Normal Weight or Overweight People Can Also Have Celiac Disease

I was a normal weight person before my diagnosis and was very worried that after I went on the gluten-free diet, my weight would start creeping up. Luckily it didn't. It would be interesting to see what the symptoms of the various weight groups are. My only symptom was anemia - no gastric distress, skin conditions, calcium deficit or mental/emotional aberrations. Despite the anemia I was very active and energetic. I can imagine that those with more severe symptoms might tend to be those who were underweight?

I'm inclined to think that overweight celiac patients bodies urge them to eat more to counteract the malabsorption of nutrients.

Very good info and review, as always, big fan here.

I wish more doctors would get the message. I was turned down for testing because I am overweight.

I was overweight since early childhood, suffered symptoms since a baby. Gastrointestinal symptoms, predominately, and anemia (doctors said it was because I was a woman) until I became obese in my 40's. I then began having neuro symptoms, and signs of dementia. I had memory loss, forgetting how to add and subtract, or I would be driving and all of a sudden not know where I was, as well as muscle/soft tissue and nerve damage by 48 when I was finally diagnosed. Doctors insinuated I was eating way too much food as the reason for my having celiac but not being underweight. I am finally, after 15 years gluten-free, nearly a normal weight. I believe my body went into starvation mode, shoving everything it could into fat due to malnutrition. I never ate a lot. In fact, I ate little. I was very active, as well, until my body just seemed to begin to completely break down from lack of nutrition. I am glad researchers are finally seeing that not all people will present as underweight. I believe my obesity was actually a symptom of having a celiac caused metabolic problem.

I was obese upon diagnosis. I had gained weight for no reason for years--started with 80 pounds in 6 months without explanation, and the other symptoms crept in. Suffered extreme urticaria, incredibly painful and itchy plaque type rashes, dermagraphia on my face, severe migraines, severe malabsorption, would go days forgetting to eat and low caloric intake on days I did eat--no appetite & no hunger, chronic fatigue and insomnia, extreme joint pain, mood swings mimicking bipolar disorder, toward the end (before diagnosis) severe memory issues, very high levels of inflammation evinced by my SED rates, chronic hives, debilitating allergic symptoms year-round to, it seemed, everything, thinning hair... you name it, I was the poster child for celiac symptoms EXCEPT for the weight gain. I was discounted for over a decade by various doctors until I found a doctor who looked at the rest of the symptoms and ordered the biopsy: surprise--positive for celiac. I am gluten free, and TOTALLY symptom free, for 9 years now.