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A dietary survey to determine if patients with coeliac disease are meeting current healthy eating guidelines and how their diet compares to that of the British general population

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 1333–1342 (2008)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 02 February 2011

Abstract

Objectives:

To assess the dietary intake of people with coeliac disease (CD) and to determine if they are meeting the current dietary reference values (DRVs). To compare dietary intakes of people with CD to the dietary intake of the general population. The nutritional contribution of gluten-free products (GFPs) and current purchasing trends was also evaluated.

Subjects/Methods:

106 patients were invited to participate via post. Three-day food diary to assess intake and a short simple questionnaire that looked at purchasing trends of GFP.

Results:

Forty-nine patients returned the food diary and 48 returned the questionnaire. Patients were found to have a low intake of energy, non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs), vitamin D and calcium. They were obtaining a significantly lower proportion of energy from fat and a significantly higher proportion of energy from protein than the DRVs (P<0.05). Intake was comparable to the general population for most nutrients, except they had a significantly greater intake of protein, a lower intake of fat and a significantly lower intake of vitamin D (P<0.05). Specialist GFP, especially those obtained on prescription, were an important source of energy, carbohydrate, NSP, calcium and iron.

Conclusions:

Patients with CD are at risk of having an inadequate intake of calcium, NSP and vitamin D. Specialist GFP, which were obtained on prescription, helped patients get a balanced diet and without these patients would be at an increased risk of many deficiencies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition and Dietetics Department, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    L Kinsey & E Bannerman

  2. Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Dietetic Service, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK

    S T Burden

Authors
  1. L Kinsey
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  2. S T Burden
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  3. E Bannerman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L Kinsey.

Appendix A1

Appendix A1

Questionnaire: to assess current use and purchase of gluten-free products in patients with coeliac disease

  1. 1

    How often do you get a prescription for gluten free products?

  2. 2

    How many of the following gluten-free products do you currently receive on prescription?

  3. 3

    If you could not get these products on prescription would you buy them from elsewhere?

  4. 4

    How often do you go shopping for non-prescription gluten-free products?

  5. 5

    Which of the following gluten-free products, if any, do you buy commercially?

  6. 6

    Where do you purchase these non-prescription gluten-free products from?

  7. 7

    How much do you spend on gluten-free products a month? State how much is on prescriptions and how much is non-prescription products.

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Kinsey, L., Burden, S. & Bannerman, E. A dietary survey to determine if patients with coeliac disease are meeting current healthy eating guidelines and how their diet compares to that of the British general population. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 1333–1342 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602856

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