Another irritation yesterday in the form of the Independent on Sunday’s diary column, which refers to ‘sniggering in the pews of Oxford Cathedral’ when the bishop announced that gluten-free wafers were available.<\/p>\n
According to their diarist (who goes under the pseudonym of ‘Sindy’, and wears a headscarf and dark glasses as a disguise), this statement was met with snorts of derision all round.<\/p>\n
“Even the most intolerant communicant would have to eat an awful lot of glutinous communion wafer before having a reaction to it” spluttered one churchgoer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This would presumably be someone in her own party, who goes to church perhaps once a year. At Christmas. Anyone going more often would know that gluten free wafers are increasingly common (at least in the Church of England). And surely no true Christian would mock the afflicted?<\/p>\n
Research has found that for most coeliacs, the amount of gluten consumed per day<\/a> should be less than 50mg to remain healthy – or 1\/96th of a 30g slice of bread. 0.1g per day can cause damage<\/a>. (The amount of gluten in wheaten bread is about 10% by weight). For some coeliacs (about 1 in 13) the amount consumed should be significantly less than this. <\/p>\n
Inevitably, some gluten is consumed daily as a result of cross-contamination, and these microscopic amounts can add up quite quickly.<\/p>\n
So yes, the amount of gluten found in a communion wafer could be enough to cause intestinal damage.<\/p>\n