Can Egg Yolks Help People with Celiac Disease?

The more research and awareness we have surrounding celiac disease, the more we are seeing attempts at finding treatments and even cures. There are a handful of exciting developments on the horizon designed to protect against gluten exposure and combat the effects of celiac disease.

But while most of them combat the effects of accidental gluten ingestion, there is a new pill using egg yolk enzymes that could potentially allow us to enjoy our favorite glutenous pizzas and beers. Sounds good to me.

Egg Yolk Pills?

This treatment would work by using antibodies found in egg yolks to coat the gluten, allowing it to pass through the digestive tract without doing any damage, combating both the symptoms associated with gluten ingestion and the intestinal damage caused.

Specifically, the supplement works by preventing giladin from being absorbed. Giladin is the component in gluten that damages the absorptive surface of the small intestine.

Researchers from the University of Alberta, led by Hoon Sunwoo, are in the process of testing a pill that will use the egg yolk antibodies to protect the body from the effects of gluten ingestion. Sunwoo has spent the past 10 years developing this treatment and is committed to providing relief for people with celiac disease.

The pill is designed to be taken five minutes before eating or drinking and would provide protection from an adverse gluten reaction for a couple of hours. This means that those who take the pill could enjoy things like pizza and beer, free from worry that the gluten would affect their systems.

Sunwoo makes it very clear that his pill is not a cure or long-term treatment solution, it’s more like a way to ease the problem. And we're not even sure if this is a safe option for people with Celiac or just a way to help ease issues for those with gluten-sensitivity. But, either way, any research dedicated to helping treat Celiac disease sounds good to me. Other downsides are that we'll have to wait a few years for it to hit the market, and that it’s not exactly an ideal solution for people with egg allergies.

When Will the Pill be Available?

The pill completed safety trials this past summer and is expected to begin efficacy trials in early 2016. If everything goes well, it should be available in Canada within three years and shortly after available in U.S. and European markets. We can’t wait to hear about it's progress.