Gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity, is a condition characterized by adverse reactions to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. While it’s distinct from celiac disease, it shares similar symptoms.
Recognizing these signs is crucial for managing your diet and seeking appropriate medical advice.
- Digestive Issues: One of the most common indicators of gluten intolerance is gastrointestinal discomfort. This may include bloating, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation after consuming gluten-containing foods.
- Fatigue and Lack of Energy: If you find yourself consistently tired, sluggish, or lacking energy after meals containing gluten, it could be a sign of gluten intolerance. Pay attention to how you feel after consuming bread, pasta, or other gluten-rich foods.
- Headaches and Migraines: Some individuals with gluten intolerance experience recurrent headaches or migraines shortly after ingesting gluten. These headaches may be severe and not easily relieved with over-the-counter medications.
- Joint Pain and Muscle Aches: Unexplained joint pain and muscle aches can be associated with gluten intolerance. These discomforts may occur without an obvious cause, and persist over time.
- Skin Problems: Skin issues like eczema, dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy, blistering rash), or other forms of skin irritation may signal gluten intolerance. These conditions often improve or resolve with a gluten-free diet.
- Mood Changes: Gluten intolerance can affect mood and cognitive function. Some individuals may experience symptoms like irritability, anxiety, depression, or difficulty concentrating after gluten consumption.
- Nausea and Vomiting: In some cases, gluten intolerance may lead to feelings of nausea or even vomiting, especially after consuming larger quantities of gluten.
- Unexplained Weight Loss or Gain: Significant fluctuations in weight, either loss or gain, without a clear cause may be linked to gluten intolerance. This is due to the impact of gluten on nutrient absorption.
- Nutrient Deficiencies: Gluten intolerance can lead to malabsorption of vital nutrients, resulting in deficiencies. Common deficiencies include iron, calcium, vitamin D, and B vitamins.
- Recurrent Mouth Ulcers: Chronic mouth ulcers, known as canker sores, may be indicative of gluten intolerance in some individuals.
If you suspect you may have gluten intolerance, it’s essential to consult with a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and guidance. They can conduct tests and advise you on adopting a gluten-free diet. Paying attention to these signs and seeking timely medical advice empowers you to take control of your health and well-being.
If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance
you may wonder what it is about gluten that makes you sick. In modern times more and more people are affected by problems with gluten and have turned to a gluten-free diet in order to regain wellness.
Gluten is a protein that’s found in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. This protein is abundant in foods that contain these grains. And while it seems pretty innocuous it can cause some major problems in the body.
Celiac disease is a type of autoimmune disease that is inherited, and causes damage to the small intestine when gluten and other forms of proteins that is found in wheat, rye, barley, and in some cases, oats, is eaten.
Just like with any allergy, someone who has an allergy to gluten can have a serious response. The body sees the protein as a foreign invader that needs to be destroyed and removed from the body. When you have an allergy to pollen, it causes you to sneeze, have watery eyes, and can lead to problems with your sinuses.
That’s your body’s response to ridding your body of it. With a gluten allergy, your digestive system is doing the same type of thing – trying to attack it and get rid of it.
Your body’s immune system is very complex and very advanced. It produces antibodies that are designed to specifically fight foreign invaders. When you have a gluten allergy, your body produces antibodies that are marked to fight the protein.
When the gluten enters your body, it’s immediately recognized by the antibodies and your immune system is alerted that it’s time to make a full-scale attack. For some people this results in some diarrhea or even constipation.
For others, the allergy is much more severe and actually causes damage to the lining of the small intestine. This form of the allergy is known as celiac disease. The good news is that while there’s no cure for this illness, it can be controlled through diet.
By eating a gluten-free diet, you deprive your body of the allergen.
If you don’t expose it to gluten you won’t experience symptoms. And fortunately, it’s easier to establish and maintain a “gluten free” diet today than in years past.
Since symptoms of celiac disease can vary a great deal from patient to patient, a delay in a proper diagnosis is quite common. A recent study by Stuart Currie PhD, and colleagues from the University of Sheffield found that patients with coeliac disease and balance disturbances had significantly smaller brain volumes, less grey matter density and white matter abnormalities than age- and sex-matched controls.
Knowing this, it is not surprising to find that a recent meta-analysis study confirms that anxiety and/or depression is reliably linked to coeliac disease . Coeliac disease and raised IgG and IgA antibody levels to gliadin are also found in those with schizophrenia and psychosis.
Few psychiatrists consider the possible role of food allergy, and are unaware that food allergies can occur due to either IgE, IgG or IgA based immunological reactions, the latter being responsible for ceoliac disease.
Other common symptoms of celiac disease include: abdominal pain, gas, bloating, indigestion, a distended stomach, nausea, vomiting, a decrease in appetite, an intolerance to lactose, weight loss that cannot be explained, and stools that float, have blood in them, appear fatty, or are quite foul smelling.
