Gluten-free Diet Benefits Newly Screened Older Celiac Disease Patients

Celiac disease in older people should not be ignored. Seniors are people, too, not the worthless drain on tax dollars that some would have you believe. Not giving them proper health care is inhumane, and should not be tolerated. Even the elderly deserve the good quality of life that a gluten free diet will provide, if they have Celiac, gluten intolerance, or if they need to avoid food allergens.

Celiac disease in older people should not be ignored. Seniors are people, too, not the worthless drain on tax dollars that some would have you believe. Not giving them proper health care is inhumane, and should not be tolerated. Even the elderly deserve the good quality of life that a gluten free diet will provide, if they have Celiac, gluten intolerance, or if they need to avoid food allergens.

I agree. I was diagnosed at age 59 and was anemic, had osteoporosis, low on calcium, elevated liver enzymes and kidney issues. All were cleared up when I went gluten free and actually started absorbing my nutrients. I have always said we are what we eat, drink, and breathe, but now I know we are what we absorb also. I think many of the ailments of gluten sensitive seniors could be alleviated through accurate diagnosis and a GFD.

I was diagnosed after 50. It is difficult for me to believe that treating or not treating celiac in the over 50 population is even a question to waste time and resources on. I'm in the medical field and it is "studies" like this that prompt me to wonder where medicine is going in this age, where members of the older population are treated as throw aways because their "youth" is gone. Seriously!! We have so much to offer. I find this article shameful.

Agreed! I was in my early 50's when I decided to try a gluten-free diet, and my state of health improved dramatically within a few weeks. Despite this, my doctor, who had been treating me for chronic bronchitis, gastritis, and a number of other symptoms, (with medicines that contained wheat starch, no less), to this day still thinks it's all in my head because he waited 3 years after the fact to test me for celiac and the results were negative, just as I told him they would be without a gluten challenge test. To say that a person with a disease should not treat it because of their age is simply antithetical - even when the doctors disagree. I, however, have become something of a cynic, and I seriously doubt our medical industry will respond in a positive manner while they're raking in billions of dollars treating the symptoms of a disease that can be easily and effectively treated and managed through diet alone.

First of all I was diagnosed at the age of 54 so do not necessarily consider myself "elderly" and yes there has certainly been a beneficial difference in my life with a gluten free diet. Second, I suspect that my mother may have had undiagnosed celiac disease as she had anemia from an unknown cause for many years and upon autopsy at her death, had severe osteoporosis. Screening for celiac disease may have picked up the reason for her anemia and certainly made a difference.

Dont ignore the over 50, I was 50 when I was diagnosed, had suffered with headaches plus other abnormalities, for 30 years! If I wouldn't have been diagnosed I would have been dead shortly after. I would of committed suicide, I couldn't stand the headaches. I am dealing with joint pain, cant get rid of that, only 54 years old. Don't Let us suffer...

Anyone who has a problem with celiac or gluten intolerance can benefit from becoming gluten free. Many symptoms of "aging" are nothing more than nutritional deficiencies which celiac definitely causes, and malabsorption also causes issues with the thyroid so most certainly seniors should be checked for celiac. Many people suffer from memory problems very similar to early Alzheimers when they are suffering from undiagnosed celiac, and those problems go away once on the gluten-free diet, so I can't help but wonder how many Alzheimer sufferers could actually benefit from becoming gluten free. Much more research into this issue needs to be done.

I have recently been diagnosed as celiac and I am 68 years old. My consultant wasn't entirely sure so he did more biopsies. I am so glad he did because 3 weeks after starting a gluten free diet I feel so much better. Thank heavens he persevered with me.

I was low on potassium and no iron age 77. Many test taken and results was need to be gluten free. Now 87 and strictly following celiac info I am doing fine. Strong heart and many other items has been helped. I believe that I was born with it as looking back I had a lot of the systems and just diagnose as a sick stomach. Test needs to be done on every one.

I was 75 when my doctor biopsied me and found it was celiac disease. I suffered for years and lost 49 pounds before he thought of celiac disease. I am now on a gluten-free diet and have gone from 103 to 115 lbs and am fine.