Celiac disease
Quality of life and daily challenges of people with coeliac disease
Brief description:
A systematic review and meta-analysis found that the prevalence of coeliac disease is 1.4% based on serological test results and 0.7% based on biopsy results. However, the prevalence is increasing significantly and varies greatly by gender, age, and region. (Singh et al., 2018) Therefore, the topic is attracting a great deal of research interest.
As part of a master's thesis in 2022, we have conducted a survey on the quality of life and challenges of a gluten-free diet for people with coeliac disease at the Department of Applied Nutritional Psychology (Link to the study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11668230/ ). We found that negative emotions and difficulties in implementing a gluten-free diet negatively impact people with coeliac disease, especially adolescents, particularly in the first few months after diagnosis. The results of the study have provided us with valuable insights and at the same time raised many new questions.
A systematic review of 8 studies was conducted in 2025 as part of a bachelor's thesis on the contamination of gluten-free products. The review showed that products labeled as gluten-free were less frequently contaminated than unlabeled gluten-free products. Certified items were slightly less often contaminated than those without a certification. Bread and baking products, and breakfast cereals were the most susceptible to gluten contamination among product categories. Gluten contamination was frequent in rice products and rare in potatobased foods.
As part of a new online survey, we would like to investigate the symptoms, dietary adherence, resulting challenges, and genetic predisposition of people with coeliac disease. The survey is aimed at people with diagnosed coeliac disease who are at least 18 years old.
Duration of the project:
2022 -