5 Important Things to Know About Gluten Reactions
I attended the International Celiac Disease Symposium in Chicago a couple weeks ago - I wanted to share with you what I found to be the most important information from the conference.
?It is estimated that one in 133 people have Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten (the protein in wheat, barley, rye and spelt).
Unlike most autoimmune conditions, in the case of Celiac, researchers and medical practitioners alike agree that the treatment is a dietary change - avoid gluten 100%.
When people with Celiac avoid gluten, in most cases, their symptoms completely resolve.
?The issue is that most people who have Celiac don't know that they have Celiac.
One might think that a person would know, considering that Celiac causes digestive issues, fatigue, anemia, bone loss, headaches, and is associated with dysfunction throughout the body, including diabetes - but the fact is that only a small number of people who have Celiac disease know that is the cause of their health issues, nor that avoiding gluten would completely change their life.
?One of the reasons that people don't know that they Celiac is because (and there is research to prove this) practitioners are not thinking of it and don't test for it regularly.
That's because most practitioners think of Celiac as a digestive disorder, when in fact, it is associated with symptoms anywhere in the body including anxiety, insomnia and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and often without ever causing diarrhea.
?Another reason is that the "gold standard" for diagnosis has been an invasive procedure - an intestinal biopsy - and even with a biopsy, the abnormal tissue is often missed.
Some researchers say it is possible to diagnose Celiac without a biopsy - based on symptoms, immune system markers that indicate celiac disease, autoantibodies, genes that 95% of people with Celiac have (HLA-DQ2 and 8), and a positive response to a gluten-free diet.
These tests are available through Quest and LabCorp, as well as specialty labs.
Still most Celiac specialists still feel that a biopsy is the only way to confirm the diagnosis and that only people who have a confirmed biopsy should avoid gluten.
?Researchers are also (finally) acknowledging other forms of gluten and wheat intolerance - until recently (2011) there was not an official name for non-Celiac gluten sensitivities.
Now it is becoming clear in the research that people react to gluten without it becoming a Celiac autoimmune condition - and IgG/A to gluten is one way to discover it.
Non-Celiac gluten reactions can cause major health issues including symptoms of IBS, bloating, stomach pain and/or bowel changes.
It doesn't end there - Non-Celiac gluten reactions have also been associated with everything from headaches and migraines, to pelvic issues, PMS, recurrent infections, and neurological conditions, including anxiety and depression.
Overall, the main message I would like to share is...
If you or someone you know is experiencing a health issue anywhere in the body that is not improving with other approaches, then it is definitely time to consider gluten as a potential trigger, whether in the form of Celiac autoimmunity or other gluten/wheat sensitivities.
Dr.
Doni
?It is estimated that one in 133 people have Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten (the protein in wheat, barley, rye and spelt).
Unlike most autoimmune conditions, in the case of Celiac, researchers and medical practitioners alike agree that the treatment is a dietary change - avoid gluten 100%.
When people with Celiac avoid gluten, in most cases, their symptoms completely resolve.
?The issue is that most people who have Celiac don't know that they have Celiac.
One might think that a person would know, considering that Celiac causes digestive issues, fatigue, anemia, bone loss, headaches, and is associated with dysfunction throughout the body, including diabetes - but the fact is that only a small number of people who have Celiac disease know that is the cause of their health issues, nor that avoiding gluten would completely change their life.
?One of the reasons that people don't know that they Celiac is because (and there is research to prove this) practitioners are not thinking of it and don't test for it regularly.
That's because most practitioners think of Celiac as a digestive disorder, when in fact, it is associated with symptoms anywhere in the body including anxiety, insomnia and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and often without ever causing diarrhea.
?Another reason is that the "gold standard" for diagnosis has been an invasive procedure - an intestinal biopsy - and even with a biopsy, the abnormal tissue is often missed.
Some researchers say it is possible to diagnose Celiac without a biopsy - based on symptoms, immune system markers that indicate celiac disease, autoantibodies, genes that 95% of people with Celiac have (HLA-DQ2 and 8), and a positive response to a gluten-free diet.
These tests are available through Quest and LabCorp, as well as specialty labs.
Still most Celiac specialists still feel that a biopsy is the only way to confirm the diagnosis and that only people who have a confirmed biopsy should avoid gluten.
?Researchers are also (finally) acknowledging other forms of gluten and wheat intolerance - until recently (2011) there was not an official name for non-Celiac gluten sensitivities.
Now it is becoming clear in the research that people react to gluten without it becoming a Celiac autoimmune condition - and IgG/A to gluten is one way to discover it.
Non-Celiac gluten reactions can cause major health issues including symptoms of IBS, bloating, stomach pain and/or bowel changes.
It doesn't end there - Non-Celiac gluten reactions have also been associated with everything from headaches and migraines, to pelvic issues, PMS, recurrent infections, and neurological conditions, including anxiety and depression.
Overall, the main message I would like to share is...
If you or someone you know is experiencing a health issue anywhere in the body that is not improving with other approaches, then it is definitely time to consider gluten as a potential trigger, whether in the form of Celiac autoimmunity or other gluten/wheat sensitivities.
Dr.
Doni
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