Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Chocolate, Alcohol


starrytrekchic

Recommended Posts

starrytrekchic Apprentice

Around nine months after going gluten free, I noticed a couple of new issues. First, I wasn't able to drink any amount of alcohol without feeling awful, and second, I developed crazy heart palpitations.

Now, the alcohol intolerance I believe I solved. I dug around (non-scientifically) and discovered that gluten-free diets can be low in molybdenum, which is necessary for the liver. There's not a lot of scientific stuff out there about molybdenum, as it's more a trace element in the body, but the main source of it is grains, and at the time, I couldn't afford any replacement grains & was largely grain free.

I got a multi-vitamin with molybdenum, and the alcohol intolerance went away. To test it, after a few months I stopped taking the vitamin & it came back. Then I started again and it went away, & now I have no problem with alcohol.

Which bring us to the second issue--chocolate. It took me about 6 months to figure out the heart palpitations (and sleep problems and difficultly lying on my left side) were brought on by chocolate. It was *not* caffeine that was the problem, as I could drink several cups of coffee before I would get the palpitations; whereas a relatively small amount of chocolate would trigger them.

Again, I dug around and found out about theobromine, which is stimulant in chocolate similar to caffeine that particularly stimulates the heart. I should note caffeine is partially broken down into theobromine, which would explain why excessive amounts of caffeine--like 4 cups of coffee--would also cause the palpitations, while 2-3 cups wouldn't.

(I'd like to say I'm not an expert on this, so please don't take this as gospel.)

Which bring me to my question. If a dietary deficiency in molybdenum caused the alcohol intolerance, isn't it likely that something similar caused the problems with chocolate, especially as they started around the same time?

The problem is, I don't know what the liver needs to break down theobromine. I do know it's processed much slower than caffeine, which explains why I always had a significant lag between eating chocolate and the onset of palpitations.

Does anyone know what would be missing from my diet (I'm also vegetarian) that could be causing these problems? I'm thinking about looking for some vitamins designed for liver support--thoughts?


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



GFinDC Veteran

I think it is more likely a reaction to soy in the chocolate. That's just an idea, as there are quite a few of us that have reactions to soy. And most chocolate has soy in it and dairy.

Marilyn R Community Regular

I concur with GfininDC.

I can do coffee. There's only a couple of chocolates that I can tolerate without repercussion. One is homemade chocolate sauce with just boiled cocoa, sugar, water, chocolate (you can find the recipe on allrecipes if interested) or the high content dark chocolates with minimal soy lecithin.

Did you change you alcohol or mixers when you gaind alchol tolerance?

starrytrekchic Apprentice

Thank you both for your responses. It's not soy, though. I can eat soy fine, including tofu & things with soy lecithin in them. It's one of the things I checked during the six months I was looking into what caused the problems.

I've stuck with wine throughout.

Brooksbelle Newbie

Weird. Chocolate bothers me too and not sure why. Let us know if you figure anything out.

Skylark Collaborator

Wow, amazing metabolic sleuthing! I'm impressed. First, have you considered the heart effect might be phenylethylamine?

If it is theophylline, everything says methylxanthines go over the hepatic P450 system, which requires heme iron. However, there is also xanthine oxidase, which is a molybdenum containing enzyme. You'd have to do some digging to figure out whether the methylxanthines are a substrate for xanthine oxidase. If this is the case, it may be molybdenum again.

If it's phenylethlamine messing with your heart, that's metabolized on MAO-B which contains FAD. You would need dietary riboflavin to make FAD, but it's hard to imagine you wouldn't have other issues if you're riboflavin deficient.

YoloGx Rookie

Skylark--I wish I could follow your path. I just don't know enough to comment, but it sounds/looks impressive too!

From a simpler point of view, I looked up theobromine and discovered some people are sensitive to minute amounts. It is a poison that generally is more poisonous to dogs and cats than humans. Chocolate has very little of this substance, however its enough to harm our pets. However some of us are very sensitive creatures much like our critters. I am sensitive to salicylates too after all, which means I get overdosed with aspirin like substances when I eat many fruits, herbs and veggies (esp. the skins). Theobromine sensitivity may be similar... Instead I usually choose to have (nut free) carob instead. My heart is much happier with this choice.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,187
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Jackie49
    Newest Member
    Jackie49
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      First, welcome to the forum, @boy-wonder! Second, a little clarification in terminology is in order. Granted, inconsistency is rampant when it comes to the terminology associated with gluten disorders, but it has more or less become settled in this fashion: "Gluten intolerance" is a general term that car refer to either celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). "Gluten Sensitivity" is the shortened version of NCGS. Third, Celiac disease is not an allergy to gluten. It is an autoimmune disorder characterized by gluten ingestion causing the immunes system to attack the lining of the small bowel, causing damage to it over time due to the constant inflammation that wears down the "villi" (mucosal finger-like projections that make up the lining). Over a significant period of time as gluten continues to be consumed, this generally results in impaired nutrient absorption. There are specific blood antibody tests available to check for celiac disease but the testing will not be valid while on a reduced gluten diet or a gluten free diet. Those already having having begun a gluten free diet must go back to consuming generous amounts of gluten for a period of weeks if they wish to pursue testing for celiac disease. Fourth, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms of celiac disease but does not damage the lining of the small bowel as does celiac disease. There is no test for it. A diagnosis for NCGS depends on first ruling out celiac disease. It is 10x more common than celiac disease. Some experts feel it can be a precursor to the development of celiac disease. Eliminating gluten from your life is the antidote for both. Fifth, you state that you are convince you don't have celiac disease by are just "gluten intolerant" (aka, gluten sensitive). How do you know that? It seems to me you are making a dangerous assumption here. I suggest you consider getting formally tested for celiac disease.
    • AllyJR
      Has anyone found a gluten free parakeet seed mix? I can't find a single one! My doctor wants me to make sure all pet food in the house is gluten free but I'm not sure if that's even possible with parakeets. We love our birds so much! I'm wondering if anyone has ever made their own bird seed mix if gluten free ones are not available. 
    • boy-wonder
      Hi, new member. About me, I had been suffering with weight gain, bloating and irregular and extreme bowel habits for a year or so. For example, I went on holiday in 2023, then again I  2024 at the same time of year and every shirt I wore in 2023 didn't fit anymore, couldn't even do the buttons up. Being in my mid 50s I put it down to age and middle aged spread. I'd been lucky all my life having good metabolism and being able to eat anything and as much as I like without putting on any weight, it drove my other half mad. Over a conversation with a friend health and age Related stuff came up and he mentioned someone he knew who had recently found out they were gluten intolerant,  I looked it up and had every one of 8 or so symptoms listed. Bloating,  weight gain,  headaches, brain fog,  constipation, etc etc. I took the decision to give going gluten free a try. Within 1 week I had lost 4 lb, now 7 weeks in I've lost 13 lb. I feel much better in general,  the bloating has severely subsided, it used to keep me awake at night as I felt so uncomfortable.  So pretty much a success story, as everyone here knows,  going gluten free isn't always easy, and eating out can be awkward,  but I consider myself lucky that I appear to have an intolerance rather than an allergy or being celiac.  I can deal with most of the gluten free options at the supermarket but, the big one for me is bread, I love bread, and the gluten free options I've tried are pretty poor. I was at a posh black tie event last night and chose all the food options I thought would be gluten free,  however,  there was bread on the table and I couldn't resist it, I had I small piece of bread,  god it was good, I wanted more but I resisted. Today I feel a bit dodgy, my stomach is churning, and I generally feel a bit urgh.  So here's the question, is that really down to 1 small piece of bread or is it coincidence?  I'd be interested in hearing how other people have reacted to a similar situation,  as I was considering having a day off every now and then and enjoying some lovely fresh bread.
    • ValerieC
      Does anybody know of a guide that ranks reevaluates universities and colleges in terms of their accommodation of celiac disease or food allergies?   Thanks in advance for any leads! Valerie 
    • thejayland10
      thank you, i have been doing that the last few weeks and will continue to do so. I had not had my ttg iga checked since I was diagnosed 14 yrs ago so I am not sure if they ever dropped below the 15-20 range.    all my other labs are completely normal but I am concerned that this may be signs of refractor celiac or something else since I'm so careful with gluten-free diet 
×
×
  • Create New...