Wimbledon's Coeliac champion!

For the past two weeks Colin has occasionally taken a little time out to watch the tennis from Wimbledon. My interest grew when I learnt that, like me, Novak Djokovic, has Coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease is not, as some think, an allergy, or asimple food intolerance. In fact it's an autoimmune disease, where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. In people with coeliac disease this immune reaction is triggered by gluten, a collective name for a type of protein found in the cereals wheat, rye and barley. A few people are also sensitive to oats.

There is no 'cure' but it is possible to avoid the symptoms of the disease by adhering strictly to a gluten free diet. Djokovic claims that changing to a gluten free diet has helped him with his game. He says the main change for him is his sharper focus and feeling much better physically.

Today this was proved beyond doubt when he triumphed over Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final.

This is a victory for Djokovic but let's hope that the focus which has been given to Coeliac by his success will encourage some of the 80-90% of undiagnosed sufferers to go to the doctors to be tested for coeliac disease!

Well done, Novak!