Gluten Intolerant vs Coeliac
February11
Interesting article on gluten intolerance on Cyndi O’Meara’s website, check out the link here. Visit the Changing Habits website by clicking on the link on my blog to find out more and buy products like rapadura sugar and seaweed salt which is great source of iodine. My thyroid levels are low again and since I don’t have iodised salt or bread or cereal with added iodine I have been having seaweed salt.
Hi Nicky.
I am a bit confused about the difference between gluten intolerance and straight wheat intolerance but I am about to find out as my doctor has advised me to be gluten free for two months to see if I have coeliac disease!
Looks like I have joined the club!
I will post my first GF bread adventure this week!
Hope all is well with you and yours,
x
Nirala
Hi Nirala
OK very interesting. My understanding of the main difference is that gluten is in other things than wheat such as oats, rye and barley and it is about the gluten content not the wheat issue. People can be intolerant and have digestive issues but the only way to know if have Coeliac disease is blood test and then if positive follow up endoscopy to check the villi in your intestines. You may feel better have being off gluten for a couple of weeks but won’t tell you if have Coeliac. I have been gluten free for 2 years and my blood tests only now indicate my gut has healed. Shall look forward to some gluten free bread tips as always more to learn in that area!
Hi to you both. Yes, it’s confusing because it seems that some people do react negatively to eating wheat products but are not gluten intolerant. Unfortunately, because it’s difficult to diagnose coeliac disease due to the wide-ranging symptoms, some people with coeliac disease suffer damage to the small intestine villi without obvious or diverse symptoms and continue to eat gluten.
I understand from numerous sources that the blood tests for whether you carry the gene (genotype) or have the disorder (phenotype), are the first step in diagnosis, but that the most accurate way is to have a gastroscopy/endoscopy and the pathology results either show damage to the villi (coeliac) or don’t (not coeliac).
I also understand, like Nicola, that cutting out gluten without testing can result in a person presuming that they are coeliac when they’re not. One possibility is that the person is wheat sensitive but not gluten sensitive.