Research
Research published in the New England Journal of
Medicine* states that
celiacs can safely eat moderate amounts of oats, but most celiac disease
organizations don’t encourage consumption because the concern of
finding gluten-free oats. Wheat, barley or rye may contaminate
the oat product in the process of harvesting, transporting, milling and
processing.
In fact, a study of three popular commercial oat products reported by
Tricia Thompson, M.S., R.D.* found that none of the brands could be relied
on to be gluten-free. In that assessment, oat samples were considered
gluten-free if they contained 20 ppm or less. Nine of the twelve
samples from these three brands of oats had gluten levels that ranged
from 1807 ppm to 23 ppm. Gluten Free Oats® field oats tested at less
than 3 ppm as certified by the University of Nebraska FARRP.
*Thompson T. Gluten Contamination of Commercial Oat
Products in the United States. N Engl J Med 2004; 351:2021-2022
--Tricia Thompson, MS., R.D. is an independent nutrition consultant specializing
in celiac disease. She is the author of numerous studies on celiac disease and
the gluten-free diet that have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
