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- How is lactose intolerance related to celiac disease?*
How is lactose intolerance related to celiac disease?*
- By Scott Adams
- Published 07/26/1996
- Frequently Asked Questions: Celiac Disease & Gluten-Free Diet
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Scott Adams
In 1994 I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which led me to create Celiac.com in 1995. I created this site for a single purpose: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives. Celiac.com was the first site on the Internet dedicated solely to celiac disease, and since then it has become an invaluable resource to people worldwide who seek information about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet.
In 1998 I created The Gluten-Free Mall, Your Special Diet Superstore! which was also another Internet first—it was the first gluten-free food site to offer a shopping cart-style interface, and the ability for people to order gluten-free products manufactured by many different companies at a single Web site.
I am also co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity.
Lactose intolerance is frequently a side effect of celiac disease. Celiacs who eat gluten become lactose intolerant after the villi and microvilli in their small intestine become damaged, and are no longer capable of catching and breaking down the lactose molecule. The problem usually disappears when celiacs remove gluten from their diet, which allows the damaged villi and microvilli to grow back. Lactose intolerance symptoms can continue for a long time after a celiac has gone on a 100% gluten-free diet. In some cases the villi and microvilli damage can take up to two years to heal completely, but in most cases it takes between six months and a year. Most people who are lactose intolerant can usually eat goat and sheep (feta) cheeses without any problems.
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36 Responses to "How is lactose intolerance related to celiac disease?*"
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said this on 21 Oct 2007 6:44:55 AM PDT
I am very newly diagnosed with Celiac. I wanted to know if i need to avoid dairy for a while in the beginning.
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said this on 04 Dec 2009 11:50:12 AM PDT
If you keep consuming dairy it won't affect your health but you'll have bad gas!
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said this on 01 Oct 2010 3:38:17 PM PDT
Wow, this explains a lot! Thank you!
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said this on 14 Nov 2007 7:32:18 AM PDT
I was diagnosed with celiac disease 9 months ago, after suffering for 34 years with various unexplained health issues, but I was always lactose intolerant, and that problem has resolved since eliminating gluten! It's cool to realize why! Thanks
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said this on 16 Jan 2008 12:16:51 PM PDT
I was diagnosed with Celiac in September but didn't understand why my doctor told me to lay off the dairy - this helps - Thanks!
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said this on 16 Feb 2008 9:24:08 PM PDT
Good info to know. It helped me, because I'm still learning about this disease. It was good to know how long to stay away from dairy.
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said this on 22 Aug 2008 8:50:40 PM PDT
What I would like to know is additional info re: can the gut repair while still exposed to dairy or do you have to give up the dairy to heal; a longer article/more detail would be helpful.
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said this on 27 Aug 2008 8:24:58 AM PDT
What a shock to think that I might have lactose intolerance now after being diagnosed 8 years ago with celiac and being so careful with the diet. Too much milk and cheese in my diet??? Shelly's rating (#5) is asking what I would like to know also. . . is there more detail available??? Is repair possible?
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said this on 25 Jan 2009 5:34:11 PM PDT
I have been on a gluten-free diet for almost 3 years and it has not helped my celiac symptoms much. Until very recently, I was eating dairy products and thinking nothing of it. Well, I finally started taking a Lactaid tablet before consuming dairy and- voila!- much, much better now. Can't believe I suffered for so long without knowing I had become lactose intolerant due to the celiac.
Best wishes to all gluten & lactose allergic folks out there. Don't give up HOPE! |
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said this on 26 Apr 2010 12:09:51 AM PDT
I was diagnosed with celiac in 1990 and have had dairy for all these years until this past month. I decided to give dairy up for one month to see if it made any difference in the bloating I have after eating breakfast every morning. Sad to say I didn't find any change.
However, for the pass 20 years since I've been diagnosed I feel very healthy and have been running in races for years, and yes! I'm a senior. |
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said this on 21 Mar 2012 11:36:12 AM PDT
Mari, I too was recently diagnosed with celiac and now my bloating continues even with a 100% gluten free diet. I am experimenting with avoiding dairy with some success. What lactose aid are you taking to get this result?
Thank you. |
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said this on 27 Jul 2010 12:23:04 PM PDT
Wonder if anyone would have help for us here - my husband was diagnosed w/celiac 2 yrs. ago, and has done wonderful in eliminating gluten from his diet. About 2 weeks ago he began to have some of the same symptoms again - namely dermatitis herpetiformis & hearing loss -- only this time it is more widespread over his body. He is miserable and desperate for relief, which doctors. are working on - but wonder if anyone else has experienced the same relapse after being gluten-free for a couple of years and a complete cessation of symptoms?. Lactose & dairy haven't been a problem.
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said this on 01 Aug 2010 9:54:30 AM PDT
I have had a similar experience with dermatitis coming back after a period of years. For me the skin rash seems to be closely connected to my difficulty to digest fat. I have had success with liver flushes causing me to get rid of many gallstones. My information came from Dr. Hulda Clark who has written many books. I am recently also adding more digestive aids to help with fat digestion.
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said this on 27 Oct 2010 2:56:10 PM PDT
Have you seen a dermatologist yet? I had a red raised itchy and hot to the touch rash and after a biopsy was taken it came back as EAC a complication from the Immune system and inflammation. was given Prednisone and was the only thing that brought relief.
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said this on 21 Jan 2011 5:24:49 PM PDT
OMG I had shingles last summer - got Prednisone. Felt energy for the first time in a decade! Shingles gone, mouth sores gone, happy, eat gluten free healthy just fine. Then, NOT ONE DOCTOR WILL GIVE ME PREDNISONE AGAIN? I'm "60"...not the drugie type: just want to have my immune system calm. Considering going to Mexico to get PREDNISONE to feel alive again. Any advice? I am miserable and fatigued 24/7. help.
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said this on 13 Jan 2012 8:33:58 PM PDT
You need to get your adrenal glands checked. What you may need is cortisol, not prednisone. You don't want to be on prednisone if you can help it. It could destroy your adrenal glands over time! Get a saliva cortisol test. Or you can go to a Naturopath and ask for a saliva cortisol test. This is more accurate than a blood test, although for some reason MD's don't like to do saliva testing. You should also get your thyroid tested: TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and thyroid antibodies.
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said this on 04 Aug 2011 8:49:31 AM PDT
I know this reply is a bit late, as I have only just read it. Does your husband eat fresh gluten free bread? Most of the fresh stuff contains codex wheat starch, which some celiacs can't tolerate, it makes them ill.
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said this on 16 Oct 2010 5:15:12 PM PDT
How long does it take for gluten symptoms to go away after not consuming it anymore??
I still have symptoms but it could be from the dairy products after reading this... or it could be the gluten symptoms wearing off. |
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said this on 20 Nov 2010 9:15:02 AM PDT
Here I am 69 years old and diagnosed about a year ago. The terrible gastric distress (the runs, pain, vomiting) from dairy and gluten were mixed together until I learned that I could tolerate neither one, but perhaps dairy in the future. So I stopped both and really felt magically better. Sheep and goat no problem. I would try cow and at first, would run to the bathroom within a half hour! Now, no problem.
But I agree with Sue that my symptoms tend to return when I eat fried food or fats. I never had that problem before OR I feel so good now that I really notice the difference when I feel bad. By the way, to answer Victor, when I ended the gluten, within 2 days, I was pain free and nausea free! Like magic! Thoough I get a little symptomatic when I eat more fat than usual. Probably a lesson here... Fat not so good anyhow... All comments are very helpful to me. Thanks so much. |
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said this on 14 Dec 2010 6:52:45 PM PDT
Since being diagnosed with celiac I can't take vitamin supplement so I opt for B12 shots every month. Works wonders, gives me energy. I've not been sick in the 2.7 years since my diagnosis, I used to get a bad cold every fall/winter. My autoimmune system seems supercharged though I still have flare-ups I'm working on identifying the food that causes it.
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said this on 21 Jan 2011 5:00:27 PM PDT
Wow. I learned so much from this site. Me, Celiac + Lactose Intolerant + Insomnia + Vegetarian. OMG WHAT'S LEFT TO EAT?
Became "iron toxic" from eating ALL green. Afraid to eat anything. (no processed foods/canned foods/frozen foods). Any advice? Not one of 9 doctors asked me about diet! I must be my own doctor: most do not have a clue to the diet importance. |
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said this on 30 Jan 2012 2:07:17 AM PDT
The reason that doctors don't ask you about your diet very often is because they are not R.D.'s (Registered Dieticians). Often, the only nutrition related classes that they take in great detail are while they are getting their Bachelor's degree. Very little, if any, after that. Dr.'s are mainly taught to recognize symptoms and read results to diagnose problems. Most only know about diet related problems through their own studying or experience.
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said this on 15 Apr 2011 4:28:04 AM PDT
I am 19 and three years ago I was diagnosed celiac, I had severe eczema all over yet the dermatologists took a biopsy and said it was not dermatitis, so they have provided me with cyclosporine its incredible cleared up my eczema straight away now I can eat milk products and fatty products and it doesn’t flair up like it used to, however recently been having similar symptoms to that of gluten with cream, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Thornton’s chocolates and double cream but the doctors are reluctant to give me a lactose intolerant test, think they already think I’m using up enough of NHS money what with my gluten free products, it’s interesting to have read that the two are interlinked perhaps I’ll just stop eating lactose as well or go and get some of those Lactaid tablets!! Thanks for all your help!!
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said this on 16 Oct 2011 12:17:30 AM PDT
I have been gluten free for two weeks and started feeling better right away. I have been eating ice cream and milk with a Lactaid pill and no problem until today when I ate some different ice cream than what I normally (Tillamook) ate, you guessed It BEN AND JERRY'S! I feel very bad...never again.
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said this on 17 Aug 2011 7:25:31 AM PDT
I have celiac disease and one day I ate some ice cream and started itching really badly all over..no rash, just very bad itching. I came to find out it was from celiac, so now no dairy or gluten!
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said this on 26 Aug 2011 6:52:33 PM PDT
My mom, sister, and 2 aunts have celiac disease. I am lactose intolerant but as long as I stay on that diet I do not have any symptoms. Recently I had a positive Lupus test which then came back negative the 2nd time. I asked my doctor to test me for celiac and he did but the blood test came back as I did not have it. I am cold all the time and my family feels these are signs of celiac and that many people get false test results. Has anyone else had this or similar experiences that can offer me some advice? I do not want to be causing hard to my body and have future effects from it, but I also don't want to go on an expensive diet if I don't have to. I am 35 and have been lactose intolerant since I was about 23. Thank you for any insight!
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said this on 09 Sep 2011 5:14:57 AM PDT
Stephanie, Try getting your thyroid tested. I have both hpyothyrodism and just recently tested positive for celiac disease. Some of the symptoms are similar like feeling cold and hair loss. It can't hurt to try. I've also had a false positive for lupus as well.
Goodluck. :) |
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said this on 05 Oct 2011 7:57:19 AM PDT
I also got negative from the blood, and from a biopsy. But I have cut out gluten anyway, and within 24 hours all my symptoms stopped. They have returned again recently (after 2 years GF) and it's only because I eat dairy, so I'm going to cut that out too.
My advice is, you can spend years and years trying to get the diagnosis from the doctors, and if you keep eating gluten, and end up seriously ill in a few years time, what's that to them? You're the only one who will be affected. Act as if you have the diagnosis, and see if you any better. I suffered for 23 years, almost everyday. Just try the diet, if you don't feel any different after 2 months, then stop. you may find that when you stop, your symptoms get worse. then at least you know. It can be expensive, but I don't get any prescriptions, and I manage. It's all about finding what 'normal' foods you can eat. |
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said this on 13 Jan 2012 8:36:02 PM PDT
If you are cold all the time you need to get your thyroid checked out. Get the following tests done: TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and thyroid antibodies!
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said this on 07 Oct 2011 12:46:22 PM PDT
I have had celiacs for over 10 years (not sure since it only was diagnosed then) - Although I went on a gluten free diet I still had awful symptoms. Then I realized I could digest milk products and started to feel better once I stopped all milk products. Unfortunately I discovered that I already had some type of neuropathy which seems to be getting worse despite gluten and lactose free diet. I have terrible seasonal allergies that are getting worse. Anyone else have similar experiences?
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said this on 24 Nov 2011 12:46:59 AM PDT
These topics are so confusing but this heelped me get the job done.
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said this on 19 Jan 2012 10:59:19 AM PDT
I have had celiac disease for 1 year. I have dermatitis and it is just as bad as it was when I was diagnosed. What's up with that?
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said this on 05 Feb 2012 3:16:57 PM PDT
If you've gone totally gluten free, but are still experiencing a lot of the symptoms, I would definitely stop eating dairy for awhile as well. But maybe more than that, I think it's a good idea to go on a candida diet, or close to it, if you can handle that (at least eliminate/reduce dairy, sugars, processed foods for awhile). An unhealthy celiac body is an easy target for yeast production - and that can cause a lot of similar symptoms.....skin problems, headaches, mucus, fatigue, brain fog, etc.
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said this on 05 Feb 2012 4:57:11 PM PDT
I don't know my diagnosis, but my doctor suggested that I try a no lactose diet. It works a little. I might be eating food containing partly lactose. And hopefully I'm good with gluten. Alltogether comments are very useful.
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said this on 08 Feb 2012 5:38:58 PM PDT
I've been diagnosed with celiac for 3 months, now the severe stomach bloating, even after going on a lactose free diet, I don't know what else to do, I am very miserable...any suggestions?
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said this on 26 Feb 2012 10:00:30 AM PDT
This helped me SO much. I have celiac for a year and now I believe (after reading the blogs) I have a dairy problem also!
Thanks for the info. |
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