Corn, Corn Starch and Inflammation Issues?

[weekendwarrior]

Hi everyone!

 

Im six weeks into my celiac diagnosis and am doing everything I can to completely avoid gluten. 

However, I'm still experiencing a lot of inflammation issues (my main reaction when I have an attack).

Now I'm reading that corn and corn starch can cause inflammation in celiac patients? A lot of the products I've picked up have corn as some ingredient. Hell, even the Tylenol I use for pain has corn starch, which if this is true, is creating an endless loop: eat something with corn, get inflammation, take Tylenol for pain, get more inflammation, rinse lather repeat.

Im curious if anyone else avidly avoids corn and what other codewords I should be looking for on labels to avoid it.

Im at the point that I'm willing and determined to avoid whatever it is that's causing these issues, but until I pinpoint my triggers, it's like trying to nail jello to a wall...

Thanks everyone!

WW

[Ennis-TX]

I developed a corn allergy, here is a ironic part. The allergy medicines I was on contained corn starch or corn syrup.....Yeah also watch out for modified food starch unless it says it is either tapioca or potato, Also watch out for baking powder (All but Heinz brain contain corn starch), anything with a syrup form, maltodexrin unless stated as tapioca, rice, or potato. I normally just eat high antioxidant foods, drink plenty of teas, and stuff known to naturally help with the inflammation. Can't help you on pain killers as I can not take any myself for that and other reasons.

[GFinDC]

Hi WW,

It makes sense to try and identify problem foods that could be causing reactions.  However, you may be jumping the gun a little.  I wonder if you've ever had a broken bone?  If you have, you know it can take quite a bit longer than 6 weeks to heal and even longer to stop hurting.  These healing things do take some time.

Healing is also somewhat impeded by the immune system still attacking the gut.  You did inform your immune system to stop making antibodies on the very first day you went gluten-free right?  With a proper letter notarized and in triplicate?  If you didn't send it that message, it probably assumes you are still going to be exposed to the nasty germs or what not it has been defending you against for a while.  So it will continue to protect you valiantly, by destroying those nasty critters who happen to look just like your gut lining.  The immune system just doesn't believe we are safe because there isn't a bad guy standing on every corner in plain sight.   Once the neighborhood is quiet and peaceful for a good while it will relax and stop the obliteration of all things bad guy looking.

I know when I went gluten-free I had gut spasms/pain for 6 weeks afterward.   Any time I was exposed to a little gluten the symptoms wood last 6 weeks.  Also, I seemed to react to everything under the sun that I ate.  Strange how an irritated and inflamed gut can act that way sometimes.  Just because its not gluten and you rub it on the open wound of your gut lining it still hurts/causes symptoms?

What I'm trying to get across is the idea that expecting digestion to be perfect after such a short time is not realistic.  That would be almost impossible if you have had significant gut damage to start.  I think because we can't see the gut with our eyes we tend to think it's fine, but that is just assuming.  If the same damage was on our skin we could see it and would put a bandage or neosporin on it.  And we would treat it tenderly and not irritate it every day by rubbing sand or salt or potatoes or hot peppers in it.  Inside we can't see it and assume it's just fine even though we are dumping food/irritants on the damaged area every day while its trying to heal.

Instead we need to treat our guts gently while they are healing.  That may take a year or more.

If you think corn is a problem, cut it out.  Some people do react to corn.  Hopefully you aren't one of them or will be able to eat it after healing.  There is also a possibility of gluten cross contamination during packaging and processing with corn meal.

For a while after going gluten-free I had reactions to rice and grapes,  But I can eat those things now after years of being gluten-free.  Some other foods I still can't eat, like dairy, nightshades, carrots, soy, celery, oats.  So sometimes we have permanent food intolerances develop.

One theory is that eating a lot of any one food while you have an inflamed, irritated gut can increase the risk of becoming intolerant to that food.  So some people do a rotation diet to avoid that possibility.

You are probably eating meats, veggies, nuts, and eggs right now, and no dairy or oats right?  That 's a good diet for starting out.  Simple foods are best for healing and easy digestion.  You can also try some digestive enzymes with meals.  Probiotics may help.

Edited March 5, 2017 by GFinDC

[weekendwarrior]

1 hour ago, GFinDC said:

You are probably eating meats, veggies, nuts, and eggs right now, and no dairy or oats right?  That 's a good diet for starting out.  Simple foods are best for healing and easy digestion.  You can also try some digestive enzymes with meals.  Probiotics may help.

That's my diet sans oats (I'm eating Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free quick oats).

Thanks for the info! I still have so many people telling me so many different things, I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore! 

[cyclinglady]

When you get diagnosed with celiac disease, doctors (like mine) sent me on my way telling me to just avoid gluten.  Because my hubby has been gluten free for over a decade, I opted  out of seeing a dietitian.  I knew the gluten-free diet.  What I did not know was that I was pretty sick (severely anemic) and that I should have been viewing food as medicine and not simply converting my Standard American Diet (SAD) filled with junk food over to a gluten free diet filled with junk.  I reacted to weird things found in gluten-free processed foods.  For example Xanthan Gum gave me gut issues.  At first I thought  I was getting glutened, but my food diary pointed out the bread (that and the fact that hubby was okay.). When I switched to baked goods that I made without that gum, I was fine.  I  realized that my hubby had long healed.  My gut was still damaged.  So, while he could eat processed gluten-free foods, but I could not eat many of them.  Like many,  I also had to deal with various food intolerances that later resolved, but others never have. 

A year into the diet and I was diagnosed with diabetes.  I went on a low carb high fat diet and finally felt well.  Why?   Because I gave up processed junk food and grains.    (Now, healed, I indulge in gluten-free junk food and grains as a treat, but eat to my meter.). I wish someone had told me to eat Whole Foods to speed my healing in the beginning.  

I hope you feel better soon.  

 

[Lawrence T.]

Watch out for medicines that contain gluten. Most won't tell you and then you get it. I have my biggest problem with this. Over the counter meds are the worst at labeling this stuff and telling you about it.

Right after I figured out gluten was killing me, I still couldn't eat anything except very light foods for about two months while taking a probiotic.  It took six months to be able to eat close to a standard meal and not get physically sick from it. 

As for the corn problem, a lot of corn products, especially corn starch, are made in factories where wheat products are also produced. Try to figure out which factories are actually gluten free stamped. Also, I've found that GMOs are a bigger factor than most make them when you have this. (I'm still not sure this isn't all because of the GMO stuff we have been eating all these years.)

Give your body time. It has been nearly five years and my body still has problems with certain foods. I found out I was allergic to oats and because of the damage high fiber diets are out. I moved to a higher fat, lower carb, high protein diet since becoming diabetic. You're right, you can't simply alter things to be gluten free and eat them because they are not the same anymore. You have to change your entire lifestyle.

[GFinDC]

2 hours ago, weekendwarrior said:

That's my diet sans oats (I'm eating Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free quick oats).

Thanks for the info! I still have so many people telling me so many different things, I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore! 

I suggest cutting the oats out for a month or two.  some celiacs do react to oats like they do wheat, rye, and barley.  So unless you cut them out, you won't know if they are a problem or not.  The estimates vary but it could be up to 10% of celiacs who react to oats.  If you are part of that 10%, you won't get completely better without ditching the oats.

[icelandgirl]

1 hour ago, GFinDC said:

I suggest cutting the oats out for a month or two.  some celiacs do react to oats like they do wheat, rye, and barley.  So unless you cut them out, you won't know if they are a problem or not.  The estimates vary but it could be up to 10% of celiacs who react to oats.  If you are part of that 10%, you won't get completely better without ditching the oats.

I second this.  I do react to oats...I so wish I didn't as I miss oatmeal.  Definitely try cutting those to see if there's an improvement. 

Keep in mind that in terms of healing your intestine, 6 weeks is not a long time.  You need a lot of patience with celiac...so much more than you anticipate at diagnosis.

[Posterboy]

11 hours ago, weekendwarrior said:

Hi everyone!

 

Im six weeks into my celiac diagnosis and am doing everything I can to completely avoid gluten. 

However, I'm still experiencing a lot of inflammation issues (my main reaction when I have an attack).

Now I'm reading that corn and corn starch can cause inflammation in celiac patients? A lot of the products I've picked up have corn as some ingredient. Hell, even the Tylenol I use for pain has corn starch, which if this is true, is creating an endless loop: eat something with corn, get inflammation, take Tylenol for pain, get more inflammation, rinse lather repeat.

Im curious if anyone else avidly avoids corn and what other codewords I should be looking for on labels to avoid it.

Im at the point that I'm willing and determined to avoid whatever it is that's causing these issues, but until I pinpoint my triggers, it's like trying to nail jello to a wall...

Thanks everyone!

WW

Weekend Warrior,

There are other threads on celiac.com that talks about the issue of people having reactions to Corn.

It can happen thought the awareness of this fact is generally poor.

Search for the thread "what does borderline test mean"

If you can't read the whole thread then go down and read the post by awol cast iron stomach linked in the reply citing information about why some celiac's can and in some people (might also be) reacting to corn entitle "that darn corn"

Here is the link to the research if you don't have time to read the thread https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22298027

here is an article by glutenfreeworks website that explains how people low in Niaicin can often have food allergies.

http://glutenfreeworks.com/blog/2010/06/23/niacin-vitamin-b3-deficiency-in-celiac-disease/

We don't know if it the niaicn causing the problem or it it is because we who are celiac's become low in Niacin but research they quote . . .indicate that being lowing in Niacin might trigger the possible Corn allergy you are experiencing.

Quoting here for convenience but read the glutenfreeworks article when you get a chance.

"Intriguing animal research by Sandhur et. al. has shown that niacin deficiency itself sensitizes the intestinal mucosa of rats to gluten in wheat, barley, rye, oats and corn and induces susceptibility to gluten toxicity by means of cellular dysfunction.³ Human research needs to investigate this effect of niacin deficiency in human celiac disease. "

I wrote about why this might be so in the thread of someone else who thinks they might also be be having a reaction to corn mentioned above.   Read the whole thread if you get the time otherwise I have summarized it here for your information.

I hope this is helpful.

posterboy,

 

 

[Nmdbb]

Don’t want to confuse people, I am only saying what seems to be finally working for me.. I have been diagnosed with celiac disease 3-4 years ago. Recently due to an oral surgery, I was required to eat mostly a liquid diet. I resorted to mostly blended fruits, and rice, finely chopped meats, eggs, cheese, and other soft unprocessed foods, and protein drinks. Obviously without gluten. I have been gluten free for over 3 years now. But without the “gluten free” foods, without the corn substitutes, I can say finally my gut health has become healthy. This is the first time in many years. And all this without buying the supposed “non poisoned” organic foods so many claim is absolutely required. I truly recommend for the first time, go naturally gluten free, and cut out all processed foods, gluten free or not. Stick to what’s natural, and of course, don’t forget your proteins. And last but not least, I lost 5-7 lbs already and have finally lost the gut I have been fighting to lose for a long time. Truly, for me, I think corn is not my friend at all!

Edited May 24, 2018 by Nmdbb
Added info and corrections