuals with celiac disease. Either poor or extreme adherence to the gluten-free diet may be associated with eating disorder patterns. Celiac disease and eating disorders could coexist considering the attention to dietary intake and the consequently high risk for engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors, the shared genetic susceptibility and the common molecular pathways, the shared risk of depression symptoms, and the new research about the gut–brain axis.

The discovery of possible genetic, immunological, and environmental factors common to celiac disease and eating disease will increase our competency to manage these conditions. When both diseases coexist, a multidisciplinary approach is often needed to address the additional complexities posed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Naples, Italy

    Patrizia Calella & Giuliana Valerio

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  1. Patrizia Calella
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  2. Giuliana Valerio
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Correspondence to Patrizia Calella .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Private Hospital "Salus" of Ferrara, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

    Emilia Manzato

  2. Formerly Sapienza University of Rome, Founding Editor of Eating and Weight Disorders, Campiglia Marittima, Livorno, Italy

    Massimo Cuzzolaro

  3. Experimental Medicine Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Editor-in-Chief of Eating and Weight Disorders, Roma, Roma, Italy

    Lorenzo Maria Donini

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Calella, P., Valerio, G. (2022). Celiac Disease and Eating and Weight Disorders. In: Manzato, E., Cuzzolaro, M., Donini, L.M. (eds) Hidden and Lesser-known Disordered Eating Behaviors in Medical and Psychiatric Conditions . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81174-7_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81174-7_20

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-81174-7

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