People who live with celiac disease (Celiac Disease Awareness Month: October) may have yet something else to be concerned about: bone loss.
People with digestive disorders are prone to malnutrition because their bowels may not absorb the nutrients they need to be fully nourished. But there are other issues with celiac disease, researchers have found, issues such as antibodies forming that attack a protein responsible for bone health.
A study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has found that 20% of a study group of patients with celiac disease had this antibody. Researchers are looking at using medications that prevent …read more

How can peanut butter address the problem of starvation and malnutrition? Dr. Mark J. Manary (photo) use a locally produced enriched peanut-butter mixture, called Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), to combat malnutrition in Malawi, in sub-Saharan Africa. RUTF, which contains peanuts, powdered milk, oil, sugar, and added vitamins and minerals, is given to mothers to feed to their children at home.
The results: Compared to standard therapy of feeding milk-based porridge, higher recovery rates were obtained using RUTF.
Of the 2,131 severely malnourished children treated with the RUTF at home, 89 percent recovered. Of the 806 moderately malnourished children treated with the RUTF, …read more