Wendy Cohan, RN's Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Cooking Classes

Interesting. My husband has gluten intolerance (not dx celiac, we just went off gluten when my son - adopted - did, and both found that we had problems if we consumed gluten when away from home. His father had prostate cancer and eventually died when it reached his liver.

His brother has chronic prostatitis and kidney stones. He has had prostate infections that have required hospitalization, iv antibiotics, and surgery. He does not follow a gluten free diet, and I wonder if he is celiac.

Hi, just thought I would mention that I just read an article that says that Interstitial cystitis, in both men and women, is caused by having celiac disease. I have Interstitial cystitis and my mother has both celiac disease and Interstitial Cystitis, therefore I no longer consume gluten. Interstitial cystitis in men can also be confused with chronic prostatitis from what I have read.

Can you tell me what article it was that says about the connections with IC and prostatitis. This is so interesting and just the links I am looking for.

I'm a 21 year old male who was recently just diagnosed with celiac disease and I've had chronic prostatitis for a couple of years now as well. This is very interesting stuff. I've been on a gluten-free diet for a few months now but still have symptoms in my bowels and prostate. Let me know if I can help in any way.

email:timmmma@yahoo.com

I too have gluten intolerance and prostitis. My infections of the prostate usually come if I go off my gluten free diet. There is definitely a link in my experience between the two. I believe it starts with reaction in the colon which in turn irritates the the prostate (although I do understand the flaws in self diagnosis)... I am thirty one years old and am on constant antibiotics. Feel free to contact me as I would love to help in any way... although looking at the date you may have no need of that anymore.

Hello Anselma,

I just read your post from November 2009 about you reading of the connections with IC, prostatitis and coeliac disease. My late teenage son has inflammatory bladder IC, and prostate inflammation and had IBS as young child. He was always checked for coeliac and always negative both on biopsy and all blood tests. We have gone round in circles for years trying to find a solution to all this terrible illness. IC is appalling. Do you know anymore on this about coeliac or gluten sensitivity. None of the doctors will ever recognise this at all.

I completely agree with the association prostatitis/celiac disease. In my case, it is sufficient to eat just a piece of bread to feel the pain from prostatitis within a few hours. There is no much literature about it, but since I have stopped eating bread, pasta and so on, my prostatitis has gone away. Hope my experience may help.

I have had prostatitis/UTI for about 20 years (I am 42). I have tried everything modern medicine had to offer with no success. I just learned to live with it. Recently I visited a holistic medicine doctor to help with IBS. She ran some tests and suggested I remove gluten from my diet. Within a few weeks my IBS was almost gone! But I noticed something else, my prostatitis has gotten significantly better. I am convinced gluten was the problem. My doctor thinks my body still needs to heal and it could be months before I feel normal. I feel great now, cant wait for normal!

This is very interesting. I've been dealing with prostate inflammation or a year now. Tried most traditional methods, nothing seems to be working long term. I just did some saliva analysis and the doctor said that I was highly reactive to gluten! Nothing to lose, I'll try that.

Removing gluten, casein, eggs, and soy diminished my IC enormously. I was in the worst 10% of cases, according to my docs, and removing these foods let me go about my life totally normally.

Hmm, this is interesting. I have been dealing with prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome and am thinking about trying a gluten free diet. Thanks for sharing, all!

I have been on a gluten-free diet for a month now. I am amazed how I feel, no bloating, joint pains, eczema and improved eye sight. My dad died from prostrate cancer and I wonder if there may have been a connection with gluten.

I'm 58, male. I have had lower pelvic pain at night for about 30 years. 5 years ago I stopped eating all gluten containing foods, (wheat, rye, and barley). Although my celiac test was negative, within a few weeks, the pelvic pain at night disappeared, only to reappear every time I have reintroduced gluten.

For your statistics: I am 50, I stopped gluten 2 years ago before any tests but my mother had skin problems for 20 years before knowing it was gluten, and I also had itchy red patches on my face.

I stopped for the skin but I felt so good after that I will never start gluten again. I was beginning to need to pee very often (too often to be normal) and I had loss of libido. All this is now gone. I think that gluten affects the prostatitis and also sexual functions.

I hope that people will be more aware one day of this health hazard.

This is a great thread! Certain foods always upset my stomach more than others and like every typical person, I wrote it off to heartburn. It has been going on for years, then suddenly I went through this 3 or 4 month period of bloaty-ness. I couldn't even drive to work without un-doing my pants. Then the pee-urge hit horribly. I went to urgent care... typical bug corporation. "Oh, it must be a prostate problem, so here's some Terozin and you need to go see your doctor". Went to a doctor and got the same corporate junk. "This is what they said so here's some Advodart".

I went gluten-free as well as corn-free and I think soy is also a problem. These are all cheap ingredients that are added to everything. I dropped all this supposed doctor's medications and am getting better finally. Doctors are people just like us in some ways: busy. They have ten minutes to spend with you to make the daily quota. People need to use that big thing on their shoulders; it really does wonders, just trust it. Don't get bullied by a doctor who makes you feel somehow like you're not competent. Your modern day access to information and the time you spend researching your own problems may be far more than you will ever find in some 30+ year old education doctor trying to protect his degree with the typical arrogance they have.

That's my rant! Thanks for listening. We all have the power to investigate our issues. Don't put up with some doctor's unwillingness to help, just go find another one.

Good article and follow up posts. I am 40 years old and seven years ago had a sudden attack of prostatitis. Went to several doctors and had many tests and never found adequate relief. Over the last several years I also developed irritable bowel syndrome, tiredness, lethargy, brain fogginess. I have been modifying my diet and exercise program to optimize my health, but it has always been an uphill battle.

Recently, I bit the bullet and went completely gluten-free and after 2-3 weeks, I feel amazingly better on all fronts with my prostate in the best shape it has been in 7 years. Hopefully the gluten-free diet continues to pay dividends as it is a very small inconvenience for the pay off. Definitely worth trying for anyone with similar symptoms. Was also tested for celiac disease and whole bunch of other stuff which all came back as "normal".

I googled my problem and ended up here, I have known I am allergic to wheat or gluten for a long time so I try to avoid it, however there was a sale on pizza and hot pockets at the store, I was eating that for about 2 days straight. I had to pee every 20 minutes all day long after the first day, and had to think back on what I had been eating. Now I'm back to eating mostly just meat, fruit, rice, beans, and vegetables. I seem to be recovered now. I take Doxazosin for my prostrate, however it doesn't work when I have pizza's and stuff. On occasion I will still have a flour tortilla. It costs money to eat gluten free, but a loaf of bread is almost 4 dollars now. Has anyone bought any an as seen on TV prostrate vitamins that worked? If so list the name brand.

I have been told I have chronic prostatitis from a urologist recently. All he had to say is there's nothing that could be done and that I should try cranberry juice. I was so mad that I was in pain and that was his best answer. But now I'm gonna try gluten-free and see how it goes.

Here's my story. I'm a 26 year old male. About a year ago I felt a variety of lower abdominal / pelvic symptoms: sharp pains in the intestines, sharp pains in the testicles, frequent night urination, sometimes painful urination, complete loss of libido, and horrendous premature ejaculation if not total erectile dysfunction.

After being cleared of a few different types of cancer (such as testicular) I was referred to the urologist. He said with regret that I had prostatitis and that I needed to start observing my diet and habits and figure out what would trigger it.

What I had learned was that some symptoms were being caused by toxins and stimulates that fed candida (intestinal - look it up). So up until 2 weeks ago I had been on a diet free of carbs, sugars, caffeine and of course alcohol. It was effective in eliminating the sharp pains. The prostate aches however, only subsided half a week ago when gluten was completely eliminated from my diet.

I'm no doctor. I could sit here and say that maybe my candida infection had caused me to become allergic to gluten, as it is a disease that damages intestinal integrity... but really, the lesson to be learned here is that we need to listen to our bodies, and understand that we are what we eat. Our mouths are not garbage disposals. Everything we choose to devour needs to be digested and those choices all have consequences. Study up on nutrition and try better diets. Non-infectious prostatitis doesn't have a quick cure, so make changes and be patient. Take a probiotic. Eat more vegetables. Etc. At the very least, you'll improve your immune system and overcome over ailments you never thought you could beat.

And yes, in my case prostatitis was certainly caused by my new found gluten intolerance, what caused my gluten intolerance I'm quite certain was candida. And what caused candida.... well, it goes on. Look after yourselves. A better diet will do a world of wonders for your health!

This all makes perfect sense and I've had a lot of these symptoms for years such as candida and premature ejaculation, brain fog, lethargy... feeling like I'm drugged out when I am completely sober... that sort of thing. I am a week into my gluten-free diet. Yesterday I felt clear, like a veil had been lifted off of my entire body. Today I'm low. Mild depression, lethargy 10x et cetera. It feels like opiate withdrawal. They say gluten can bind to your opiate receptors so I'm guessing that's it.

I was able to get off hard opiates with high doses of vitamin C, no doctors needed... they only made it worse with their medications, as usual.

So that's the plan now. I won't give up this gluten-free lifestyle. I feel like it's been dragging me down my entire life, 28 years of it and I am just now figuring this out.

Power on!

I'm Spanish. I have been looking for information about a relation between prostatitis and gluten and i have found this page.

In my language, there's nobody speaking about this. I have found all the information in American websites. In my case, I look for information about this because I am sure of it. I have seen on 3 times that if I eat gluten, I am bad if I don't eat gluten my problem is better. I think if I am several months without gluten, I will be healthier.

Sad to hear this. Very young for him to be experiencing these things; unfortunately if the tests are negative, it may be a sensitivity that could still be displaying itself in these problems. I returned from my mission (LDS) to find that I couldn't have wheat without getting a slow feeling in my stomach, or a small irritation. It eventually turned to be a huge problem, and I went off of wheat altogether, and that helped. The problem was, I eventually had to cut out all corn products, and all processed sugars.... I went into an old doctor and she felt my stomach and said, you're not allergic to these things and you have IBS. Unconvinced I had the tests done and they were all negative as well. She said go on Citrucel for six months and she was right! I could eat everything again. The problem was, that three years later, the same problems arose in companion with prostatitis (34 years old -- also unusual). I have gone off of gluten for the last two weeks, and I am feeling much better (again) both in my stomach and peeing (tell-tell the infection is gone)... While the correlation may not be proven (yet) be aware that I have experienced some correlation thus far (and in research, they really don't have a definitive cause for prostatitis nor a good cure -- antibiotics keep it at bay, but they say it just has to 'go away'. 6 months of antibiotics has helped for me, but 2 weeks of no gluten and I'm almost feeling back to normal... was it the antibiotics? was it the disease going away? was it prayer (yes, this, but we have to do our best first ) I know that gluten intolerance causes inflammation, and because I did knew that I thought, gee, maybe this has a correlation... hence stumbling on this blog. Good luck to all you out there, and know that the doctors don't know perfectly, they're trying their best, we have some good remedies, but they are also not the best, and just to keep holding on...

Hi Walt

Did you begin to experience hand and foot pain also? In recent years, I also started to get what some call a brain fog.

I'm just starting the gluten free diet and I'm hoping this does the trick.

3 days ago, I ate bread and the next two days were torture with regard to sinus infections, headaches, muscle aches and fatigue.

I'm looking for other men that can give me advice. The docs haven't been able to help me.

This tarted when I was 27. I'm now 42.

I'm 42 and experienced the same problems. However, my issues started when I was 27. I'm starting a gluten free diet now. I would like to connect with you, if you're willing to share stories.

I am about to turn 27 and have had symptoms identical to yours for about two years now. I had been misdiagnosed with NSU and treated with antibiotics repeatedly. I was recently diagnosed with chronic prostatitis and prescribed tamsulosin. My main concern with the whole ordeal is the premature ejaculation. I'm just wondering if you experienced any improvement in that regard due to the gluten free diet. I'd love to hear your input because of all the forums that I've read, your case seems very close to mine. Both in terms of age and symptoms (and my name is also Justin) .