Coeliac disease sufferers need to be wary of gluten lurking in their cosmetics and toiletries, researchers warned today at a national meeting of gastroenterologists in Washington, D.C.
It is commonplace for most food labels to state whether or not a product contains gluten, a type of protein found in wheat, barley, and other grains.
But Pia Prakash, M.D., a resident in internal medicine at George Washington University, said the packaging of body lotions and other products rarely provides that information, even though many contain substances derived from grain, The Huffington Post reports.
"Lipsticks and powders and foundations are probably the ones we worry about most, and you really never see ingredient lists on those products," says Prakash, who was involved in the research.
Prakash said she and her colleagues surveyed the websites of 10 leading makeup companies, and found that "none actually provided any information on products that contained gluten."
At the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting, Prakash and her colleagues presented a case report on a 28-year-old woman with coeliac disease, reports The Huff Post.
The report showed the woman had successfully controlled her symptoms for several years by restricting the amount of gluten in her diet.
