Becky Higgin with gluten free food at her home in Broadstone

WHEN 21-year-old Becky Higgin suffered a stomach upset during a holiday to north Africa - she put it down to bad luck and assumed she would feel better within a couple of days.

But then the stomach pains got worse and she started having bad migraines. Becky, a Bournemouth University student, says she also felt bloated and tired all the time.

At first her doctor thought it was an on-going stomach virus, but when the symptoms wouldn't go away, it was suggested that Becky might be lactose intolerant.

"I went dairy-free for a while but it made no difference," she explains. "I then started to keep a food diary and noticed that when I ate anything with gluten in, my eczema would flair up my stomach would bloat and I would get migraines.

"So I went back to my doctor again and this time I had a blood test which proved positive and then a biopsy which showed I had coeliac disease."

Although Becky had heard about people being intolerant to certain foods, she says she didn't really know much about coeliac disease at the time.

"When I looked into it I found out that it wasn't a case of being intolerant to gluten - I was actually having an allergic reaction to it.

"Only last weekend I ate something that didn't agree with me.

"I was waitressing at a wedding and I was so hungry and in a rush that I didn't check the content of the meal I'd been given as thoroughly as I usually do.

"I spent the whole of the next day in bed with a bad stomach, a migraine and chronic fatigue."

Speaking from her home in Corfe Mullen, Becky says that with a bit of preparation and forward planning you can lead a normal lifestyle.

"At first I preferred to make my own food rather than eat out but a lot of places are geared up for people on gluten-free diets now.

"Even some Italian restaurants will cater for you if you ring up and warn them in advance!"

Becky who is in her final year on a business studies management course, adds that she is lucky that her condition was diagnosed so early on in her life.

"It can be quite difficult to diagnose and the longer it goes on the more damage it can do to your stomach," she explains.

"On the upside it is very difficult to eat badly when you are on a gluten-free diet. I feel so much healthier now and I have even lost weight too."

Factfile

Coeliac disease is a gut disorder which can strike at any age. It is thought to affect one in 100 people in the UK.

There is an increased risk of one in 10 of becoming a coeliac, when coeliac disease exists in a family.

A spokesman for Coeliac UK says it is caused by a reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, oats and barley."These proteins damage the small finger-like villi that line the small intestine and play a significant role in digestion.

"When damaged or inflamed it prevents food being absorbed properly which can lead to diarrhoea and malnutrition.

"There is no cure but it can be controlled by following a gluten-free diet."

Many supermarkets including Waitrose, Asda and Somerfield stock gluten-free food ranges by manufacturers like Roley's which specialise in gluten-free flour, cakes and muffins.

(Sales of wheat free bread and cakes have risen by 120 per cent over the last three years, as a growing number of people are choosing gluten and wheat free foods.) For more information contact the Coeliac UK helpline on 0870 444 8804 or visit website coeliac.co.uk.

10:25am Wednesday 9th April 2008

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