Category: 8. Health

A balanced, nutrient-dense breakfast is important for several reasons, including reducing your risk of disease. We’re not about to tell you that one specific “superfood” will zap your chances of ever developing cancer, because that’s not true. But what you eat can be a powerful tool for supporting your overall health in ways that may impact your cancer risk, such as by reducing inflammation. 

Curious about what an oncologist eats for breakfast every day to bolster their defenses against cancer? We reached out to Tingting Tan, M.D., medical oncologist and hematologist at City of Hope in Newport Beach, California. She recommends starting your day with a breakfast loaded with whole grains, fruit and nuts, which have been associated with a lower incidence of various types of cancer. You have a lot of options here, and our Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal definitely fits the bill.  

Keep reading to learn more about this oncologist-approved breakfast—and get more tips for how your diet might lower your risk of cancer.

How This Breakfast Might Help with Cancer Prevention

Genetics, age and family history play a clear role in cancer risk, but lifestyle habits—like your food choices—can also have an impact. 

“Diet is an important factor in cancer prevention, and it is a factor that we can control, unlike our family history,” Tan says. “The mechanisms involved in how these foods prevent cancer or lower a person’s risk of cancer are complex.”

The relationship between diet and cancer is undoubtedly a bit complicated, but researchers have identified a diet low in nutrient-dense foods (which includes things like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts) as a risk factor for developing cancer.

While there’s no single food that can prevent cancer, foods like fruits, nuts and whole grains are packed with nutrients that may have cancer-protective effects, reducing the risk of cell damage.

“In addition to eating a healthy diet, it is also important to keep your weight in a healthy range and to be physically active,” Tan says.

Here’s why Tan is such a big fan of oatmeal with nuts and berries for breakfast. 

Whole Grains

“Whole grains like oats are considered cancer-fighting foods as they contain phytoestrogens, antioxidants and fiber, all of which can help reduce your risk of cancer,” Tan says.

Oats also contain a decent amount of fiber, which may be beneficial for colorectal health. Some research shows that higher fiber intake is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer.

“One reason might be that it supports a healthy gut microbiome, which can aid in cancer prevention,” Tan says. For example, a 2021 systematic review in the Journal of Nutrition identified a link between oat consumption and an increase in beneficial gut bacteria.

Just a half cup of whole-grain rolled oats contains about 5 grams of fiber, and our Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal recipe contains 6 grams of fiber per serving. That’s around 21% of the Daily Value for fiber.

Berries

“Foods with phytochemicals, which are compounds found in vegetables, fruit, beans and nuts, may slow cancer cell growth,” Tan says.

Blueberries are rich in a type of phytochemical called anthocyanin, which helps give the fruit its deep blue color and may reduce inflammation and free radicals. Plus, research has shown that berries may be associated with a lower risk of cancer.

“Components in berries also have been shown to reduce the growth of precancerous cells,” Tan says. This makes these antioxidant powerhouses a go-to oatmeal topping, especially given that you can rinse a handful of berries and toss them on top of your oatmeal in less time than it would take to watch a TikTok video. Plus, they’re absolutely delicious. 

Nuts

Aside from adding a nice, crunchy texture to the mix, nuts like pecans or almonds help round out this quick and easy breakfast by offering healthy fats, fiber and plant-based protein.

More comprehensive studies are needed, but findings from a 2021 review suggested that eating more nuts may be associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer and lower cancer mortality. Almonds, pecans and many other nuts contain naturally occurring compounds called polyphenols, which may improve gut health. A 2018 randomized controlled trial, for example, found that walnuts may increase the amount of good bacteria in the gut microbiome.

Nuts are also anti-inflammatory, “and we know that inflammation is associated with developing cancer,” Tan says. Some research has found a strong connection between cancer and chronic inflammation. To top it all off, nuts provide antioxidant-rich compounds like vitamin E, which may help protect the body from cell damage over time.

Other Breakfast Options To Reduce Cancer Risk

Looking for some more breakfast ideas that could reduce inflammation, improve gut health and support your overall health? Here are three more recipes to try:

• Old-Fashioned Oatmeal: The options are endless with oats, and this recipe encourages you to get creative with your favorite toppings—like nut butter, crushed almonds, berries, spices or even yogurt. Like other oat dishes, this one is packed with essential nutrients, including plant-based protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. And it could easily tick all the boxes in our oncologist-approved breakfast recommendations: whole grains, nuts and berries.
• Quinoa & Chia Oatmeal Mix: This hot cereal levels up your standard bowl of oats with the addition of nutrient-dense whole grains like quinoa and rolled wheat or barley. Plus, chia seeds for an extra boost of protein, fiber and antioxidants, such as omega-3 fatty acids. One serving provides 6 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. Consider topping it with Greek yogurt for additional protein.
• Overnight Matcha Oats with Berries: This recipe features whole-grain old-fashioned oats, antioxidant-rich berries and polyphenol-packed sliced almonds, among other nutrient-dense ingredients like chia seeds and matcha. It’s filling to boot, with 27 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber per serving. Plus, you can make it the night before to eliminate some of the morning rush chaos. 

Our Expert Take

For an oncologist-approved breakfast, consider a warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal topped with nuts and berries. It’s loaded with fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals and other nutrients that may reduce cancer risk. And it’s tasty enough that you’ll probably want to have it on a regular basis. No breakfast food guarantees protection against cancer, but this nutrient-rich meal may give your overall health a boost in a way that could protect it against some types of cancer. 

Chinese scientists say they have uncovered how the H5N1 virus initially invades the mammary glands of dairy cattle, potentially triggering last year’s outbreak of bird flu across more than 1,000 dairy farms in the United States.

The study, published recently in the journal National Science Review, was conducted by the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Heilongjiang province. Researchers found that tissues in the mouths of cattle support H5N1 virus binding and replication, allowing the virus to spread to the mammary glands during suckling.

Chen Hualan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a chief scientist at the institute, and her team also confirmed that vaccination provides full protection against the virus in dairy cows. The study suggests that targeted control of milk-stealing behavior and immunization could help curb H5N1 outbreaks among cattle.

Highly pathogenic bird flu subtype H5N1 is a major zoonotic disease, transmissible from animals to humans under natural conditions. Since 2021, a new strain has caused tens of thousands of outbreaks among poultry and wild birds worldwide.

In March last year, the virus began infecting dairy cows in the US. As of June 7 this year, infections have been reported on more than 1,070 dairy farms across 17 states, with cow-to-cow transmission suspected during milking, according to the study.

The outbreaks have resulted in a cow mortality rate of up to 10 percent and infected at least 41 farmworkers, raising concerns about dairy production and public health.

Previous research found that H5N1 can damage cows’ mammary glands and contaminate milk, with about one-fourth of retail milk samples in the US testing positive for the virus. However, it was unclear how the virus initially entered the mammary glands, and no effective control measures were available.

The new findings shed light on the virus’ transmission routes in cattle, Chen said. The study revealed that cows’ oral tissues are rich in sialic acid receptors, which are key binding sites for H5N1, making cattle vulnerable to infection through contaminated feed and water. The virus can replicate and remain in the mouth for several days. Behaviors such as self-suckling and cross-suckling from other cows can enable oral-to-udder transmission of the virus, the study found.

Vaccination has been central to controlling highly pathogenic bird flu in China since 2004, with anti-genically well-matched vaccines providing complete protection in poultry. Applying this approach to cattle could be an effective and economical way to halt H5N1 transmission and reduce its threat to public health, Chen said.

“We found that either an inactivated H5 vaccine or a hemagglutinin-based DNA vaccine could induce sterilizing immunity in cows against challenges from multiple H5N1 virus strains,” she said.

Inactivated and DNA vaccines could prevent both naturally occurring H5N1 infections in cattle and mammary gland infections caused by high-dose virus exposure during milking, Chen said.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn

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If you know you have high blood pressure, you’re already a step ahead. Although high blood pressure (hypertension) affects nearly half of American adults, it doesn’t cause symptoms at first—so many people don’t even know they have it.

Read on to learn more about what high blood pressure means, the biggest thing to avoid doing if you have it and proven strategies you can take to improve it. 

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Your blood pressure is the force of blood pushing through your arteries. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg. The top number, systolic blood pressure, measures pressure when the heart beats. The bottom number, diastolic blood pressure, is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.

High blood pressure can lead to several health complications, such as stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, vision loss and more. “If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, lifestyle modification is key. Assess your diet, weight and exercise habits,” says Maria Elena Fraga, RD, CDCES, director of the Diabetes Alliance at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.

The #1 Thing to Avoid

The No. 1 thing to avoid if you have high blood pressure is underestimating the impact your nutrition habits can have on your levels. Knowing that you can make a big difference in your blood pressure by changing some aspects of your diet is positive and empowering news.

Actionable habits for lowering blood pressure include limiting sodium, eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in potassium, cooking more at home and following blood-pressure-lowering eating plans. “Getting a handle on your blood pressure requires behavior and lifestyle changes, which can take time, effort, consistency and patience,” says Sarah Currie, M.S., RD, a personal trainer and co-owner of Physical Equilibrium in New York City. With that said, here are the impactful changes you can start making to your diet.

Cut Back on Sodium

Over time, eating a high-sodium diet can narrow blood vessels and increase blood pressure. “You’d be surprised how many food items contain hidden sources of sodium,” says Fraga. Packaged foods are often packed with sodium, and some of the top culprits are canned soups, frozen meals and deli meat, adds Currie.

The American Heart Association suggests that cutting out 1,000 milligrams per day of sodium can have a beneficial impact on blood pressure. For people with high blood pressure, the AHA recommends consuming no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

To reduce your sodium intake, try replacing a portion of salt in your recipes with garlic, fresh herbs and spices. Read package labels and restaurant menus before buying or ordering to help make lower-sodium choices. When you’re reading labels, look at the Daily Value percentage for sodium and aim for lower-sodium foods when possible. Foods with a sodium DV of 5% or less per serving are considered a low-sodium foods, while those with 20% DV or more of sodium per serving are considered high-sodium and should be limited.

Eat Potassium-Rich Foods

Potassium counteracts sodium by helping your body excrete it through your urine. (In short, you pee it out.) The mineral also helps relax blood vessel walls, which lowers blood pressure. The AHA recommends consuming 3,500 to 5,000 milligrams of potassium daily to prevent or treat high blood pressure.

Boost your potassium intake by eating more fruits and vegetables. Aim to eat 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables every day. Foods rich in potassium include:

• Lentils
• Prunes
• Bananas
• Kidney beans
• Orange juice
• Cantaloupe
• Squash
• Apricots
• Soybeans
• Raisins
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Chicken breast
• Low-fat dairy products

Cook More Meals at Home

Restaurant meals are often high in sodium, which can make it difficult to stay within the recommended limits. One study found that the average sodium content in a fast-food meal was about 1,300 milligrams—nearly all of the recommended sodium limit for someone with high blood pressure. Cooking at home gives you control over all the ingredients. Whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, dried legumes, unsalted nuts and seeds and fresh sources of protein contain little to no sodium. When cooking you can flavor foods with fresh and dried herbs and spices, including basil, oregano, cumin, rosemary, turmeric and more.

This doesn’t mean you can’t eat out—it just takes a little planning. If the restaurant provides nutrition information, check it ahead of time to plan out a meal that’s lower in sodium. Avoid or limit fried foods, which tend to be higher in sodium, says Currie, and ask for sauces and dressings on the side. Opt for baked, broiled, grilled or steamed proteins paired with green and other colorful vegetables. 

Consider the DASH or Mediterranean Style of Eating  

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet was created to intentionally treat high blood pressure. This eating style focuses on eating fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy, lean protein and limited saturated fats, red meat, added sugar and sodium. The DASH diet is rich in important nutrients that help lower blood pressure, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber and protein.

The Mediterranean diet is very similar to the DASH eating plan, as it’s full of fresh fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich beans and whole grains, nuts and seeds. This eating plan also recommends limiting foods that contain higher amounts of saturated fat, such as red meat. One food that’s famously associated with the Mediterranean diet is extra-virgin olive oil, which is rich in polyphenols that can protect the heart.

Strategies to Improve Blood Pressure 

Improving the quality of your diet is one effective way to manage hypertension. Other lifestyle factors that help bring down blood pressure include:

If lifestyle factors are not enough to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range, you may need medication. Reach out to a health care provider for guidance.

Our Expert Take

High blood pressure is a common condition affecting many Americans, yet, you can take steps to improve your numbers and prevent hypertension. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not realizing how important nutrition is for managing blood pressure and maintaining a healthy heart.

Small, consistent steps—like reading labels to cut down on sodium, cooking at home more often and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables—can make a big difference. For personalized support and guidance, ask a health care provider about working with a registered dietitian who can create an individualized eating plan and set goals that work for you.

How can CD4 T “helper” T cells be leveraged for advanced therapeutics for cancer treatment?

In a recent study, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE; Switzerland) have demonstrated that CD4 T lymphocytes, a type of helper T cell, have strong cytotoxic capabilities that can be leveraged for therapeutic applications. By modifying a specific subtype of CD4 T cells, the researchers were able to target an antigen found in many cancer types, including melanoma, lung, ovarian and brain cancer. Their findings may offer an alternative immunotherapy strategy for treating a broad range of tumor types and demonstrate the strong potential for gene transfer of T-cell receptors (TCR) in CD4 T cells for cytotoxic applications.

T cells play a crucial role in the body’s immune system, helping to protect the body from infection and disease. Immunotherapies have leveraged the functionality of T cells, primarily CD8 T “killer” cells – cytotoxic cells that target and eliminate diseased and cancerous cells. By modifying these naturally occurring cytotoxic T cells, researchers have harnessed patients’ own immune systems to provide an alternative approach in cancer treatment for many patients.

CD8 T cell-based immunotherapy has been a promising strategy in cancer treatment, but growing interest in CD4 T “helper” cells is opening new avenues. As interest in their role grows, researchers are exploring how they could strengthen the fight against cancer. According to the study’s paper, “…emerging evidence suggests that the polyfunctional and cytotoxic subsets of CD4 T cells may be crucial in the immune response against cancer.” From being considered as helper cells – supporting the function, migration and proliferation of other immune cells – the researchers, led by Camilla Jandus, have revealed that CD4 T cells can also be cytotoxic.

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A key barrier to translating CD4 T cells into effective therapies has been the complexity of their antigen recognition. Unlike CD8 T cells, which recognize peptides presented by HLA class I molecules, CD4 T cells interact with peptides bound to HLA class II molecules – structures that are both polymorphic and expressed in different variations. Moreover, on-target off-tumor toxicity remains a concern, as some target antigens are also expressed in healthy tissues, risking autoimmune responses from CD4 cell-based therapies.

To mitigate these challenges, the researchers focused on NY-ESO-1, an antigen with limited expression in normal tissues (primarily testis and ovary) but abundantly expressed in multiple tumor types such as melanoma, lung and ovarian cancer.

First, they isolated CD4 T cells from the blood, tumor tissue and lymph nodes of melanoma patients with the HLA-DRB3*02:02 allele and from healthy donors and studied their molecular characteristics. The researchers selected this HLA type due to is prevalence in 50% of the Caucasian population. This enabled them to assess the anti-tumor potential of CD4 T cells in a broader population group, avoiding the challenges associated with the polymorphic nature of CD4 T cells. From this, they identified and isolated a subset if these CD4 T cells (dominant alpha and beta chains) that possessed a TCR that was able to recognize the NY-ESO-1 antigen. Next, these specific TCRs were cloned into lentiviral vectors and transduced into human CD4 T cells and expanded in vitro. Analysis against positive and negative tumor cell-lines revealed that these modified CD4 T cells were able to eliminate NY-ESO-1–positive tumor cells and produced cytotoxic molecules like granzyme B (a protease that induces apoptosis). Additionally, the researchers assessed the modified CD4 T cells in human samples of lung, ovarian and neuroblastoma tumors, and the analysis revealed that the modified T cells could be applied to other tumor types.

Following this, the team evaluated these CD4 T cells modified with the relevant TCRs in both in vitro and in vivo systems using immunodeficient mice with NY-ESO-1 tumors. Encouragingly, analysis revealed significant tumor regression, with no off-target cytotoxicity observed.

The findings from this study suggest that modified CD4 T cells can potentially efficiently target cancer cells in an addition to their “helper” role. “This dramatically expands the pool of patients who could benefit, especially since the targeted antigen is expressed in many types of cancer,” according Jandus.

Looking ahead, the team is preparing a clinical trial involving patients with confirmed HLA-DRB3*02:02 expression and NY-ESO-1–positive tumors. A personalized workflow will involve isolating CD4 T cells from patients, modifying to express the NY-ESO-1 TCR, expanding them ex vivo and reintroducing them as a therapeutic product.

Additionally, the team is exploring the development of allogeneic TCR-modified CD4 T cell banks from healthy donors, matched by HLA typing. They hope this off-the-shelf approach could accelerate treatment initiation, particularly for patients with rapidly progressing or pediatric cancers.

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Glasser family

Glasser family

Mental Health Strategy

For roughly one in every hundred people, food containing even the smallest amounts of gluten can deliver a gutful of hurt and pose severe risks to their health.

While a domino effect of immunological reactions can be traced back to their genetic roots, a number of contributing factors are also involved, making it difficult to map the precise chain of events that causes celiac disease.

Using transgenic mice, an international team led by scientists from McMaster University in Canada has identified a crucial role played by the very cells making up the gut’s lining, describing a major stepping stone that could lead to new therapies.

Celiac disease is a lifelong autoimmune disorder triggered by the presence of a group of structural proteins known as gluten in the intestines.

Eating virtually anything made with wheat, barley, or rye – meaning most baked goods, breads, and pastas – puts people with the condition at risk of transient symptoms like bloating, pain, diarrhea, constipation, and sometimes reflux and vomiting.

Related: Gluten Intolerance vs Celiac Disease: Experts Reveal The Key Differences

Currently the only way to avoid the symptoms is to avoid the foods that trigger them. Over the longer term, immune attacks triggered by gluten can damage the small intestine’s villi. These tiny structures increase the internal surface area of the intestinal walls, which aids absorption of nutrients from food.

People with celiac disease – particularly if it’s untreated – face serious health risks, such as being more likely to develop colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease. The disease is associated with a myriad of conditions, with just some examples including anemia, osteoporosis, growth delays, reproductive issues, and neurological disorders.

“The only way we can treat celiac disease today is by fully eliminating gluten from the diet,” says McMasters gastroenterologist Elena Verdu.

“This is difficult to do, and experts agree that a gluten-free diet is insufficient.”

Around 90 percent of people diagnosed with the condition carry a pair of genes that encode for a protein called HLA-DQ2.5. Of the remaining 10 percent, most have a similar protein called HLA-DQ8.

Like other kinds of ‘HLA’ (or human leukocyte antigen) proteins, the proteins hold pieces of fallen invaders aloft like macabre trophies on a class of immune cells, warning other defensive tissues to be on the lookout.

In the specific case of HLA-DQ2.5 and HLA-DQ8, the proteins are shaped to hold chunks of gluten peptide that are resistant to digestion, instructing murderous T cells to go on the hunt.

Unfortunately, these instructions aren’t the clearest at distinguishing between a threat and similar-looking materials in our body, meaning those with the genes are at risk of a variety of autoimmune conditions.

Not everybody who expresses either HLA-DQ2.5 or HLA-DQ8 will develop an immune disorder like celiac disease, however.

For that to happen, those torn-up pieces of gluten first need to be carried across the gut wall by a transporting enzyme that binds with the peptide and alters it in ways to make it even more recognizable.

Cells in the intestinal wall are responsible for releasing this transporting enzyme into the gut, so they clearly have a critical role in the early stages of the disease.

They are also known to express the family of proteins to which HLA-DQ2.5 and HLA-DQ8 belong, which are typically regulated by inflammatory responses in the gut.

What hasn’t been clear is how this staging ground for people with celiac disease actually functions within the pathology itself.

To focus on this important link in the chain, the research team double-checked the expression of the major immune complex in the cells lining the intestines of people with treated and untreated celiac disease, and in mice with the human genes for HLA-DQ2.5.

They then created functional living models of the gut, called an organoid, using the mouse intestinal cells, to study the expression of their immune proteins up close, subjecting them to inflammatory triggers as well as predigested and intact gluten.

“This allowed us to narrow down the specific cause and effect and prove exactly whether and how the reaction takes place,” says McMasters biomedical engineer Tohid Didar.

From this it became evident the cells lining the gut weren’t just passive bystanders suffering collateral damage in a misguided effort to rid the body of gluten – they were key agents, presenting a mash-up of gluten fragments broken down by gut bacteria and transporting enzymes to gluten-specific immune cells firsthand.

Knowing the types of tissue involved and their enhancement by the presence of inflammatory microbes gives researchers a new list of targets for future treatments, potentially allowing millions of people worldwide to enjoy a gluten-filled pastry or two without the risk of discomfort.

This research was published in Gastroenterology.

An earlier version of this article was published in August 2024.