The prevalence of celiac disease in Saudi Arabia has been increasing for 2.2% of the Saudi population. Yet celiac disease (CD) patients are still suffering from long life gluten free diet GFD. According to literature, patients' diet can be improved by adding functional foods such as, prebiotics, probiotics and/or natural sources such as Millet to enhance the gut ecology and colon health. In the current study we have carried a descriptive study to assess the availability, prices and categories

more »

... food products suitable for celiac patients (probioitcs, prebiotics, gluten free products and millet as a natural source) in 6 main supermarkets, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using a survey. Results showed that a higher costs of gluten free products seen in 6 main markets, except in "panda hypermarket". With regards to availabilities, the highest proportion of products was found in "Carrefour" and "Danube", have shown the highest, followed by "Lulu hypermarket" and "Manuel hypermarket" (P < 0.05). The lowest amounts of gluten free products were seen in Farm superstores and Al Raya compared to others (P < 0.05). With regards to categories were also looked at which shows Danube has most variations from staple, snacks, drinks, and additives. Millet has been seen to be available and lower in cost which is mostly suitable for patients at any economic level state. Findings suggest that the limited availability and high costs can influence celiac patients' quality of life and severity of symptoms among the Saudi populations. The current study has been carried for the first time in KSA, which recommends more local food production suitable for celiac patients and introducing the use of local natural sources such as millet to be used as staple food to enhance gut ecology health and reduce severity of celiac patients symptoms.