The role of various cereals in coeliac disease

It is well established that the consumption of wheat gluten will produce the characteristic mucosal lesion of coeliac disease in subjects who are predisposed to it. The role of other cereals in the pathogenesis of this disease is less certain. In the present study, four different cereals (rye, barley, maize and rice) have been tested by feeding them to volunteer coeliac subjects who had shown good mucosal recovery on a gluten free diet and assessing the effect by serial jejunal biopsy. The biopsy specimens obtained before and after challenge were compared in terms of histology and disaccharidase activity. The results indicate that rye and barley are harmful but that maize and rice are harmless.