The gluten-free diet craze has grown into a huge movement in the health and wellness field. Social media may have a gluten-free diet as another fad diet for weight loss, but for a certain percentage of the population, the medical reality is much darker.
Clinically, it has been shown that Celiac disease affects about 1 in every 100 individuals worldwide. However, 80% of those suffering from the disease are not diagnosed or misdiagnosed. It’s not a food sensitivity, but rather a serious autoimmune condition in which the gluten in the food actually activates the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine.
If you think your food is causing harm to your system, the very first step in getting the correct diagnosis is to find the right healthcare in Texas. It’s crucial you recognize the celiac disease symptoms and go for a proper celiac test before changing your diet.
What Does Gluten and Gluten-free Actually Mean
Gluten is a group of proteins that are naturally present in wheat, barley, and rye. It is a glue that is used in food to hold things together; it is responsible for bread rising and having a chewy texture.
It is the second most widely used food additive after sugar, and is found in as many as 80% of all foodstuffs in certain countries. It’s also found in things you don’t expect, such as soy sauce, salad dressings, soups, medicines, and even cosmetics.
The “gluten-free” term is found in almost every package and menu these days. Many people adopt a gluten-free diet because they have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This means that they experience some bloating or tiredness from gluten. For them, it is not a matter of life or death, but just uncomfortable to ingest the gluten.
But for a celiac person, “gluten-free” isn’t a fad or a new way of life. It is a strict, lifelong medical requirement. A crumb of gluten can act like a poison and cause a powerful immune attack in the body.
Understanding Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune condition that can affect the lining of the small intestine, which happens when gluten is eaten.
A healthy digestive system contains villi in the small intestine, which are small projections that look like fingers. These villi absorb vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from the food you eat and pass them into your bloodstream.
A person with Celiac disease’s immune system mistakes the gluten protein as a dangerous invader. The immune system attacks, but it doesn’t attack the gluten. It attacks the villi that are located in the small intestine. This ongoing immune reaction over time will flatten and destroy the villi.
The intestine is unable to absorb nutrients due to damage to the villi. Thus, a diet that is well-balanced and healthy for a person without Celiac disease may be harmful for a person with this condition. This nutrient deficiency is the cause of the wide range of symptoms seen in the disease.
It is estimated that 1 in every 133 individuals suffers from celiac disease in the United States, which is about 3 million Americans. Celiac disease symptoms are broad and can be similar to many other common conditions, such as IBS, thyroid disease, iron deficiency, and anxiety.
Celiac Disease Symptoms
Each individual experiences this condition in their own unique way. Many providers will not order a celiac test unless the patient has clear GI symptoms. However, most patients with celiac disease nowadays do not fit into the classic textbook celiac disease symptoms.
There are two categories of symptoms to watch for that may be associated with celiac disease:
Digestive Symptoms
- Chronic, persistent diarrhea
- Severe abdominal bloating and gas
- Abdominal pain
- Pale, foul-smelling stool
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Weight loss
These symptoms are more prevalent in children.
Systemic Symptoms
There are a lot of adults who suffer from celiac disease symptoms and don’t have any stomach problems. Rather, the disease manifests itself as systemic issues related to nutrient malabsorption:
- Iron deficiency
- Joint and bone pain
- Pins and needles in hands and feet
- Severe brain fog
- Numbness
- Elbow, knee, or buttock skin rashes
- Headaches
- Mouth ulcers
- Discoloration of the permanent teeth
- Liver hepatitis
Who is more likely to develop celiac disease?
Anyone can get celiac disease. However, if you’re part of certain groups, you’re at higher risk if you’re:
- Family members of a person who has celiac disease
- Down syndrome
- Type 1 diabetic
- Autoimmune thyroid disease
- Turner or William syndrome.
- unexplained infertility
- Osteoporosis at a young age
- unexplained iron deficiency
Females had a higher prevalence of celiac disease than males. The incidence of diagnosis is about double in women than in men, but the disease is generally diagnosed later and is more advanced in men.
How to Get a Proper Celiac Disease Test
You cannot self-diagnose Celiac disease by eliminating gluten to see if it makes you feel better. It is a harmful misconception that can block a correct diagnosis.
In order to have an accurate celiac test, the individual should be eating gluten. If you stop eating gluten before testing, your immune system will calm down, your antibody levels will drop, and your test results will be a false negative.
If you think you may have celiac disease, do not self-diagnose and restrict foods from gluten-containing products before you’re actually diagnosed.
1. The Blood Test
Your doctor will order a blood test that identifies a particular type of autoantibody that is present in the blood. The tTG-IgA (tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A) test is the most popular test. If the blood test is positive, it is a very strong sign that your immune system is reacting to gluten.
2. Endoscopy and Biopsy
There are two ways to test for celiac disease: a blood test for antibodies to gluten, and a biopsy to examine the intestinal lining. Providers usually prefer to use both tests together to confirm the diagnosis.
A GI doctor takes the sample by conducting an endoscopic examination of the small intestine. They pass a thin tube with a camera down your throat into your small intestine to take small tissue samples (biopsies). They then look at these samples through a microscope to see whether the villi are damaged or squashed.
When it comes to health care in Texas, you have to find a provider who doesn’t just write off your systemic symptoms as IBS. It is best for you to start with an in-network primary care provider.
Celiac Disease Treatment
Right now, no pills, injections, or treatments exist to prevent the immune system from reacting to gluten. Thus, the only medically recognized method to treat celiac disease is to follow a strict, gluten-free diet.
Even the smallest traces of gluten can cause harm, so it’s necessary to be very careful about the possibility of cross-contamination in your own kitchen and at restaurants.
In addition to removing gluten, a comprehensive celiac disease treatment plan should include:
1. The Gluten-Free Diet
For those who have celiac disease, the gluten-free diet is a dietary requirement. The objective is to completely remove wheat, barley, and rye from the diet, including all foods that may contain or be contaminated by wheat, barley, and rye.
What has to be taken out:
- All Wheat products like bread, pasta, flour, couscous, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn
- All barley products, including most regular beer, malt
- All rye products, such as rye bread and crackers with rye flour.
- Foods that include these as ingredients
- Soy sauce
- Some sauces, gravies, soups, and salad dressings
- Medications and supplements that use gluten
What is naturally gluten-free:
- Unprocessed meats
- Fish
- Poultry
- Eggs
- All fruits and vegetables (no added sauces)
- Plain dairy products
- Whole grains like rice, quinoa, corn, millet, buckwheat, teff, oats
- Unprocessed legumes, nuts, and seeds
Oats are gluten-free, but often mixed in with wheat during growing and harvesting. Most people with celiac disease can eat certified gluten-free oats. However, you should add them with caution and under the guidance of your provider.
2. Nutrient Replenishment
Your gut has been damaged for months or even years, and you are probably low in iron, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and calcium. Your doctor should check these levels and provide good-quality, therapeutic supplements to restore your nutrient levels.
3. Gut Healing Protocols
Once gluten is removed, the immune attack will stop. However, you need to heal the damaged gut lining. This includes a healthy diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods and temporarily limiting other common food irritants to the gut, such as dairy.
4. Regular Medical Monitoring
You should follow up with your primary care provider once a year. They should retest your blood for the antibodies again to make sure your immune system is settled, and your intestine is healing well.
Conclusion
Celiac disease is a very serious illness that can completely alter your life. With this diagnosis, you need to go gluten-free, but you will get used to it. With time, it becomes a habit to read labels and watch what you eat, and the satisfaction you get after makes it all worthwhile.
It is important to note that if you don’t treat it, you can develop serious health problems, such as intestinal lymphoma and severe osteoporosis.
If you’ve had a history of unexplained GI issues and fatigue, schedule an appointment with Kairos Health & Wellness today and take charge of your health today.