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

Are there really no East Asians with celiac/gluten-intolerance? +help with possible petition?

calciyummm

Recommended Posts

calciyummm Newbie
calciyummm
Posted

Hello! New user here. I was recently diagnosed with non-Celiac gluten-intolerance in college, which baffled a lot of doctors who tried diagnosing me since Celiac and such disorders are more common in Caucasians, and apparently not in East Asians. I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do since I can't really eat anything when I go home, and I feel bad breaking my parents' and grandparents' hearts since they can't feed me anymore, and if they do, they accidentally poison me. *sigh*

Are there any East Asian Celiacs/gluten-intolerant people or friends of these people out there who can commiserate with me? :( 

Also, I want to be able to start a petition or something to remove wheat from all of the Asian grocery products, not just soy sauce and oyster sauce. There are so many more products that my family uses like fermented bean paste, chili oil, sesame oil, and gochujang - to name a few. I don't know where to start though, or if this even is possible to do. Any help or suggestions?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted

I cook asian style stuff using coconut secret sauces like the teriyaki, garlic, and coconut aminos. I found Thai Kitchen Makes some curry paste...not japanese style but it works. I found some nice togarashi seasoning from The Spice house, and some sesame oil from various places that is gluten free, I use Nori from amazon in bulk that is fine, I also found some mirin and rice vinegar that was certified gluten free...I now use coconut or apple vinegar more though. Thai kitchen also makes a chili oil that is gluten free if I recall. OrganicVille makes various sauces that are gluten free.
Your mostly just changing brands but it is doable...I love japanese, thai, and asian cooking and stir fries are a staple at times.
Open Original Shared Link
Open Original Shared Link
Open Original Shared Link

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Welcome to the board. I second the Thai Kitchen reccomedation. I use their products all the time. Their rice noodles are my go to noodles, especially the 'angel hair' variety. Celiac is not unknown in East Asian populations (it may at times be related to a rarer gene than what is most common in the caucasian population though so don't rely on just gene testing) and is becoming more commonly diagnosed as the diets become more 'Westernized'. Do be sure to encourage your first degree relatives, ie parents, siblings etc, to get tested. Celiac is strongly genetic.

apprehensiveengineer Community Regular
apprehensiveengineer
Posted

I did a foray into the genetics of celiac disease after getting my HLA DQ screening done. It seems that the assumption that celiac disease is a "European disease" is more of an artefact of scientific racism/bias; white people have historically done most of the science (and still do to some extent), and so focus on their own populations a lot and so a confirmation bias exists. This has lead to the assumption that other ethnic groups are less susceptible.

More recent screening has revealed that celiac disease is actually similar in terms of frequency in North Africa, the middle east and Pakistan/northern India. The highest rate of celiac disease is actually the Sahrawi ethnic group (Africa)! The common thread linking all these regions is early historical adoption of wheat as a staple grain. Presumably, the gene and/or the disease played a useful role in evolution in wheat-based societies at some point.

Depending on what your specific ancestry is (East Asia is an ethnically diverse area), it's perfectly reasonable that you have celiac.

Articles talking about non-European celiac disease:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Riya Newbie
Riya
Posted

Hi! I'm half east-asian! 

I'm not sure about where you live, but where I live, there are gluten free versions of all our favourite sauces! 

I'm sure you can find them as well, go to your local super market and check the gluten free aisle or perhaps the sauce aisle (that will require you to read all the bottles but some may be gluten free). Be careful in asian markets though, only buy what you know is naturally gluten free. The rest, I'd stay away from. I've been poisoned often enough as well. 

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,665
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Christa Cook
    Newest Member
    Christa Cook
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • Scott Adams
      Medication

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Welcome to the community! Generally, for a gluten challenge before celiac disease blood tests, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered safe and should not interfere with your antibody results. The medications you typically need to avoid are those like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) that can cause intestinal irritation, which could potentially complicate the interpretation of an endoscopy if you were to have one. However, it is absolutely crucial that you confirm this with either your gastroenterologist or your surgeon before your procedure. They know the specifics of your case and can give you the definitive green light, ensuring your surgery is comfortable and your celiac testing remains accurate. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow
    • Xravith
      Taking Probiotics but Still Getting Sick After Gluten – Advice?

      By Xravith · Posted

      Thank you for the advice. I’ve actually never checked for nutritional deficiencies, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always taken vitamin and mineral supplements — otherwise my symptoms get worse. This week I stopped eating gluten to confirm whether my symptoms are really caused by it. Starting next week, I’ll reintroduce gluten — it’s sad to go back to how I was before — but at least I’ll be able to take the necessary tests properly. I think the diagnostic process will be long, but at least I’m happy that I finally decided to address this doubt I’ve had for years.
×
×
  • 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.