My Problem... Celiac Disease

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
1

I posted a topic a couple of months ago stating that I could not gain any size regardless of how hard I lifted. I was lifting hard, eating right, taking all the right supplements, etc., but I was not gaining any muscle. Several of you made great suggestions which I tried, but nothing seemed to work.

Four weeks ago, I went to my doctor for my annual physical. I was anemic (and I also had just turned 50)so he ordered a lower and upper GI. When the gastro doc was performing the upper GI, he noticed that the wall of my small intestines were damaged, so he took a biopsy. Turns out that I have Celiac Disease. This means that when I eat products containing gluten, I have an autoimmune response that attacks the lining (or villi) of my small intestine. Since all the nutrients that we consume are absorbed into the blood stream through our small intestine and the lining of my small intestine was damaged, I was not getting the nutrients I needed to build muscle!

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and oats and because these foods are used as binders and fillers, they found in a ton of food and personal items. I have totally eliminated any products containing gluten. The doctor told me that my small intestines will heal in 2 to 6 months depending on the amount of damage. After they heal, I should be able to put on some muscle.

Celiac Disease is genetic and it is estimated that 1 in every 133 people have it. The amazing and alarming staistic is that only 3% of the people who have it are every diagnosed. 97% are never aware that they have it. If a person with Celiac Disease does not go completely gluten-free, they greatly increase their risk for diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, thyroid disease and the list goes on and on.

I’m really looking forward to gaining that muscle I have been working so hard to obtain!

If you are interested in learning more, here are a couple of websites:

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[quote]gettingyounger wrote:
Turns out that I have Celiac Disease.

www.celiac.org [/quote]

A lot of Northern Europeans or Slavs suffer, more or less, from gluten intolerance. I cut out grains some time ago.
I have no problems gaining from eating meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, a little fruit, butter and a little cheese now and then.

I would suggest to anybody that if they have to eat grains (whole grains of course) sprout them first by soaking in water overnight. Actually it’s not a bad idea to do that with nuts also (if you eat a lot of them), given that they have enyzme inhibitors.

3

[quote]entheogens wrote:
gettingyounger wrote:
Turns out that I have Celiac Disease.

A lot of Northern Europeans or Slavs suffer, more or less, from gluten intolerance. I cut out grains some time ago.
I have no problems gaining from eating meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, a little fruit, butter and a little cheese now and then.

I would suggest to anybody that if they have to eat grains (whole grains of course) sprout them first by soaking in water overnight. Actually it’s not a bad idea to do that with nuts also (if you eat a lot of them), given that they have enyzme inhibitors.
[/quote]

Sprouted nuts???

4

[quote]entheogens wrote:
A lot of Northern Europeans or Slavs suffer, more or less, from gluten intolerance. I cut out grains some time ago.
I have no problems gaining from eating meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, a little fruit, butter and a little cheese now and then.
[/quote]

I think that is a great idea to sprout the whole grains and nuts before consuming.

I think you know this and I don’t want to sound like a smart ass, but there is a big difference between gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease. If a person consumes gluten and they have a gluten intolerance, it can cause discomfort, but it does not damage the villi in the small intestine like a person with Celiac Disease.

The damaged small intestine does not absorb an adequate amount of the nutrients from the food they eat resulting in malnutrition and anemia. I was eating tons of food, and I was not able to gain muscle. Actually I was continuing to lose weight. Hopefully when my small intestine heals, I will be able to add some muscle (and not fat).

5

[quote]Yo Momma wrote:

Sprouted nuts???

[/quote]

Seeds, grains, nuts and beans have enzyme inhibitors that make them hard to digest. So, it’s best to sprout them. It’s the phytic acid and sprouting gets rid of that. It’s the reason so many people become flatulent when eating beans. They can’t digest them as they are.

Here goes a brief explanation about why and how to sprout:

http://www.growyouthful.com/sprouts.php

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[quote]gettingyounger wrote:

The damaged small intestine does not absorb an adequate amount of the nutrients from the food they eat resulting in malnutrition and anemia. I was eating tons of food, and I was not able to gain muscle. Actually I was continuing to lose weight. Hopefully when my small intestine heals, I will be able to add some muscle (and not fat). [/quote]

You are lucky to have a doctor that caught this. Besides not eating gluten, what else are you doing to heal your intestine?

7

You’re right about being lucky. I would rather not have Celiac disease, but since I do have it, I am very glad to know it so that I can work to eliminate or deminish the possible future complications.

Besides totally eliminating gluten, I try to eat six small, balanced meals daily consisting of quality proteins, carbs and fats. I do not eat fried foods and I try not to eat trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup or refined sugar (but this crap is in everything!). I exercise almost every day, and I am a big believer that exercise helps your body to heal. Also, I try to get a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night.

Do you have a recommendation on how I can help heal my intestine? My gastro doctor found the problem, but I have been amazed at how little knowledge he actually has about how to live with Celiac Disease. The information he gave me was out of date and not of much use. I have received most of my help and information from the websites I mentioned in my original post.

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[quote]gettingyounger wrote:

Do you have a recommendation on how I can help heal my intestine? My gastro doctor found the problem, but I have been amazed at how little knowledge he actually has about how to live with Celiac Disease. .[/quote]

Definitely read the below links concerning celiac disease and gluten intolerance by the Weston Price Foundation. As far as I’m concerned, the nutritionists, Doctors, etc that work with the Weston Price Foundation are the latest, greatest word on nutrition right now.

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/healing-celiac-disease.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/gluten-intolerance.html

It occurs to me that you might need to restore healthy intestinal flora. So a good probiotic might be in order. Let me underline the word MIGHT, because I am not sure about that. Try to research that and if you come up empty handed, let me know and I will come up with other resources for you.

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[quote]entheogens wrote:
gettingyounger wrote:

Do you have a recommendation on how I can help heal my intestine? My gastro doctor found the problem, but I have been amazed at how little knowledge he actually has about how to live with Celiac Disease. .

Definitely read the below links concerning celiac disease and gluten intolerance by the Weston Price Foundation. As far as I’m concerned, the nutritionists, Doctors, etc that work with the Weston Price Foundation are the latest, greatest word on nutrition right now.

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/healing-celiac-disease.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/gluten-intolerance.html

It occurs to me that you might need to restore healthy intestinal flora. So a good probiotic might be in order. Let me underline the word MIGHT, because I am not sure about that. Try to research that and if you come up empty handed, let me know and I will come up with other resources for you.

[/quote]

Sorry. Nonsense.
A good review is offered in New England Journal of Medicine last October.

The disease is mediated by an interaction between food gliaden/gluten and a certain genetically-determined cell-surface marker. The subsequent lymphocyte infiltrate of the gut lining causes the manifestations of celiac disease.
Home made soup is not helpful; neither is the home-made advice from that websites.
The OP is well-informed, and knows that rigid adherence to diet is the only reliable treatment. (One day, there may be genetically modified foods, but not soon.)

10

[quote]DrSkeptix wrote:
. The subsequent lymphocyte infiltrate of the gut lining causes the manifestations of celiac disease.
Home made soup is not helpful; neither is the home-made advice from that websites.
The OP is well-informed, and knows that rigid adherence to diet is the only reliable treatment. (One day, there may be genetically modified foods, but not soon.)[/quote]

I am glad that we have been blessed with the final word on the subject.

11

Thank you both for responsing to my post. While I do fully understand, like DrSkeptix noted, that the only reliable treatment for Celiac Disease is complete elimination of gluten from my diet, I do want to eat healthy. I truely believe we are what we eat. I have been on several Celiac website blogs where the people are gleefully talking about the fact that Snickers, Hershey’s Chocolate, certain cookies, etc. are still available to Celiacs because they do not contain gluten. That’s great, but they also contain other crap that I am not going to eat! My challenge (and I will succeed) is to not eat any gluten and to also eat healthy.

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gettingyounger:

I was diagnosed with celiac disease about 3 years ago. The interesting thing was I was not losing weight or having a difficult time gaining muscle when diagnosed, though this would have most likely changed later if I had let it go.

My symptoms came on gradually after I hit 35. Started off with some small GI distress and 5 years later ended up with me having to use the bathroom constantly with major GI issues. My GI doc first did blood work and it came back positive for the antibodies for celiacs. I went off wheat products right then and there and within 48 hrs I felt better and two weeks later I was feeling great. It took my small intestine about 6-9 months to fully heal.

I lost 15 lbs in two months after starting a gluten free diet. The reason: I just could not get the calories I needed to maintain my weight. I was already kind of lean with a fast metabolism so taking wheat products out of my diet cost me a ton in daily calories. Frustrated, I started searching and reading information found on celiac disease support forums and per recommendations started introducing a ton of good fats to my diet like natural peanut butter, fish oil, olive oil, etc and I started to gain the weight back.

Its a tough diet because you have to read labels carefully and if you are like me and exercise it can be dificult to get the calories your body needs to maintain or gain weight. Along with eating beef, chicken, fish and eggs, I added yogurt and increased my intake of potatoes, rice, corn, quinoa, fruits and veggies for carbs.

My GI doc also put me on probiotics and fiber supplements both have made a huge difference. I take two or three servings of the Walgreens brand fiber made from guar gum. It mixes great, has no taste and it is not gritty like some of the other fiber supplements. Cirtrucel is another good fiber supplement for celiacs because it contains methylcellulose (basically paper). Metamucil is made from husks so stay away from Metamucil. Warning: Make sure you introduce the fiber slowly to your body over a period of two weeks or your body will let you know its not used to that much fiber. Trust me I know :slight_smile:

Hang in there. I have been through this and once you have your diet on track, you will heal up and start gaining weight again and putting on muscle.

I am much more leaner but weigh more now than I did the day I was diagnosed 3 years ago. I also found I am lactose intolerant like a majority of people with celiacs.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

13

[quote]AZ4Stringer wrote:
gettingyounger:
My GI doc also put me on probiotics and fiber supplements both have made a huge difference. I take two or three servings of the Walgreens brand fiber made from guar gum. It mixes great, has no taste and it is not gritty like some of the other fiber supplements.
[/quote]

AZ4, that’s an interesting post. I was only speculating that probiotics might be good for someone with celiac, but you seem to confirm it. It’s great that you have a doctor that actually recommends probiotics. What kind of probiotic are you using?

As for DrSkeptix, having everything cleanly proved by triple blind studies is great. However, there are a couple of problems.

First of all, studies can be interpreted according to the prevailing dogma; results, if they counter that dogma, can be explained away.

Second of all, think about all the things that first get discovered anecdotally, only later to be confirmed by a study. Yes, just because five or six of us here notice something works does not mean it will work for everyone. It remains anecdotal and, therefore, from a scientific perspective inconclusive. However, the

Internet provides enough feedback that we can have partial experiments. True, they aren’t double blind by any means, but that doesn’t mean the results of such experimentation are wrong. It just means that official science, for whatever reasons, has not investigated the matter. Look at all the people doing HRT here who usually have to defy their Dr’s wisdom in order to get any improvements.

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[quote]entheogens wrote:
AZ4Stringer wrote:
gettingyounger:
My GI doc also put me on probiotics and fiber supplements both have made a huge difference. I take two or three servings of the Walgreens brand fiber made from guar gum. It mixes great, has no taste and it is not gritty like some of the other fiber supplements.

AZ4, that’s an interesting post. I was only speculating that probiotics might be good for someone with celiac, but you seem to confirm it. It’s great that you have a doctor that actually recommends probiotics. What kind of probiotic are you using?

As for DrSkeptix, having everything cleanly proved by triple blind studies is great. However, there are a couple of problems.

First of all, studies can be interpreted according to the prevailing dogma; results, if they counter that dogma, can be explained away.

Second of all, think about all the things that first get discovered anecdotally, only later to be confirmed by a study. Yes, just because five or six of us here notice something works does not mean it will work for everyone. It remains anecdotal and, therefore, from a scientific perspective inconclusive. However, the

Internet provides enough feedback that we can have partial experiments. True, they aren’t double blind by any means, but that doesn’t mean the results of such experimentation are wrong. It just means that official science, for whatever reasons, has not investigated the matter. Look at all the people doing HRT here who usually have to defy their Dr’s wisdom in order to get any improvements.

[/quote]
ent–

You clearly misunderstand me, or choose to disagree with nothing that I said.

This about a disease; it is not about “dogma,” but verifiable facts.

AZ4 is indeed helpful; there are many reasonable approaches to diet, but for the person with celiac disease, the dietary exclusion of gluten/gliaden is mandatory. It is well established, the detailed mechanism of effect is clear; I merely provided a good review reference to those who want to know details.

It is pointless to pretend that the anecdotal is something more than a piece of information of doubtful value. That it is displayed on the internet does not make it true or conclusive; it remains a biased report–in fact, the most biased report. So your citation of websites that–in part–discount the known and proven, is not helpful to folks looking for honest help.

(If doctors are not sufficiently engaged to know about HRT, that speaks ill of them, but it does not make the scientific method less valid.)

And trial and error, and legitimate trials–over the last 40 years in the case of celiac disease–provided much of our knowledge about the diet and management of CD, long before we had the science which explained it by way of HLA typing and cell-mediated autoimmunity.

Sorry, a website, offering the wisdom of home-made soup cures, offers instead a disservice to those seeking more info to help themselves. The OP and AZ4 are clearly not that gullible.

15

DrSkeptix is right on an track here. There is no cure for Celiac Disease other than eliminating gluten/gliadan 100% from one’s diet.

Celiacs Disease damages your intestines and adding the probiotics and gluten-free fiber helps restore and keep a healthy digestive track. Probiotics and fiber DO NOT cure Celiac Disease.

The probiotics I take is called PB8 by Nutrition Now. It has live probiotics as it needs to be refrigerated. I take two caps per day, first thing in the morning with a glass of water on an empty stomach.

Again, as with the fiber, introduce slowly to your system. Start by taking one cap per day for a week or 10 days before taking the full dose.

16

Ok, just to respond, I never thought that probiotics would CURE celiac disease. I just thought that it might restore a better intestinal environment.

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I hate to regenerate an old thread, but “DrSkeptix” could not be more wrong in his assessment of entheogens’s advice in general and the link to the Weston A. Price Foundation website in particular.

There are two factors to consider for someone who has Celiac’s disease:

  1. Preventing additional damage to the small intestine

  2. Healing the damage that has already been done

Entheogens and the WAPF website are not disputing the fact that, for a Celiac, there is no cure and that glutinous products must be avoided if one is going to prevent additional damage to the small intestine. However, entheogens and the WAPF website are speaking to the second of the two issues outlined above: quickly and efficiently healing the damage to the small intestine.

While the body will almost always heal on its own, the damage to villi wrought by Celiacs will compromise digestion for quite sometime. As such, it is important to provide a nourishing yet easy-to-digest diet during the healing phase. That is all the WAPF website was saying. “DrSkeptix,” like many medical professionals, quickly and ignorantly dismissed that which he does not understand. It would be a shame for a person recently diagnosed with Celiacs to avoid such advice based on the misguided comments of someone like “DrSkeptix.”

(I dug this thread up because doctors suspect that I may have Celiacs disease and I am trying to inform myself about it as much as possible.)

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[quote]eic wrote:
I hate to regenerate an old thread, but “DrSkeptix” could not be more wrong in his assessment of entheogens’s advice in general and the link to the Weston A. Price Foundation website in particular.

There are two factors to consider for someone who has Celiac’s disease:

  1. Preventing additional damage to the small intestine

  2. Healing the damage that has already been done

Entheogens and the WAPF website are not disputing the fact that, for a Celiac, there is no cure and that glutinous products must be avoided if one is going to prevent additional damage to the small intestine. However, entheogens and the WAPF website are speaking to the second of the two issues outlined above: quickly and efficiently healing the damage to the small intestine.

While the body will almost always heal on its own, the damage to villi wrought by Celiacs will compromise digestion for quite sometime. As such, it is important to provide a nourishing yet easy-to-digest diet during the healing phase. That is all the WAPF website was saying. “DrSkeptix,” like many medical professionals, quickly and ignorantly dismissed that which he does not understand. It would be a shame for a person recently diagnosed with Celiacs to avoid such advice based on the misguided comments of someone like “DrSkeptix.”

(I dug this thread up because doctors suspect that I may have Celiacs disease and I am trying to inform myself about it as much as possible.) [/quote]

Sorry about your possible diagnosis and I wish you a rapid gluten-free recovery.

But where is our disagreement?
If your goal is healing of the small intestine, where on the WAPF website is “what they are selling” shown to improve villus atrophy? What is it that I did not understand?

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[quote]DrSkeptix wrote:

Sorry about your possible diagnosis and I wish you a rapid gluten-free recovery.[/quote]

Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment.

[quote]But where is our disagreement?
If your goal is healing of the small intestine, where on the WAPF website is “what they are selling” shown to improve villus atrophy? What is it that I did not understand?
[/quote]

When you confused the WAPF advice on managing celiacs with a “cure” for the disorder. The point is that if your villi have been damaged, you can’t just jump into a heavy diet, gluten-free or not.

As an analogy, consuming gluten as a celiac is like waking up every morning and smashing your feet with a hammer. Avoiding gluten is akin to refraining from smashing your feet. But that doesn’t mean that you can sprint immediately thereafter. You may well be laid up in bed for awhile letting the feet heal before you can walk, jog, and then run.

The WAPF information pertains to that period of bedrest and the transition to sprinting in the above analogy.

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Hello all, I am the guy who started this post back in March of this year when I was diagnosed with Celiac’s disease. I wanted to give everyone reading this post an update. The first 6 weeks I was on the gluten-free diet everything was great. Then BAM! The diarrhea started. I experienced diarrhea 6 to 7 days a week for 3.5 months. I tried everything to stop it. I eliminated soy, milk, peanuts, corn, apples, and list list goes on and on. Everytime I would read on one of the Celiac websites about a possible cure for the diarrhea, I would do it.

I re-evaluated all of the food products I was eating to confirm that I was not getting gluten. This was a miserable time, and very frustrating. Then over about a one month period the diarrhea gradually went away. Over the last 3.5 months, I have gain 16 lbs. (approxiamtely 10 lbs. of muscle, 6 lbs. of fat). It is great to workout and actually realize gains in muscle mass and strength!

My iron levels have improved, but they are still low and I continue to take an iron supplement, but I am feeling much better. My energy level is great, and I cannot even imagine how much better I will feel when my iron levels are normal.

I have learned this:

  • all Celiac’s recovery phrases are different. I participate in my local Celiac support group’s monthly meetings, and everybody’s recovery story is different.
  • the only sure fire thing to do as a Celiac is to eliminate gluten. This takes some time and self-education, but it is mandatory to recovery and living a healthy life.
  • hang in there. I was so depressed and pissed-off during my recovery. I was trying everything and nothing was working to stop the diarrhea (but I was gluten free and my intestines were healing).

“eic”…if you are diagnosed with Celiac’s disease, and I can help in any way, please let me know. I will be more than happy to help in any way I can.