Weaning From Gluten May Be Pointless For Many
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Main Category: Irritable-Bowel Syndrome
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 22 Feb 2012 - 1:00 PST
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opinionsWeaning From Gluten May Be Pointless For Many
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People who do not have celiac disease and believe they have "non-celiac gluten sensitivity" may be weaning themselves off gluten unnecessarily, researchers from the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, reported in Annals of Internal Medicine. The authors added that the majority of people who avoid gluten have "nonceliac gluten sensitivity" - those with celiac disease are a minority among gluten avoiders.
Individuals with celiac disease have a condition in which the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged; undermining their ability to absorb nutrients from food properly. This occurs because of a reaction to gluten, which is found in many cereals, such as rye, barley, wheat, and perhaps oats.
Celiac disease diagnosis occurs after specific bowel and blood tests are carried out.
A number of people who do not have celiac disease can still react to gluten if they eat it and experience gastrointestinal discomfort and fatigue. Experts refer to this condition as "non-celiac gluten sensitivity".
The number of people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity is considerably higher than those with celiac disease.
Gluten sensitivity can trigger the following symptoms if gluten is ingested:
-
Intestinal symptoms
- bloating
- flatulence
- abdominal discomfort
- diarrhea Other symptoms
- headache
- ataxia (wobbliness, incoordination, unsteadiness)
- oral ulceration (recurrent)
- lethargy
- attention-deficit disorder
The researchers give examples of patients who strictly abstained from gluten, and believed their gluten-free diets helped reduce their symptoms. However, very few of them had ever undergone a proper diagnosis procedure.
They believe doctors should think about performing open or single-blind gluten challenge tests on those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity - at least until a valid biomarker for non-celiac gluten sensitivity is found.
Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Antonio Di Sabatino, MD; and Gino Roberto Corazza, MD
Annals of Internal Medicine. February 21, 2012 vol. 156 no. 4 309-311.
MLA
18 May. 2013. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241971.php>
APA
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241971.php.
Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.
Visitor Opinions (latest shown first)
Total 25 opinions, latest 20 shown. For all opinions, click through to the full thread.Amen sister! This article is crap (at least the research is) - Weaning from gluten pointless...?
posted by Karen on 13 Feb 2013 at 5:33 pmI have a list of symptoms 2 pages long that disappeared almost entirely when I finally ripped myself out of the state of denial I was living in for the last 15 years and stopped eating gluten. I believed my body was just incapable of forming stool because I had diarrhea every day for decades. Now that's denial! The year following my gluten free diet I suffered with acne so bad that it was akin to leprosy. Two weeks ago I realized that the makeup I had switched to a year ago had gluten in it. Three days of not putting this stuff on my skin and I had no new lesions.
A week later, after I did research and eliminated all the other gluten containing personal care products that I was using, my skin completely healed. I now have only the scars from a year of constant oozing, crusting lesions on my face.
Today my patient's wife, who has known me for the last 8 months, asked me today about my skin. She raved on and on about how it looks so healthy now. How is it that my skin can be fooled by this nocebo affect? I think these researchers need to take another look at their research - looks like they're the ones in denial. It's research like this that keep people living sick, especially when doctors buy into it and provide their patients with misinformation. I can't even tell you how cutting gluten out of my life has changed it. I only wish I had known sooner so I could have spared myself years of illness and some ill health that seems to be permanent at this point. I am so thankful I could just change what I eat and don't need a doctor's approval or prescription pad! Screw the diagnosis.
And Ed.. live in my body for a few days - eat a pizza on day one, suffer the effects for the next two days, then tell that me you would want this.
As for the researchers saying that abstaining from gluten is unnecessary for many people, this is my response: Going gluten free is all the rage. I tell people who say they're trying to cut down on gluten that unless they are actually gluten intolerant there is absolutely no reason for them to cut down, and that gluten free foods are often bad for their health because of the high starch content used to substitute for wheat. BUT, if they are truly gluten intolerant they absolutely need, for the sake of their health (short and long term health), to eliminate it completely. Then they get to choose for themselves.
Excuse me?
posted by Karen on 4 Dec 2012 at 7:49 pm...did the author even do research? Or is this just your opinion? Are you paid by someone who profits from gluten products?? So many American doctors have no clue what it is, what the symptoms are, or how to properly test, that it's not funny and it's not in the heads of the people with health problems.
AND BTW, it's not worth even one week of going back on gluten foods just to get a Gold Standard-Official-Doctor-Diagnosis just to tell someone what they already know. I don't need the severe diarrhea, the painful gas, the bloated distended stomach, among other symptoms.
It's like this author knows totally nothing but still has opinions he thinks are valuable enough to write about.
Does the author think what so many throughout time thought: it's all in your head. Genius! ...and an awfully easy and lazy way out.
So many people see relief of all kinds of symptoms by getting off the gluten train. Let me say that the amount of Americans who have a problem with gluten is only going to increase until many businesses understand they must go gluten-free. This started small, but so many people have seen the benefits, this will increase. This is going to change the United States. Cavemen didn't eat wheat or grains... our bodies are not evolved to eat regular wheat, let alone the Genetically Modified Wheat we are now eating. Please read this book so you learn something about what you writing: "Living Gluten-Free For Dummies" by Danna Korn. Otherwise, I wish you'd take this site down... it's spreading too much ignorance.
If it hurts you, stop doing it.
posted by Bill G. on 9 May 2012 at 4:25 pmI think that whomever was responsible for the original paper has totally missed the boat. It seems to me that if I stop eating foods that contain glutein and then I no longer suffer from: blood in my stool; painful bowel movements; loose stool and/or diahrea and burning anal leakage that lasts for hours and makes it nearly impossible for me to function; then I should not go back to eating glutein whether I have an "imagined sensitivy" or an imagined angy leprechaun living in my rectum.
Wheat Is Wheat
posted by Annemarie on 23 Apr 2012 at 11:48 amIf your allergic to wheat it doesn't matter if it GMO or not.
GMO wheat hasn't been around for that long compared to Celiac which has been mentioned as far back as ancient greece.
Not sure of the web site I read that on but I found it through a web search.
Gluten sensitivity
posted by Anne marie on 19 Apr 2012 at 5:36 amIf it makes you sick when you eat it - don't eat it. This article suggests that if it makes you sick but you are only sensitive to gluten eat it anyway?
I had been suffering for years with all the symptoms they describe and more and no doctor had ever even suggested that it might be celiac. I did the research on it on my own and felt 100% better off gluten than I ever have in my life.
I hate when articles like this make it sound like people who go gluten free are doing it because it is popular right now. If you eat something and you react to it - don't eat it. It's as simple as that.
Listen To Your Body And Experiment
posted by Nicole on 21 Mar 2012 at 10:07 pmThis is complete shit! I suffered for 30 years with extreme constipation and bloating and pain. Doctors said it was normal and caused by stress. Then I came across an article on celiac and decided to go gluten free on my own for one week. ONE WEEK people and I had a movement every day, easy and effortless. 30 years of pain, gone in one week! Same stress level. To test it, two years later tried to bring it back into my diet. And my body said NO, extreme constipation. Mine and coutless other stories where not include in any study. WHY?
The medical system knows nothing about how the bowels work, there are a whole lot of people suffering cause they don't know anything about the microbiology of the gut.
Creator, MARI Method
posted by Mari Ann Lisenbe on 20 Mar 2012 at 8:35 amSorry, but this article is a bunch of crock!
I spent 30 years of my life sick, going to gastroenterologists, orthopedics, ob/gyn's. Numerous surgeries for ovarian cysts. Being told I was "depressed" and should take anti-depressants. Being told to take anti-inflammatory drugs for the pain. Bronchitis and Pneumonia many times. Brain-fog. Neuropathy.
However, I did test negative for celiac. And skin allergy test did not reveal any severe wheat allergies.
In 2002, a primary care physician who studies Functional Medicine performed test showing that I have a wheat sensitivity. I went completely GRAIN FREE for the 1st year. This includes all forms of hidden gluten which is in many, many of our processed foods.
Now, 10 years later, I'm rarely if ever sick and no longer live in constant pain. Only time I have problems is when I'm crazy enough to eat foods that I'm not sure what's in them (some restaurants, pot-lucks, etc).
If you're tired of being sick all the time go GRAIN FREE, AND eat REAL FOOD (get OFF processed foods).
And.... listen to your body, not your doctor!
wheat producers
posted by Heidi Detty on 12 Mar 2012 at 8:57 amI can't help but wonder if this article is motivated due to the drop in wheat consumption affecting profits.
Gluten
posted by cc on 2 Mar 2012 at 11:03 amThe food conglomerates are more than happy to make money from this growing trend. If it makes people feel better to use these products, they should have the right to do so.
Typical - Gluten
posted by Tim on 24 Feb 2012 at 12:36 pmMr Dr wanted me to eat gluten for 3 months so he could shove a probe down my throat and grab a piece of my GI tract.
I think the problem lies in Drs not liking patients taking their health into their own hands, Drs are very egotistic.
It took me 42 years to get a diagnosis of Celliacs, and not from a Dr (from a Natruapath).
Its hardly surprising Drs dont trust patients, when I as a patient no longer trust Drs.
Gluten Sensitivity but not being Celiac is CANDIDA OVERGROWTH in the body!!
posted by Dawn on 22 Feb 2012 at 2:36 pmthis article says it may be pointless for people with gluten sensitivity to go gluten free. This is only part of the whole complicated medical story and problems with GMO grains.....but it is not useless because most people who are gluten sensitive that are not true celiacs have a yeast growing in their intestines and body that is making them intolerant. This is called Candida, so many americans have this, and don't know it the damn doctors here don't diagnose you for it. Candida thrives on the Standard American Diet( sad) which is sugar, gluten, carbs, chemicals. SO when you cut gluten out of your diet, only part of your symtoms improve, but you don't fix the problem...
Gluten Intolerance is real
posted by Will Smith on 22 Feb 2012 at 8:22 amDr. Alessio Fasano at the University of Maryland reports that at least 8% of non-celiac patients have gluten intolerance to some degree. By eliminating gluten from one's diet for a few weeks, the person can see whether symptoms that they are having improve. If so they are probably gluten intolerant. If they return to eating gluten and the symptoms return and they again go gluten free with out symptoms, then they get further confirmation. If they get a balanced diet otherwise, there is no reason to go back to gluten.
Further information...
posted by Jenny Hutchings on 22 Feb 2012 at 8:07 amhttp://www.annals.org/content/156/4/309.abstract is the link to the abstract as noted in the references tab under the article - you can find further information there.
Research?
posted by Dr Riekie Smit on 22 Feb 2012 at 7:09 amon what research is this 'opinion' based?
I have been reading numerous literature, scientific articles and research showing the opposite if what is being said here.
maybe this article/ writer should consider more recent literature before making such absurd statements as the nocebo effect of wheat!!!
This article doesn't make any sense.
posted by Shonda Hector on 22 Feb 2012 at 7:07 amSo is this article suggesting that we remain fatigued, brain fogged and deal with inflammation all over our bodies. Celiac disease is just one possible outcome of gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity causes many other diseases. If you cannot digest gluten, eventually your stomach will be worn down and the digestive system will begin to fail. My son who was 14 when we discovered our sensitivity bounced back to health much sooner than I am at age 41. Eveyone who has any health issue should avoid gluten (and I mean all types of grains initially) to see if they begin to heal. Whoever wrote this article has never experienced the effects of gluten sensitivity or intolerance!
franken-wheat
posted by geiser on 22 Feb 2012 at 6:54 amthe problem is the wheat is biologically engineered. We aren't eating plain old wheat anymore.
Title does not reflect actual conclusion
posted by Sherry Stewart on 22 Feb 2012 at 6:46 amThe conclusion of this article is that many people who abstain from gluten and are satisfied that this has alleviated their troublesome symptoms have not been tested for celiac, and may not actually be gluten intolerant. That's a valid conclusion, but not the same as saying that abstaining from gluten is pointless for them. In fairness, the title says, "Weaning from gluten MAY be pointless for many," which is not inaccurate, but misleading. In fact the gold standard for celiac is intestinal biopsy while still consuming, or recently consuming, gluten. This is an expensive and invasive procedure that is out of reach due to cost for many of us here in the United States. Removing gluten from the diet is a simple act with no particular risk; it's quite a responsible action of self-help which really shouldn't be discouraged.
The implication of this piece is that the typical gluten intolerance symptoms -- bloating, flatulence, mouth sores, diarrhea, headache -- could easily be psychosomatic, thus relieved by placebo effect. Psychosomatic effects are remarkable, but it's stretching credulity for me to see this consistent cluster of symptoms as commonly psychosomatic, especially as those who have self-treated by gluten avoidance seem frequently to describe returning to ordinary life with no further difficulties.
Here's a link to a terrific article on celiac from Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=celiac-disease-insights
FDEIA
posted by David on 21 Feb 2012 at 9:21 pmI have a form of gluten sensitivity not mentioned: Food Dependent Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis. In my case the food element is wheat. My condition started at age 35 and remains a mystery...
This article is crap...
posted by Monica Valentine on 21 Feb 2012 at 9:10 pmI have a myriad of autoimmune disorders, and took myself off gluten because of its prevalance in being connected with other autoimmune disorders. And although my diseases can't be reversed my stomach issues stopped. I had been tested with negative blood results. But continued on with my diet by choice because of how much better I felt. I unknowingly ate gluten containing cookies, they were placed in the gluten free section by mistake, and my ibs symptoms returned! I couldn't figure out what was making me sick again. Then I raided my pantry and noticed the cookies weren't gluten free. And only the days after I would eat them as an after dinner treat did I then have my issues in the morning. This article makes it seem as if everyone who hasn't been diagnosed by a physician is a dellusional hypochondriac.
Sensitivity
posted by Kris on 21 Feb 2012 at 8:42 pmGuess what: if a person is still getting sufficient dietary fiber, wheat is completely unnecessary in your diet. If avoiding it makes you feel better, then why not? And, if you don't replace it with a different source of carbohydrates, then you WILL LOSE WEIGHT, as doctors are forever telling most Americans to do. Wheat is found in completely unnecessary places within our over processed culture. Eat real food, it is better for you.
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