Jump to content
  • 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

Strangest - But Positive - Effects Of The gluten-free Diet?


ButterflyChaser

Recommended Posts

ButterflyChaser Enthusiast

I thought I'd give a shot at creating a positivity-thread, focusing on unexpected benefits of adopting the gluten-free diet. :)

 

In my case, I got longer lashes. I have to keep my eye glasses lower on my nose than I used to, because my eyelashes "scratch" the lenses. Kinda funny. But keep it a secret, lest this should feed the 'fad diet' rumor!  :P

 

Anyone else had funny-good side effects?


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



shadowicewolf Proficient

My hair is back to its major  childhood thickness :blink: and is growing just as fast as it did then to :blink:

nvsmom Community Regular

I had no idea that my migraines were gluten related. I was sooooo happy and surprised when those stopped happening for weeks every month.  :) It's not exactly a funny improvement, but I tell you, I could almost laugh out loud with relief!

1desperateladysaved Proficient

The age spots are falling off my neck!

JohanJohan Rookie

Bad arm pit sweat. Gone completly :)

JohanJohan Rookie

My hair is back to its major  childhood thickness :blink: and is growing just as fast as it did then to :blink:

My hair improved as well :)

Lady Eowyn Apprentice

Pre-gluten free when waking up in the morning, I would have to run through the days of the week in my mind to work out what day it was!

Gluten free this doesn't happen! Yay!

A symptom of brain fog, I presume.

Also would often wake up to a heavy cold starting - oh no! got a bad cold coming on :o but symptoms all gone by mid/late morning! - another gluten thing - now in the past, thank goodness!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



GFinDC Veteran

I don't have as much garbage to put out.  Since I mainly eat whole foods, and they have less packaging and crap.  There is less garbage to  put in the trash.

Flaykee Rookie

The excessive blushing/flushing!  I had gotten so bad that I would feel my face burning red even if I thought someone was looking my way.  I haven't felt that since being gluten-free.  My face was almost constantly red too, but that isn't the case now!  It was embarrassing to blush all the time and to look like I was always blushing!

 

Night sweats and being extremely hot at night has stopped.  It is so nice to not turn the heat down so low AND have the fan blowing on me all night throughout the winter!

pianoland Rookie

I wake up feeling good and rested, and keep my energy throughout the day. I can fight off colds like a champ. It's changed my life for the better!

ButterflyChaser Enthusiast

Bad arm pit sweat. Gone completly :)

 

Ha! That's awesome!

 

The age spots are falling off my neck!

 

I can sort of picture lots of dark spots flaking off like bits of snow... :D

dilettantesteph Collaborator

I don't know about funny, but certainly unexpected.  I had been wearing glasses for 30 years.  My vision got blurry and after awhile I noticed that it wasn't blurry with the glasses off.  I didn't need glasses anymore.  I went to the opthamologist.  She couldn't explain it, but said that I needn't keep coming for all that vision testing that she had been doing. 

 

My joint swelling went away.  I could wear rings again.

 

Energy returned, depression went away, things that I had thought were from ageing were gone.

 

It was nice to age in reverse for a few years.  I felt like a teenager again.  I think I am back to the normal process now.  Oh well. 

dhd2000 Newbie

No more panic attacks and no more terrible nightmares. Also a big reduction in migraines and this pain I had in my right leg is gone unless I accidentally get glutened!

 

Dee in NC

JNBunnie1 Community Regular

A lot of people have reported a decreased tolerance for alcohol, turning into

lightweights basically overnight. This same thing happened to me, and I love

it! I might be weird, but I'm also a cheapskate, and I have a fondness for top-

shelf alcohol. Now, if I'm drinking just to enjoy something, it's only one glass

of beer or wine. I'm I'm drinking to get drunk, it only takes two or three. I call

that a score! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Pegleg84 Collaborator

My nails used to be weak and brittle and ridgy and awful. Now they're tough and healthy. (though I still can't be bothere to do anything with them). This change was actually my one bit of proof that I'm Celiac

 

I also enjoy being a cheap drunk. I can nurse that one can of gluten-free beer all night long...

Chiana Apprentice

I don't get cold sores like I used to anymore.  I was getting them every other month or so, and now I get maybe one a year. :)

Takala Enthusiast

My fingernails....  what is it, with having to keep on trimming the things back once a week ?!  They won't stop growing.  My problem is that long nails are not really compatible with my outdoors activities, and now I have to remember to cut them down after a shower when they are softened.   And then there are the toenails.  They are somewhere down there beyond bifocal land way out on the end of any easy reach, and they won't stop growing, either.  I think I am going to kill myself trying to contort to see in focus, to reach the toenails for the proper trim and filing. So sometimes I just say to heck with it and either enlist my spouse to help, or go and get a pedicure.  So the nail salon industry is getting the benefit, here. 

 

Hair had to go shorter, because it came in too thick.  More trims!

 

Don't miss the chronic kidney/bladder problems, either, nor constantly getting infections.  At least that does not require grooming.  :lol:

shadowicewolf Proficient

I'm not hungry all the time. :blink:

JNBunnie1 Community Regular

Oh, the hunger thing! I went a whole year without being able to sleep through the night,

having to get up to eat. Boy, I don't miss that!!!!

shadowicewolf Proficient

Oh, the hunger thing! I went a whole year without being able to sleep through the night,

having to get up to eat. Boy, I don't miss that!!!!

Ditto.

Celiac Mindwarp Community Regular

FINALLY going on a whole foods diet, once I realized I had other food intolerances. I feel way better. I danced for an hour and a half recently, where I struggled to do 10 minutes last summer.

General reduction in inflammation, plantar fasciitis gone, hand an neck pain drastically reduced.

ButterflyChaser Enthusiast

YAY CM! By the way, I felt enormously better on that kind of diet. I can tolerate most dairy (not all, which is weird) fine, but I need to limit nuts to 1/4 cup and not every day, because my tummy is not happy with more than that.

gatita Enthusiast

My gums are wayyy healthier.

 

I've noticed my eyelashes are longer too, but never thought about why! Funny...

EricaM15 Rookie

I've had a lot of nice things happen since starting the gluten-free diet. My eyebrows got thicker and I no longer have to pluck away any stray hairs, my hair is softer and smoother, acne cleared up, and my body fat distribution is beginning to shift. I previously carried all my weight in my abdomen, and it's been slowly spreading to my arms, legs, and hips, which is nice. I might actually have curves one day.

kittty Contributor

The whites of my eyes are brighter, and my eyelids are no longer puffy, which makes me look alert and awake. I've had lots of people comment about how refreshed and vibrant I look now.

 

My vision has also improved since going gluten free. I couldn't read the descriptions on Netflix before, and now they're very clear. Vision goes blurry again aftert a glutening though.

Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - lil-oly replied to Jmartes71's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Gluten tester

    2. - knitty kitty replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

    3. - JudyLou replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

    4. - knitty kitty replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,155
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Beccad611
    Newest Member
    Beccad611
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • lil-oly
      Hey there, have you been tested for allergies? You may not only have celiac disease but be allergic. I have celiac disease and am allergic to Barley, wheat and rye. 
    • JudyLou
    • knitty kitty
      I have osteopenia and have cracked three vertebrae.  Niacin is connected to osteoporosis! Do talk to your nutritionist and doctor about supplementing with B vitamins.  Blood tests don't reveal the amount of vitamins stored inside cells.  The blood is a transportation system and can reflect vitamins absorbed from food eaten in the previous twenty-four to forty-eight hours.  Those "normal limits" are based on minimum amounts required to prevent disease, not levels for optimal health.   Keep us posted on your progress.   B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9662251/ Association of dietary niacin intake with osteoporosis in the postmenopausal women in the US: NHANES 2007–2018 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11835798/ Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/   Nutritional Imbalances in Adult Celiac Patients Following a Gluten-Free Diet https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8398893/ Nutritional Consequences of Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Diet https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7422/15/4/61 Simplifying the B Complex: How Vitamins B6 and B9 Modulate One Carbon Metabolism in Cancer and Beyond https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9609401/
    • JudyLou
      Thank you so much for the clarification! Yes to these questions: Have you consulted dietician?  Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?  Osteoporosis? Thyroid? Anemia?  Do you take any supplements, or vitamins? I’m within healthy range for nutritional tests, thyroid and am not anemic. I do have osteopenia. I don’t take any medications, and the dietician was actually a nutritionist (not sure if that is the same thing) recommended by my physician at the time to better understand gluten free eating.    I almost wish the gluten exposure had triggered something, so at least I’d know what’s going on. So confusing!    Many thanks! 
    • knitty kitty
      @JudyLou,  I have dermatitis herpetiformis, too!  And...big drum roll... Niacin improves dermatitis herpetiformis!   Niacin is very important to skin health and intestinal health.   You're correct.  dermatitis herpetiformis usually occurs on extensor muscles, but dermatitis herpetiformis is also pressure sensitive, so blisters can form where clothing puts pressure on the skin. Elastic waist bands, bulky seams on clothing, watch bands, hats.  Rolled up sleeves or my purse hanging on my arm would make me break out on the insides of my elbows.  I have had a blister on my finger where my pen rested as I write.  Foods high in Iodine can cause an outbreak and exacerbate dermatitis herpetiformis. You've been on the gluten free diet for a long time.  Our gluten free diet can be low in vitamins and minerals, especially if processed gluten free foods are consumed.  Those aren't fortified with vitamins like gluten containing products are.  Have you consulted dietician?  Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?  Osteoporosis? Thyroid? Anemia?  Do you take any supplements, medicine, or vitamins? Niacin deficiency is connected to anemia.  Anemia can cause false negatives on tTg IgA tests.  A person can be on that borderline where symptoms wax and wane for years, surviving, but not thriving.  We have a higher metabolic need for more nutrients when we're sick or emotionally stressed which can deplete the small amount of vitamins we can store in our bodies and symptoms reappear.   Exposure to gluten (and casein in those sensitive to it) can cause an increased immune response and inflammation for months afterwards. The immune cells that make tTg IgA antibodies which are triggered today are going to live for about two years. During that time, inflammation is heightened.  Those immune cells only replicate when triggered.  If those immune cells don't get triggered again for about two years, they die without leaving any descendents programmed to trigger on gluten and casein.  The immune system forgets gluten and casein need to be attacked.  The Celiac genes turn off.  This is remission.    Some people in remission report being able to consume gluten again without consequence.   However, another triggering event can turn the Celiac genes on again.   Celiac genes are turned on by a triggering event (physical or emotional stress).  There's some evidence that thiamine insufficiency contributes to the turning on of autoimmune genes.  There is an increased biological need for thiamine when we are physically or emotionally stressed.  Thiamine cannot be stored for more than twenty-one days and may be depleted in as little as three during physical and emotional stresses. Mitochondria without sufficient thiamine become damaged and don't function properly.  This gets relayed to the genes and autoimmune disease genes turn on.  Thiamine and other B vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are needed to replace the dysfunctional mitochondria and repair the damage to the body.   I recommend getting checked for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  More than just Vitamin D and B12.  A gluten challenge would definitely be a stressor capable of precipitating further vitamin deficiencies and health consequences.   Best wishes!    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.