Celiac Disease Vs Gluten Intolerance Vs Fructan Intolerance
First, its important to understand the difference between celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten.
Even tiny amounts of gluten will severely damage the small intestine of an individual with celiac disease.
On the other hand, gluten intolerance is thought to be a subtle sensitivity to gluten diagnosed after exclusion of celiac disease. Its said to affect between 0.5-13% of people .
In the scientific community its known as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or wheat sensitivity. Think of it much like you would an intolerance to FODMAPs.
In fact, newer research indicates that we may be incorrectly diagnosing a FODMAP intolerance as a gluten intolerance. Specifically, it really looks like what weve thought was gluten intolerance is actually a fructan intolerance .
A gluten intolerant individual can typically eat small amounts of gluten safely, but experiences health issues when their threshold is exceeded.
The following are common signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance, after celiac disease has been ruled out.
Summary: Gluten can physically damage the small intestine in those with celiac disease. A gluten intolerance, or Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, is a more subtle sensitivity diagnosed after exclusion of celiac disease.
Are Gluten Intolerance And Celiac Disease The Same Thing
Gluten intolerance and celiac disease are different. People with celiac disease have an autoimmune response to gluten. This means their bodies try to fight against gluten as if it were a virus. This reaction causes inflammation and damage to their digestive tracts. Celiac disease is the result of an abnormal gene. People with celiac disease also have high levels of certain antibodies in their blood, which are substances that fight gluten.
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease cause a lot of the same symptoms. But people with gluten sensitivity dont have an abnormal gene or antibodies in their blood.
Gluten Intolerance And Sensitivity
If you often feel ill after eating foods containing wheat, barley or rye, you could be suffering from gluten intolerance .
While around 1% of people in the UK suffer from coeliac disease, gluten intolerance is estimated to be much more common. The difference between gluten intolerance and coeliac disease is that the latter is an autoimmune disease, and can result in damage to the lining of the gut and malnutrition. Gluten intolerance is less serious, but symptoms can still be very unpleasant and affect your quality of life.
Intolerance can affect everyone in different ways, but common symptoms may include:
- Bloating, gas and stomach ache
- Constipation or diarrhoea
- Exhaustion, dizziness or headaches after eating
- Some have reported depression and aching joints
Symptoms usually develop a few hours or days after eating gluten and, according to the NHS and Allergy UK, are sometimes not triggered by ‘trace’ amounts of gluten .
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How Is Gluten Intolerance Different From A Wheat Or Gluten Allergy
A wheat allergy is an immune system reaction to a protein in wheat. This protein causes the immune system to react as if it was being invaded. If youre having an allergic reaction to wheat, the symptoms usually arent as vague as those of non-celiac gluten intolerance, and its usually easier to pinpoint the cause of this condition. You might notice the following symptoms during an allergic reaction:
Headaches And Brain Fog
Chronic headaches and the inability to think clearly are also common side effects associated with gluten intolerance. Interestingly, migraines seem to be more common among people with Celiac disease, IBD, and gluten sensitivity1 than in the control group, according to a 2013 study in the journal Headache.
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Key Points About Celiac Disease
- Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
- In both gluten intolerance and celiac disease, the body mounts an immune response against gluten, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea, headaches, fatigue, abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea and vomiting, bloating and gas, and constipation.
- Celiac disease is the most severe form of gluten intolerance.
- In people with celiac disease, repeated exposure to gluten damages the small intestine lining, which compromises its ability to absorb certain nutrients.
- The intestinal damage in celiac disease caused by repeated exposure to gluten can lead to long-term problems beyond immediate digestive symptoms, such as malnutrition, decreased bone density, infertility, nervous system damage, and skin rashes.
- Adhering to a gluten-free diet should mitigate symptoms of gluten intolerance and prevent further intestinal damage for those with celiac disease.
Treatment Of Gluten Intolerance And Sensitivity
If your elimination tests suggest that you are gluten intolerant, the best way to avoid experiencing symptoms in future is to stick to a gluten free diet. This means carefully reading the labels on any products you buy, and replacing your normal bread, pasta, breakfast cereal and so on with a gluten free alternative.
Following a gluten intolerance diet may seem daunting at first, but the relief of all those symptoms might just give you a new lease of life. What’s more, there are so many delicious foods you can still enjoy, you won’t look back check out our gluten free recipes page for some fresh ideas.
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Managing A Severe Food Reaction With Epinephrine
A wheat allergy reaction can cause symptoms that range from mild to life-threatening the severity of each reaction is unpredictable. People who have previously experienced only mild symptoms may suddenly experience a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis. In the U.S., food allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis outside the hospital setting.
Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, which can occur within seconds or minutes, can worsen quickly and can be deadly. In this type of allergic reaction, exposure to the allergen causes the whole-body release of a flood of chemicals that can lead to lowered blood pressure and narrowed airways, among other serious symptoms.
Once youre diagnosed with a food allergy, your allergist will likely prescribe an epinephrine auto-injector and teach you how to use it. Check the expiration date of your auto-injector, note the expiration date on your calendar and ask your pharmacy about reminder services for prescription renewals.
If you are uncertain whether a reaction warrants epinephrine, use it right away, because the benefits of epinephrine far outweigh the risk that a dose may not have been necessary.
Your allergist will provide you with a written emergency treatment plan that outlines which medications should be administered and when . Be sure that you understand how to properly and promptly use an epinephrine auto-injector.
Common Symptoms Of Gluten Sensitivity/gluten Intolerance
There is a wide variety of symptoms associated with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, ranging from issues affecting the digestive tract to neurological complications and possibly even skin problems. Here are a few of the most common ones:
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Best Supplements For Celiacs
There are a few key supplements that most people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity could benefit from.
However, before we get into it, it is important to know that not all supplements are created equal. Many supplements use poor nutrient forms that are not well absorbed. In addition, many supplements are cross contaminated with gluten. Therefore, it is critical to find a reputable company that specializes in providing gluten free supplements and that is committed to testing its ingredients and final products for gluten.
Avoiding gluten can sometimes be challenging because companies often put indiscriminate terms on the label that are not always obvious. You can view the GFS masterlist of hidden gluten right here.
In addition, the following list contains common fillers found in supplements that Gluten Free Society recommends you avoid:
Signs Of Being Gluten Intolerant
Gluten intolerance is one of the most common gastrointestinal issues we see in our patients. However, being gluten intolerant is not the same as having celiac sprue, aka celiac disease. Both have a negative reaction to digesting gluten, but celiac sprue is an inflammatory disease of the small intestine due to gluten exposure. According to Northwestern Medicine, 6% of the U.S. population has a non-celiac gluten intolerance.
There are many differences between the two, but in basic terms, gluten intolerance is a sensitivity, whereas celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder. One of the main distinguishing factors of each is their symptoms. Here are the top three signs you may be gluten intolerant, rather than celiac.
Im sure theres been a time when weve all experienced the uncomfortable feeling of bloating. Bloating can be the result of many different triggers, however, it is a strong sign of a gastrointestinal issue. PubMed Central found that bloating is actually one of the most common symptoms of people with gluten sensitivity. Their study showed that 87% of people thought to be non-celiac gluten intolerant experienced bloating. If youre noticing a pattern of your stomach feeling swollen or full of gas after digesting products containing wheat, its very possible that you suffer from gluten intolerance.
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Stomach Pain And Bloating
Stomach pain and bloating are common symptoms of lactose intolerance in both children and adults.
When the body is unable to break down lactose, it passes through the gut until it reaches the colon .
Carbohydrates such as lactose cannot be absorbed by the cells lining the colon, but they can be fermented and broken down by the naturally occurring bacteria that live there, known as the microflora .
This fermentation causes the release of short-chain fatty acids, as well as the gases hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide .
The resulting increase in acids and gases can lead to stomach pain and cramps. The pain is usually located around the navel and in the lower half of the tummy.
The sensation of bloating is caused by an increase of water and gas in the colon, which causes the gut wall to stretch, also known as distention .
Interestingly, the amount of bloating and pain is not related to the amount of lactose ingested, but to the sensitivity of the individual to feelings of distention. Therefore, the frequency and severity of symptoms can vary significantly between individuals (
Itâs important to note that stomach pain and bloating are common symptoms that could result from other causes, such as overeating, other kinds of malabsorption, infections, medications and other illnesses.
Easy Gluten Free Pizza
Prepare for your next family pizza night with this Easy Gluten Free Pizza recipe. A gluten free pizza that’s simple and delicious, it’s sure to be a hit at the dinner table. Made with our Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour, this pizza can be topped with whatever you like, as long as it’s free of gluten! In this recipe, we chose to top our pizza with fresh vegetables, and hummus making it a vegan dish.
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Should I Be Tested For Gluten Sensitivity
Testing for celiac and gluten sensitivity can be a challenge, as many of the blood markers used in hospitals and doctors offices can come back falsely negative. It is important to understand that gluten sensitivity is technically not a disease at all, but rather it is a state of genetic predisposition. Therefore if youre suffering from gluten sensitivity symptoms, your first step should be to ask your doctor to perform genetic testing to help identify whether or not you have the genes that predispose you to reacting to gluten. You can also ask your doctor to test you for antibodies to gluten and for the blood markers of celiac disease. Though these blood tests can come back with false negatives, they are sometimes useful in helping you determine whether a gluten free diet is the right move.
If your doctor refuses to order genetic testing for you, At-home genetic test kits are available from Gluten Free Society that can help identify genetic predispositions to gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. There are no needles involved in these tests, just a simple cheek swab.
In terms of lab tests, genetic testing provides the most accurate evaluation to determine gluten sensitivity. So, if youre considering going gluten free, dont hesitate. Getting tested can help you know for sure what youre up against, so you can take the right precautions to prevent long-term, gluten-related health problems.
How Is It Diagnosed
It is essential to ensure first that a more severe condition, such as celiac disease or a wheat allergy, is not present if gluten intolerance is suspected.
Taking a blood sample, which is then analyzed to detect the presence of antibodies that could indicate celiac disease or a wheat allergy, can often do this. In some cases, other tests may also be necessary.
Once a doctor has ruled out a more serious condition, it can still be difficult for them to confirm whether gluten intolerance is present, as there are no tests for this.
The most common method people use to determine if gluten intolerance is present is to reduce or remove gluten from a diet and monitor changes in symptoms.
It can help for a person to keep a food diary to record what foods they are consuming and what symptoms they are having.
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Celiac Disease Tests And Diagnosis
Doctors use blood tests and other tests to help find out if you have celiac disease:
- Serology tests look for certain antibodies.
- Blood tests check other parts of your immune system.
- Intestinal fatty acid binding protein tests show if thereâs damage to the intestine.
- A complete blood count looks for anemia .
- C-reactive protein tests show if thereâs inflammation.
- Metabolic panels test liver and kidney function.
- Vitamin D, B12, and folate tests look for vitamin deficiencies.
- Iron and ferritin tests look for iron deficiency.
- Swallowing a small camera can show problems in your digestive tract.
- Imaging tests show signs in the intestine, like wall thickening or changes to blood vessels.
- Genetic testing looks for human leukocyte antigens to rule out celiac disease.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet, you’ll need to come off it before having the antibody test so the results will be correct.
If blood and other tests show that you might have celiac disease, youâll probably need to have an endoscopy. This procedure lets your doctor look at your small intestine and take a bit of tissue to see whether itâs damaged.
If you have a rash, doctors will take a small sample of your skin to look for signs itâs caused by celiac disease. This rash is easy to confuse with other skin problems.
Who Is Gluten Intolerant
Around 1% of people in the United States have a celiac disease diagnosis, but many more are probably undiagnosed. Around 6% of the U.S. population lives with non-celiac gluten intolerance. At this point, NCGS is difficult to diagnose, though, so the numbers could be misleading there could be more or fewer people with this condition than these statistics describe.
Diagnosis of gluten intolerance symptoms can be difficult when the patient tests negative for celiac disease. Some people have a negative screening blood test for celiac, but their small intestines show signs of damage. Others dont seem to have any signs of gastrointestinal problems, but they deal with pain, fatigue, or nervous system issues that stem from eating gluten. To complicate things further, many people self-diagnose this condition due to the popularity of the gluten-free diet before their screening tests.
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Finding A Good Doctor For Gluten Issues
If you would like to find a good primary care doctor to consult with about gluten intolerance, then let BASS Medical Group help. Our goal is to ensure that your health is in the right hands and you are happy with your care. Give us a call today at 925-350-4044 so that we can point you to the nearest location or schedule an appointment online.
How To Treat Gluten Intolerance
Eliminating gluten 100% from your diet means 100%. Even trace amounts of gluten from cross-contamination or medications or supplements can be enough to cause an immune reaction in your body. The 80/20 rule or we dont eat it in our house, just when we eat out is a complete misconception. An article published in 2001 states that for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity eating gluten just once a month increased the relative risk of death by 600%.
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We Can Help You Go Gluten Free
Going gluten free can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task, but when you consider the range and severity of the short- and long-term health dangers of gluten intolerance, its undeniably worth the effort.
And thankfully, you dont have to go it alone.
Gluten-Free Society has the insight, experience, and solutions to help you make the switch to a zero-gluten lifestyle. Our products are completely grain free, and we offer the recipes and wellness advice you need to get control of your gut. If youre noticing stomach discomfort, fatigue, or any of the other symptoms addressed in this guide, then dont wait take the gluten sensitivity quiz today, and let us help you start feeling better.
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