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    Scott Adams
    Scott Adams

    By Scott Adams •

    The Association between Schizophrenia, Celiac Disease and the Gluten-Free Diet

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Acta Psychiatr Scand 2005: 1-9. C 2005 Blackwell Munksgaard.

    Celiac.com 02/09/2006 – After a review of the medical literature, researchers have concluded that many cases of schizophrenia are related to celiac disease or gluten intolerance, and can be successfully treated using a gluten-free diet. Like celiac disease, schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population. It is considered one of the top 10 causes of disability worldwide. In many studies the researchers found that in a subset of patients a drastic reduction or total elimination of schizophrenic symptoms occurred after they were treated with a strict gluten-free diet. Based on this the researchers believe that a gluten-free diet may serve as a "safe and economical alternative for the reduction of symptoms in a subset of patients." They conclude: "Large-scale epidemiological studies and clinical trials are needed to confirm the association between gluten and schizophrenia, and address the underlying mechanisms by which this association occurs."


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    Guest Cindy

    I believe this is true, now only to convince the doctors who are prescribing the drugs!!

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    Guest mark bufano

    Guest mark bufano

    Posted

    I have been living with undiagnosed celiac disease for 53 years. Recent flareups along with my children have finally helped me find some answers. All four of my children have these problems--1 has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and 2 have schizo affect disorders. Finally perhaps I can really find some answers for them.

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    Guest kzitkus

    Guest kzitkus

    Posted

    and yet, if you go on schizophrenia.org www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/celiac.html the findings are that it is highly unlikely that these are related, and only a very minute percentage saw any changes in schizophrenic symptoms. i guess you believe who you choose. it would be nice if we could solve all the woes of the world by cutting out wheat. coinciding instances do not equal fact. please do more research before you have people using these ideas as gospel - dangerous stuff.

    "The link between celiac disease (a disorder in which the body has an allergic response to a gluten found in grains, leading to damage of the absorbent villi fingers that line the intestinal tract) and schizophrenia is suggestive, but questionable. If there is such a link, celiac disease certainly does not cause the symptoms of schizophrenia for more than a handful of individuals, given the low incidence of both disorders."

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    Guest Jonquil Daisy

    Guest Jonquil Daisy

    Posted

    and yet, if you go on schizophrenia.org www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/celiac.html the findings are that it is highly unlikely that these are related, and only a very minute percentage saw any changes in schizophrenic symptoms. i guess you believe who you choose. it would be nice if we could solve all the woes of the world by cutting out wheat. coinciding instances do not equal fact. please do more research before you have people using these ideas as gospel - dangerous stuff.

    "The link between celiac disease (a disorder in which the body has an allergic response to a gluten found in grains, leading to damage of the absorbent villi fingers that line the intestinal tract) and schizophrenia is suggestive, but questionable. If there is such a link, celiac disease certainly does not cause the symptoms of schizophrenia for more than a handful of individuals, given the low incidence of both disorders."

    Dr. Dohan was apparently quite a courageous and good man who never gave up attempting to convince 'the establishment' of the

    connection. One theory is that he was overrun by the force of the

    industry and lobbies built on wheat. If so, it would hardly be the first

    time truth was deemed 'inconvenient'. His son, also a doctor, appears to be carrying the baton in the course of his own practice.

    Some of us - from families beset for generations by both schizophrenia and celiac - happen to believe he was right on target.

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  • About Me

    Scott Adams

    Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, and, due to the nearly total lack of information available at that time, was forced to become an expert on the disease in order to recover. In 1995 he launched the site that later became Celiac.com to help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives.  He is co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of the (formerly paper) newsletter Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. In 1998 he founded The Gluten-Free Mall which he sold in 2014. Celiac.com does not sell any products, and is 100% advertiser supported.

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