Help Me "read" Enterolab Results

[VAGuy]

Hello everybody.

I received my test results from Enterolab and I understand them, but I was wondering if they are normal, extreme, or whatever. I'll summarize and ask a few Q's.

Scores:

Antigliadin lgA 18 units, normal < 10

Anti Tissue Transglutaminase lgA 16 units, normal < 10

Maslabsorption Fat test 73 units, normal < 300

Yeast Sensitivity 16 units, normal < 10

Anti-casein lgA antibody 14 units, normal <10

Egg protein sensitivity 15, normal < 10

Colitis test - negative (whew)

Gene HLA-DQB1*0501, 0301 that predisposes to gluten sensitivity is present

They said:

I have significant dietary gluten and yeast sensitivity

I have antibodies to casein and egg protein

No small intestinal malabsorption/damage

Just to complicate things chlorinated water causes problems, recently described as corrosive by a water authority official.

If there is "no small intestinal malabsorption/damage" a biopsy would be useless right?

Results mean I am absorbing fat, right?

I haven't knowingly cheated on the gluten-free diet since the end of November (Nov was trial month/dietician said try it) but can I cheat some on eggs, dairy, and yeast? My dietician said people have "threshholds" as far as lactose goes. I've been avoiding dairy for a while, but a couple (and I mean it) bites of ice cream do not seem to bother, or a little Lactaid mixed with soy milk seems OK. Cookies with egg do not seem to bother (1/15th of an egg per cookie). Last cheese (2/3 Velveeta slice) a couple months ago didn't bother as I remember.

I've only recently begun to think that the gluten-free life might be okay after being very discouraged for a while. When I made the chlorine connection I was so happy. Now I have my test results I realize - I just had the rug yanked out from under me again.

I'm an honest guy but I really need to cheat a little, can someone advise? I'm 5'6.5" tall, in 1980 (age 28) I weighed 135 lbs. Two weeks ago (age 51), when I made the chlorine connection I weighed 116 lbs. I've known dogs that weigh more, I need to gain some pounds.

Phil the Skinny says thanks

[tarnalberry]

just a clarification - lactose intolerance IS a "everyone has their own level" sort of thing. it means that the body has difficulty producing lactase, the enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar lactose. in some people, this could be a mild difficulty, so that hard cheeses and milk in very limited quantities aren't a problem; in others it could be a great difficulty, and virtually no lactase is produced, so virtually all lactose goes undigested so that it is "eaten" by bacteria in the intestines (causing lactose-intolerance symptoms).

casein intolerance is not the same. (and the test you reference is for casein, not lactose) casein is a milk protein, and if you are intolerant to the milk protein, it means that any presence of the protein will cause your immune system to react to it as though it were a "foreign invader". (though it causes more symptoms for some people than others.) same thing with the egg protein intolerance.

in general, if your body has a problem breaking down a sugar, you may be able to tolerate small quantities or take the appropriate enzyme that your body doesn't make for breaking down the sugar. but if your body has a problem with proteins, it means that your immune system is triggered by them, and it's best to just avoid.

after a while, getting the hang of cooking foods from scratch and relying on whole foods (instead of anything processed or packaged), will make adapting to foods you have to avoid easier. not to mention your food will taste better. ;-)