Gluten free and diabetes from American Diabetes Assc.

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Celiac Disease

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/mens-health/serious-health-implications/celiac-disease.html

You've been to your family doctor so often you both have your litany

of symptoms memorized. You've made the round of specialists. Still, you

can't find what ails you.

Maybe the cause of all your problems is lurking in your kitchen --

in your breadbox, in your pasta cabinet, and on your cookie shelf.

Foods made from wheat and certain other grains contain a protein

called gluten. If you have a condition called celiac disease, every

time you eat something with gluten, a reaction damages the lining of

your small intestine. Nutrients aren't absorbed properly, and this

leads to a host of problems.

Many people with celiac disease (also called celiac sprue,

nontropical sprue, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy) go a long time

without being diagnosed.

There are many possible symptoms. They may start in childhood or

adulthood. They may come and go.

A classic symptom is diarrhea, but not everyone has this. Stools may

be foul-smelling and bulky, and they may float.

Other signs and symptoms

 

 

loss of appetite

weight loss

in children, failure to grow

irritability (sometimes the only symptom in children)

fatigue

depression

anemia

skin rash

and for people with diabetes, unexplained low blood sugar

(hypoglycemia)

 

There seems to be a link between type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

About 1 in 20 people with type 1 diabetes has celiac disease. Even in

the general population, including people with type 2 diabetes, the rate

could be as high as 1 in 250.

If you think you might have celiac disease, discuss the possibility

with your doctor. Blood tests and a biopsy of your small intestine --

the gold standard for diagnosing celiac disease -- can reveal whether

you have the disease.

Celiac disease is not the only cause of chronic diarrhea. Other

possibilities:

 

Lactose intolerance

Gastroparesis, a complication of diabetes

Irritable bowel syndrome

Crohn's disease

Stress

Viral infection

Parasitic infection

 

 

Going Gluten-free

 

Maybe you have symptoms that aren't typical, or a doctor who isn't

familiar with celiac disease, or you can't get a referral to a

specialist. If you feel you've done all you can with your health care

professionals and you want to get more evidence to present to them, you

might consider going gluten-free.

It's not going to be easy. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley,

possibly oats, and some other grains. That means all the common flours

found in mainstream breads, cookies, crackers, and pasta are now

off-limits.

You can't just reduce your gluten intake; your diet has to be 100

percent gluten-free. And you can't "cheat." The damage to your

intestine from a meal with gluten takes time to heal. It's this damage

that leads to symptoms, so symptoms continue long after that one meal

containing gluten is out of your system. If you diligently follow a

gluten-free diet for five days and then have one cookie at an office

party, your intestine will suffer.

Hidden gluten is a problem. If you unknowingly consume some gluten

(many brands of soy sauce, for example, contain gluten) and don't see

much improvement in your symptoms after two weeks of your diet, you

might think, "Well, I guess it wasn't celiac." Then you might go

additional months or years before getting diagnosed.

Some medications contain gluten as part of their inactive

ingredients. Glucotrol, for example, may contain gluten. Check with

your pharmacist or call the manufacturer of each of the drugs you take

to see if the drug may contain gluten. If it does contain gluten, do

not stop taking the drug. Talk to your doctor about what to do.

People with diabetes have additional challenges in going

gluten-free. You'll be changing many of your usual sources of

carbohydrate. This will very likely affect your blood sugar levels.

So again, if you do have celiac disease, it would be much, much

better to get a real diagnosis. You'll have more reason to be committed

to the diet, and you can get professional guidance as you make the

required diet changes.

That said, if you're determined to try a gluten-free diet on your

own, we have some suggestions.