Coeliac Awareness Week takes place from the 9th to 15th June 2025, with this year’s theme: “Coeliac Disease is Different for Every Body.”

An estimated 100,000 New Zealanders are living with coeliac disease - a condition where the body mistakenly attacks itself when gluten is eaten. This causes damage to the small intestine, making it harder to absorb essential nutrients like iron, calcium, and folic acid.

And while classic symptoms like diarrhoea, cramping, and nausea are well known, many people remain undiagnosed due to lesser-known symptoms that can easily be mistaken for other conditions, or missed entirely.

So, what are the lesser-known symptoms of coeliac disease?  Here’s what to look out for:

• Fatigue and anaemia: Persistent tiredness or weakness may signal iron, folate, or B12 deficiencies due to poor nutrient absorption.
• Hormonal and reproductive issues: Infertility, recurrent miscarriages, early menopause, or irregular periods may be linked to undiagnosed coeliac disease.
• Neurological symptoms: Brain fog, frequent headaches, and even peripheral neuropathy can stem from untreated coeliac-related inflammation.
• Skin and oral signs: Dermatitis herpetiformis, eczema-like rashes, mouth ulcers, and enamel defects or abnormalities in the structure of the tooth enamel, often presenting as discolouration, pitting, or grooving of the teeth, are also symptoms to look out for.
• Mental health and mood changes: Anxiety, depression, and irritability- especially in children - can be connected to gut health and nutrient deficiencies.

Coeliac disease can also occur alongside other conditions such as type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, and genetic syndromes like Down and Turner syndrome, making awareness and early detection even more important.

A strict, lifelong gluten-free diet is the mainstay of treatment currently. Although the gluten-free diet is effective, there are recognised challenges, particularly from a social perspective, and especially during teenage years.

Even when living gluten-free, ongoing gut issues are prevalent for people with coeliac disease. Digestive problems can present in a myriad of ways, from abdominal distention, reflux, pain, and either too frequent, not frequent enough or mixed type bowel motions. The reasons for digestive issues can come down to a wide range of triggers including inadvertent gluten exposure, indigestion, other food intolerances (such as lactose and fructose intolerance), bacterial or fungal overgrowth, and disruption to the gut-brain axis from chronic stress.

This Coeliac Awareness Week, Coeliac NZ is encouraging all New Zealanders to know the symptoms and get tested. Early diagnosis and following a strict, gluten-free diet is key to treating the condition and preventing long-term complications.

For those people already diagnosed with coeliac disease, we encourage you to join New Zealand’s first national Patient Registry - Coeliac New Zealand

Why contribute to the Patient Registry?

• Increase the diagnosis rates of coeliac disease
• Identify alternative treatments to the gluten-free diet
• Identify the long-term health impacts of coeliac disease
• Find a cure for coeliac disease

For more information and resources, or to JOIN Coeliac New Zealand, visit www.coeliac.org.nz.

How can you get involved in Coeliac Awareness Week?

• Join in or organise an event in your local community, such as hosting a gluten-free high tea, gluten-free bake sale or distributing a poster.
• Write an article or Blog, and share your personal experience and daily challenges online or in a local newspaper.

Advocate for Gluten-Free Options

•  Talk to Restaurants & Cafes: Encourage staff to get trained on the Gluten Free Food Safety Training and understand how to prevent cross-contamination. Even trace amounts of gluten can cause harm.
• Support Gluten-Free Labels: Educate others about the importance of accurate labelling and ask your local supermarket to stock products that are Crossed Grain Logo accredited.

 Schools & Workplaces

• Host a presentation: Coeliac disease is not a choice or a trend - it’s a medical condition. Help others in the community understand and take dietary restrictions seriously.

Get in touch with Coeliac New Zealand and tell us what you are doing.

Coeliac Awareness Week 2025 is proudly supported by Tip Top Bakery, Waitoa, Ocho, Bin Inn, NZ Bakels, FreshLife Food, The Gluten Free Shop, Allergywise, Griffin's Biscuits, Lee Kum Kee, myFoodBag and
Eat Choice