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Celiac disease (CD) was initially described in the first century A.D. by a Greek physician named Aretaeus of Cappadocia. (1) But neither Aretaeus nor anyone else knew that CD is caused by an autoimmune reaction to gluten, a protein in wheat. That didn’t become clear until 1950 — several centuries later — when Dr. Willem Dicke, a Dutch pediatrician, conclusively proved that gluten was the culprit. (2) Dicke’s discovery saved millions of children and adults from the perils of untreated celiac disease, including malnutrition, stunted growth, cancer, severe neurological and psychiatric illness and even death.
Since then, the mainstream view of gluten intolerance has been relatively black or white: Either you have celiac disease, in which case even a small amount of gluten will send you running to the bathroom in three seconds flat, or you don’t, and you can chug down beer and bagels without fear. This “all-or-nothing” view has led to some doctors telling patients that suspect they’re sensitive to gluten but test negative for CD that they’re simply imagining an affliction that doesn’t exist.
It turns out those doctors are wrong.
The Many Shades of Gluten Intolerance
In order to explain why, I have to give you a quick lesson in the biochemistry of wheat and wheat digestion.
Wheat contains several different classes of proteins. Gliadins and glutenins are the two main components of the gluten fraction of the wheat seed. (They’re essential for giving bread the ability to rise properly during baking.) Within the gliadin class, there are four different epitopes (i.e. types): alpha-, beta-, gamma- and omega-gliadin. Wheat also contains agglutinins (proteins that bind to sugar) and prodynorphins (proteins involved with cellular communication). Once wheat is consumed, enzymes in the digestive tract called tissue transglutaminases (tTG) help to break down the wheat compound. In this process, additional proteins are formed, including deamidated gliadin and gliadorphins (aka gluteomorphins).
Here’s the crucial thing to understand: Celiac disease is characterized by an immune response to a specific epitope of gliadin (alpha-gliadin) and a specific type of transglutaminase (tTG-2). But we now know that people can (and do) react to several other components of wheat and gluten — including other epitopes of gliadin (beta, gamma, omega), glutenin, WGA and deamidated gliadin — as well as other types of transglutaminase, including type 3 (primarily found in the skin) and type 6 (primarily found in the brain). (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
This is a huge problem because conventional lab testing for CD and of gluten intolerance only screens for antibodies to alpha-gliadin and transglutaminase-2. If you’re reacting to any other fractions of the wheat protein (e.g., beta-gliadin, gamma-gliadin or omega-gliadin), or any other types of transglutaminase (e.g., type 3 or type 6), you’ll test negative for CD and gluten intolerance no matter how severely you’re reacting to wheat.
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Beyond Celiac: Why CD Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Official statistics suggest that Celiac disease affects between 0.7 percent and 1 percent of the U.S. population. (9) But considering the limited scope of the testing, it’s possible that the actual incidence might be much higher.
In addition, CD is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gluten intolerance. Celiac disease is caused by a distinct autoimmune response to wheat proteins and transglutaminase enzymes in the gut. But CD is just one possible expression of gluten intolerance; there are many other ways that sensitivity to gluten can manifest in the body. These are collectively referred to as “Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity,” or NCGS.
There’s no consensus definition of NCGS yet, but the most common understanding is that it’s a reaction to gluten that is not autoimmune (like CD) or allergic (like wheat allergy). Another definition I’ve seen is, “a reaction to gluten that resolves when gluten is removed from the diet and CD and allergy have been ruled out.” (10)
It’s difficult to estimate the prevalence of NCGS because there is no definitive diagnostic test for it. As I mentioned above, the currently available tests for gluten sensitivity are primitive and only screen for a small fraction of the components of wheat that people react to. Another issue is the variety of symptoms caused by CD and NCGS. While most people assume that gluten intolerance always causes digestive distress, this is not the case. Almost 50 percent of new patients diagnosed with CD do not have gastrointestinal symptoms. (11) Moreover, for every one case of CD that is diagnosed, there are 6.4 cases that remain undiagnosed — the majority of which are atypical or silent forms without gastrointestinal symptoms. (12)
Gluten intolerance can affect nearly every tissue in the body, including the brain, skin, endocrine system, stomach, liver, blood vessels, smooth muscles and even the nucleus of cells. CD and NCGS are associated with an astonishing variety of diseases, from schizophrenia and epilepsy, to Type 1 diabetes and osteoporosis, to dermatitis and psoriasis, to Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism to peripheral neuropathy. (13) Because the range of symptoms associated with gluten intolerance is so broad and nonspecific (e.g., can be attributed to any number of conditions), many patients and doctors don’t suspect gluten may be the cause.
Even with these limitations, some estimates suggest NCGS may occur in as many as 1 in 20 Americans. (14) And while some mainstream medical professionals continue to insist that NCGS doesn’t exist, several studies have validated it as a distinct clinical condition — including gold-standard, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. (15)
The Gluten-Free Challenge: Still the Best Test for Gluten Intolerance
With all of this in mind, the obvious question that arises is, “What’s the best way to test for gluten intolerance?” Because of the limitations of current laboratory testing I described above, most experts on gluten sensitivity agree that the only reliable test is a “gluten challenge.” This involves removing gluten from the diet completely for a period of at least 30 days, and then adding it back in after that. If symptoms improve during the elimination period, and return when gluten is reintroduced, a diagnosis of NCGS can be made.
However, for many people a gluten-free diet isn’t enough. Some grains that don’t contain gluten, such as corn, oats and rice, contain proteins that are similar enough in structure to gluten to elicit an immune response in people with CD or NCGS. In addition, about 50 percent of patients with CD show signs of intolerance to casein, the protein in milk. (16) This may explain why up to 30 percent of CD patients continue to have symptoms or clinical signs after adopting a gluten-free diet. (17) For this reason, I recommend a completely grain- and dairy-free diet during the gluten challenge period.
Finally, though the gluten challenge is still the gold standard test for gluten intolerance, there is a relatively new lab (Cyrex Laboratories) offering a comprehensive blood test which screens for all of the wheat and gluten proteins and transglutaminase enzymes I mentioned above. This can be a helpful diagnostic tool, but it should never replace a gluten/Paleo challenge. (Note: It must be ordered by a physician or health care practitioner.)
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I just finished my first Whole30 challenge a couple of months ago. I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis and have been gluten free off and on for a few years. The thing is, I had no digestive distress and never noticed any immediate reaction to gluten on the times that I tested it. Not after a day or a week or even a month. But after two months, if I continued eating gluten I would gradually start to feel worse.
My main symptoms have been muscle pain and insomnia. After my Whole30 I have kept my diet Paleo, and have noticed some improvement, especially with my sleep and PMS symptoms (which have been AWFUL for the past three years.) I have “tested” several “off plan” foods to see if I could tolerate them on occasion. Dairy didn’t go to well, which was surprising and saddening to me. Red wine has given me some issues too.
I am afraid to try gluten again, but I may introduce other grains. My question is, can a reaction to gluten and/or other grains be cumulative? Meaning one has no reaction for a month or two but can start to feel bad with habitual use? Or have I been barking up the wrong tree all this time? I guess I am wondering if, once I introduce grains (gluten or otherwise) how long should I need to wait for a reaction in order to tell if I can tolerate it? Especially considering my symptoms were not the typical digestive ones?
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Make your own long fermented sourdough bread, you’ll never have gluten issues again. The dough is basically pre-digested by the living sourdough culture making it harmless, easily digestible and beneficial. Was a huge discovery for me. I ferment my doughs 24hrs or more.
Great to read about recent info on gluten issues, Mr. Kresser. Thank you for distributing the info. I live in Germany and most people incl. medical staff have never heard of NCGS!
I have the same symptoms as many people here and especially the connection to sinus issues was new to me up until the Gluten Summit . My sinuses get clocked, often so quickly and bad, that I get a serious headache. I have so much mucus, that I cannot smell or taste much anymore. I used so think my sense of smell was just underdeveloped somehow, but now I know.
I also experience stomach pain and intestinal cramps, although not every time that bad.
I used to have the same sinus issues with dairy, so that at first I thought I was lactose intolerant. After removing gluten & most grains I could tolerate dairy much better with time. Now I can have it in moderate amounts without symptoms.
I would encourage everyone to try the 30 days gluten-free trial and just feel for yourself, especially if you think you suffer no ill effect. I lived with intestinal issues, poor nutrient absorption etc. for years – like many here – and was so used to the feeling, I did not notice, that anything was “wrong”. My reactions to gluten got really noticeable only in comparison to a symptom-free reference state after several month (!) of a gluten-free diet.
Are there any resources that might explain why:
the long one is gluten free, the more intolerant of certain ingredients such as sugar? I am GF for nearly 3 years, including very little rice, no corn & no oats, and find I am becoming intolerant to having a low sugar dessert after a meal accompanied by small amounts of red wine. But I can find nothing about this.
thank you
Hi Frankie.
Just wanted to say you’re not alone. Sugar is becoming a problem for me too and I really have to watch wine. Usually with wine I can tell just by smelling it whether or not it’s gonna be a big reaction (to my ONE glass once a month) …or just a slight hangover the next day. I have also started reacting to almost anything green in the veg line. It’s driving me mad coz I used to the kind of person who would eat anything and now I end up bringing my own food to parties. I also wish I knew what was going on.
They have diagnosed me with ME FMS and CF but going GF did make a difference to my stomach and headaches at least. For me the menopause has really kick all my symptoms in to overdrive which is why I tried the GF and dairy free diet but although there have been some ups there have been downs while I try different HRT preparation – which I also seem to be reacting to in a less than positive way sadly (got a do something tho as menopause symptoms so bad).
Just wanted you to know that other people are going thru this stuff too tho.
I have found looking at the comments on this site have made me feel less alone and like maybe I’m not some crazy hypochondriac which is how most Drs have made me feel.
I have a gluten intolerance reaction to wheat bread flour. If I eat any, two days later all my muscles ache as though I’d been having muscle cramps. I feel poisoned. But after a 2 month completely gluten free period, I tried introducing different forms and find I have no bad reaction to either semolina or spelt. I only react to modern bread flour. Has anyone else had that experience?
Hi Chris,
I have a question about the Alcat Blood Test and testing for gluten intolerance. My test showed that I am severely sensitive to wheat, however I got the green light on spelt. I am wondering how you feel about the Alcat test as an effective means of pinpointing food allergies, and also, what is the difference between wheat and spelt if they both contain gluten? Thanks!
None of this is an issue if the grains are prepared properly. Newer research even suggests this! What am I referring to? Sourdough. That is fermenting your dough with a sourdough culture for long periods of time. Funny how this was the way humans used to make dough and didn’t have all these issues. I ferment my doughs for 24-48hrs and have no gluten issues. However if I eat regular store bread for a couple days I start to get bloated. I have a “gluten sensitive” friend and we did an experiment with my long ferment sourdough and as expected they had no issues with my bread. The long ferment breaks down and predigests the gluten so it can be easily assimilated. Now, to those who claim this does not work for them all I can say is not all sourdough is created equal. Some claimed “sourdough” is not even sourdough, it’s regular bread with sourdough flavoring. Even if you have a artisan sourdough they usually only ferment for 4hrs or so. The only way to really be sure is to use a reputable artisan sourdough baker that does loooong ferments or make your own. If I can make it anyone can.
My son was complaining of stomach aches after every meal. We got a blood test for a gluten allergy and celiac. They both came back negative.
We still suspected gluten to be the problem so we changed to gluten free. His stomach aches went away!
If he eats gluten now, he vomits every time. Even inhaling some flour made him vomit.
The blood test can say it’s negative all it wants. But his body is telling us otherwise!
When I was forty three years old, I decided to eliminate gluten for at least six weeks. Previously I had eliminated gluten for periods of three and four weeks, with no effects. After five and a half weeks elimination of gluten I noticed that I could breathe through my nose.
I had no memory of ever having been able to breathe consistently through my nose. The medical label was “allergic rhinitis”. Eliminating foods to which I was allergic – as indicated by skin scratch tests and blood tests – had no effect on my rhinitis. Zinc deposition on the inside of my nose and scarring the inside of my nose with an electric heater had no long term effect. Inhalations of Rhynacrom (sodium chromoglycate) had just enough positive effect to encourage me to keep on inhaling it.
Since removing gluten from my diet, I can still breath through my nose even when I have a cold.
When I was fifty two years old, after nine years of gluten elimination, I challenged with wheat. I ate substantial portions of plain biscuits and pasta for three days. On the fourth day, the back of my mouth became inflamed and swollen. I reverted to a no gluten diet.
Have you tried having a little bit of gluten once in a while? I am curious, because I’d like to try just the occasional piece of pizza (after 3 years gluten free), but not massive challenge amounts of gluten like you did. Wondering if we can sneak occasional gluten past our body’s radar. I suspect not. 🙁
Hi Becky,
I could probably eat small amounts of gluten infrequently. I do not for several reasons.
1. I have subsequently become intolerant to starch.
2. I have many food intolerances: gluten, dairy, eggs,
salicylates, amines, glutamates, starch and a host of food additives. ( Most of my intolerances were discovered under medical supervision using the system developed by the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy and Intolerance Unit, Sydney, Australia. The premier populariser of this system is Sue Dengate, see fedup.com.au). I react to many of the foods to which I am intolerant in the same way; brain fog, fatigue, drop in blood pressure. So if I start sneaking a few of them and get a reaction, it is time consuming to figure out which one has affected me. Life is too short to bother.
3. After a period of eliminating a food, reintroduction of the food may provoke a different reaction to the original reaction. This has happened to me only with gluten, but it is a possible complication in discerning what is going on.
4. I crave some of the foods to which I am intolerant. Eliminating them entirely uses up less willpower than eating a little bit.
5. Trying to establish a “reaction threshold” for a food, and keeping intake below that threshold, may not be easy. Sometimes, food intolerances can be quite variable. Symptoms can come and go.
I am not quite as rigid as I have depicted above. I usually have a few bad days around Christmas and New Year, due to sneaking.
In case you are wondering what I eat: lamb, chicken and low amine white fish (fresh as possible, nothing bought frozen, nothing from the supermarket), “Supafry” (beef tallow), celery, lettuce, and mineral and vitamin supplements to make up for the deficiencies of such a diet.
See how lucky you are to have only a gluten intolerance!
This is a wonderful website to all the adverse reactions to gluten. 16 years ago, I had my daughter and it was crazy from the start. I was breast feeding and trying to be a good mother. But no matter what I tried, she screamed for hours and was so uncomfortable. Dr’s said it was just colic, but I knew otherwise. She got older and some nights she was up 12 times, thrashing in her sleep, screaming or moaning away. I told the doctors she had two personalities, she was such a wonderful toddler, then out of no where she was crazy. The only way she would sleep was on her tummy on my tummy. Yes, my sleep was not the best this way. But it’s what you do for your kids. After she was three, I found that I was pregnant. I was desperate to find out was wrong with her. We had every blood test done and the doctors basically said I had created a monster child with spoiling her by sleeping with her. I felt awful! One day, she had the flu and only wanted to eat mashed potatoes. Amazingly enough, she only woke up three Times that night. That’s when I decided to do eliminations with the food. It only took two weeks to find out that wheat products were the enemy of our life. Back in those days it was very hard to find gluten free products! The noodles would fall apart and the bread was awful! But we did it and her personality changed. It was no longer Jekyll and Hyde! She was a sweet three year old that was full of love and her eyes started to sparkle. The allergist specialist that we went to said it was absurd that I was proposing that a food sensitivity would change the personality of a child. But we swear by it. She had several accidents along the way with wheat and every time she would turn into the crazy child, hyper is not even the word, she turned into the, well, can I say devil? Because that is what would happen. When her brother was born, once again I was breast feeding and at three months of age he developed skin eczema and started throwing up after I fed him. I thought what luck, another child with an allergy. The first thing I did was cut gluten out of my diet, so I could breast feed him and within three days his skin cleared up and no more vomiting. I did visit an allergist again and they said to reintroduce wheat several times to determine if it was real or not. After doing this two times, I couldn’t put my son through it again. To this day, he is actually allergic to wheat, oats, barley and rye. We carry an epinephrine pen because he is so allergic. My question to you, is my third daughter does have digestion problems, but she is off of wheat products but does struggle with constipation and stomach aches. She gets plenty of fibre from flax and vegetables, with both kids having allergies, I get worried she has sensitivities, but don’t know how to figure this one out since it’s not as straight forward. I must have a poor gene. What happens to her digestive system if I can’t figure out what is wrong. Does it get compromised?
I also just want to tell parents that I didn’t have the medical profession support my findings, but don’t give up on your quest to find out about health with your kids.
Perhaps it is something else with your third daughter. We are all different, and that is important to remember. You mention flax. That can be a lot of roughage for a small child. Vegetables contain a lot of insoluble fiber.
Digestive detective work is in order. Like with your first daughter, try eliminating some things your second daughter eats and see what happens. As well, maybe listen to what she says sounds good … you discovered the other little one’s problem when she would only eat mashed potatoes … ! The difficulty can be that your third daughter may be bothered by something the rest of you can eat with no problem.
It may be as simple as a fruit or as complicated as deeper gut flora issues. Chris does have some posts on here about gut flora and fiber and constipation. I assume you are not feeding your children packaged, processed foods that contain dozens of ingredients, flavorings, sugars, seed oils, etc. If so, those should be the first to go. We knew a couple whose little girl was sweet tempered before breakfast and out of control after breakfast. They finally traced it to artificial colors in her breakfast cereal. Constipation is not always about fiber, but more about gut flora, water, minerals like magnesium, stress, and other factors.
Constipation can actually be an allergy reaction. It was for me back when I was a kid and it has been for my dad. He doesn’t do so well with one of the foods that everyone uses to curve it, i.e. oats.
Thanks for the feed back! We stay away from processed food, mainly because of the gluten allergy from my son. My third daughter loves and craves spinach smoothies mixed with watermelon and yogurt. Yogurt seems fine for her stomach, but does complain if she has milk. We have tried raw milk also with no change. For the first two years of her life we gave her probiotic and acidophilus, but honestly, I didn’t find any change except in the bank account 🙁 it’s too bad it so expensive. I did fail to mention that my daughter has goldenhar syndrome which I’ve tried to research to find out if other children with this may have the same digestive problems. But, I can’t seem to find anything. This syndrome does affect the midline of the body when developing in the uterus. The doctors don’t really want to find the problem, they just have her on medication to help with the constipation. I don’t feel comfortable with this, but don’t have a choice. I will start to eliminate foods better and keep a diary.
I have seen remarkable results in people using acupuncture for a variety of issues, including constipation. And have experienced some remarkable resolving of several issues with it, myself. A good acupuncturist is a great blessing as an adjunct if not first-line defense for treatment of a surprising number of things.
Hi Tanya,
I strongly suggest you look up the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy and Intolerance Unit in Sydney,.Australia. They have a complete protocol for investigating food sensitivities. Most foods contain naturally occuring salycilates and amines, which can affect children and adults. The unit has lists of common foods and their levels of problem food chemicals. You might also find help from Sue Dengate’s website and her books ‘Fed Up’. Sue’s daughter changed from impossible to an angel after she went on what Sue calls the ‘fail safe’ diet. She now works in co-operation with the RPAH Allergy unit. Anne Swain was one of the early investigators of food intolerances. There are also people in the USA who do research in this area now, but I cannot name them without research.
I’ve been leaving out gluten from my diet for about a year. At first I only eliminated wheat, but I was still getting daily stomach aches, until I left out gluten completely. I felt much better, but not quite wonderful yet. Initially I ate gluten-free foods from the shelf as mere replacements of wheat and gluten products, but I soon started eating ‘whole foods’, rather than a gluten-free breakfast cereal, I eat eggs, veggies, lean free-range meats, fruits, nuts, etc. I also really enjoy quinoa, which is naturally gluten-free and also protein-rich. I started to feel great. And I also lost weight! About 6 months ago, I got a severe allergic reaction in the form of cramps, diarrhoea and hives (all over my body, getting worse and worse, while it itches and burns). It took me two more bouts of this in the period of a week to realize that it was milk. I’ve been keeping away from milk, cheese and yoghurt since then, and haven’t had any problems. I’m using a calcium-and-magnesium supplement, probiotics, a digestive enzyme every now and again, and I drink ginger tea often. I throw veggies and fruits into my blender and drink these green juices often. And I feel great!
Oh wow.
Here’s my story: I’ve had this persistant rash on my arm. Biopsies, anti-biotics, creams and lotions to no avail. Just 2 weeks ago, I was eating whole wheat pasta and within minutes, my body started itching and the rash on my arm got “angry”. Soon, I started getting welts on both my arms and finally unable to stand it and with only Alka’Seltzer Cold and Flu (which has antihistamines) on hand, I dissolved it and drank it. Within 1/2 hour, the itching stopped.
Looking back, I think I just learned to ignore the itching for the most part, that night with the wheat pasta surely scared me so I stopped eating anythign with wheat for a few days. Totally forgetting about the last episode, a few nights later I had a slice of pizza and bread sticks and again, the rash on the arm and the itching started. That finally did it for me. I’m thinking I don’t need to go see a Dr to “diagnose me”. I knwo what I need to do and that’s exactly what I’m doing.
It’s been about one and half weeks since my first episode and I feel great. The pain on my knees and what seemed like constant body pains and aches have subsided tremendously and I feel energetic.
In closing, I’m 49 year old female who never had even hay fever in the spring much less any type of food allergies. Totally puzzling! Hope this helps someone
About a year ago, I swapped whole wheat grains for almost all of my refined grains (cereal, pasta, bread). I typically eat the same whole grain cereal at least once a day and, maybe 3-4 times a week, also eat either whole wheat sandwiches or whole wheat pasta throughout the day.
Increasingly, lately, I have noticed that after I have my cereal in the morning my stomach starts making unsettling sounds, as if I’m starving. Could this be indicative of wheat allergy, or am I just having too much whole wheat? I want to note that this doesn’t happen when I eat white pasta/bread/rice.
I cannot help but wonder if CD and NCGS will–in the end–be the same thing only expressed differently in different bodies, i.e. it is all CD if you have a reaction to any of the antibodies.
For me, I found out that I absolutely had a gluten sensitivity after a terrible reaction to wheat, which was then categorized as a true wheat allergy. My GI doc thinks I actually have CD, but its impossible to test for given the wheat allergy. This is important because he is screening me more aggressively for lymphoma and colon cancer, something I think all of us–CD or NCGS–should be monitored for.
Dairy and I are good, but grains are out. Even quinoa bothers me and makes my joints hurt. I can have limited white rice without reaction, but I choose to not have it very often. I think that the way it all unfolded for me has made all of the food changes more palatable: wheat free to gluten free, gluten free to grain free, grain free to perfect health diet (which has been a good fit for me and my symptoms. Ultimately, food is health, and for me it looks one way, and for another, another way.
Here’s to eating to life!
I highly recommend people read “Why My Brain Isn’t Working” by Dr. Datis Kharrazian. I read this book because I found my memory worsening for no apparent reason. I’m in my late 30’s and was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s recently, which was somewhat unusual because like all autoimmune diseases, it mainly affects women.
Dr. Kharrazian mentions everything Chris talks about in this article. I immediately cut out all gluten and dairy. The book mentions antibodies against gluten attacking tissues such as the brain and thyroid as a common cause of memory problems and thyroid issues. Dr. Kharrazian mentions one way to test the integrity of the blood brain barrier (BBB) is by the GABA challenge test: take 1000 mg of GABA. Normally it can’t cross the blood brain barrier, but if you have defects in the BBB you will feel effects. Before I started gluten free the GABA challenge test knocked me out: shortness of breath, dizziness. Now, two weeks in I just did the GABA challenge test again and my results were much better. Still had a slight reaction though, so my gut and BBB still isn’t fully healed. I’m taking high dose prebiotics (by way of Bob’s Red Mill resistant potato starch, 6 tablespoons daily) and probiotics, which are helping heal my leaky gut.
Everyone go on a gluten free, dairy free diet for at least 2 weeks and see the results.
I gave up gluten when I came across the paleo diet. On the whole I don’t eat bread, pizza, pasta or pastry, but I have found that if I eat a very small amount of gluten I have the worst stomach aches than when I ate gluten all the time. Can you advise what is happening now? Have I given myself a sensitivity to gluten by greatly reducing the amount I eat?
I have hashis and psoriasis. I don’t eat gluten and I used to be paleo. This whole last year before I was diagnosed I had brain fog so bad I almost didn’t finish my bachelors degree or geology field camp! I was crossfitting really hard and drinking lots of coffee and studying for SO many hours a week. I fell off gluten free for a while but now feel much better in it + levothyroxine. Got my adrenals tested last week( blood) because I’m pretty sure they aren’t doing great. I am super sensitive to cold too. Next I will eliminate dairy.
I am gluten intolerant–severe stomach distention, gas, night sweats when consume any gluten. Have been on strict gluten free diet for almost 3 years (limit soy, dairy and processed foods, too). On a recent trip to Paris, I ate everything, including daily bread with meals and had no reaction. Within 48 hours of eating in the US (no gluten), my stomach was distended and back to the same issues. Any thoughts?
My husband and I both removed the gluten from our diet about 10 months ago starting out on a healthier lifestyle. I have had migraines since the age of 6 and have had digestive issues most of my life that have progressively gotten worse over the past few years. It had gotten so bad that it was impacting my personal and professional life. I also always seemed groggy or tired no matter how much I would sleep. After two months we introduced wheat back into our diet and within ten minutes I began having cramping leading to other unpleasant symptoms. That made both of us believers. I have not had a migraine in 10 months! I have been telling everyone I know that they need to try eliminating the gluten for a month and see how it may effect their lives. Our doctor does not believe that this is the cause and says that eliminating all wheat and grains is dangerous. I’m so frustrated that I plan on changing doctors but find that I feel healthy overall and have also lost weight.
@ Suze
Probiotics are good bacteria and are intended to help recolonize the intestine so that we don’t have the issue many of us are afflicted with. I eat a lot of yogurt, and have used some probiotics as well, with the hopes of fixing my gut flora but so far I haven’t been too successful.
Someone else made a comment regarding Candida and asked if it was an issue – I know it has most definitely been with myself. Since this whole issue began with me back in 1980, Candida overgrowth has definitely plagued me. I know that it’s the likely culprit for creating the leaky gut in the first place given my research on that pesky yeast however knowing the why as to why it’s so ripe for overgrowth in some of us and not others is a good question. Stress I’m finding is a big factor – it feeds off stress hormones and inflammation so if you’re eating things that create inflammation in the body – it’s ripe for feeding Candida.
Hi I have been a Coeliac and Lactose intolerant for 20 years. Up to four years ago I was quite well on my GF diet but then I contracted a parasite called Dientamoeba Fragilis and had to take a lot of strong drugs to eradicate it.
Its two years since i got rid of the parasite but i still can’t eat fruit, carbs of any kind and sugar in any form.
I am in a constant battle to keep weight on and am fatigued a lot of the time, i think i have a big problem with a gut flora imbalance. I am taking probiotics and praying for some good gut flora to return.
Does anyone know if probiotics feed the bad bacteria? this is a concern for me. thanks for any advise.
Suze.