Celiac and Type 2 Diabetes

[Colleenweaver]

Does anyone else have both Type 2 Diabetes and Celiac? I’m looking for a support group type thing.

[Scott Adams]

I'm surprised nobody has responded. Most of the overlap with celiac disease comes with Type 1 diabetes, but I'm sure there are others on here who have Type 2.

[Kelly1976]

I have celiac and Type 2 diabetes

[psawyer]

I have celiac disease and type 1 diabetes. Both are autoimmune diseases, and they tend to occur together. There is statistical evidence of concurrency, but no understanding about a common cause. That said, if you have type 2 diabetes, you will have dietary concerns. If you are faced with a decision, the gluten-free diet MUST take precedence over avoiding carbs. I've been there for twenty years.

[3countryboys]

Hi!

I have both Celiac's and type 2 diabetes. I also have gastroparesis, hypothyroidism, lupus, neuropathy, etc. To be honest, I'm damn miserable. I've spent the holidays sick 2 years in a row. My first diagnosis was the hypothyroidism and gastroparesis. Then about 7 years later it was diabetes. I was diagnosed with Celiac's and lupus almost 6 months ago. I have been gluten free except for Thanksgiving Day itself since. I am constantly sick for sometimes weeks at a time and then have a few week break before it his again. I honestly don't know at this point which one causes me to be so nauseated and miserable. Or which combo on any given day. I also suffer with anxiety and depression. When you get so down physically it Exacerbates the mental/emotional slide as well. The only thing I was given for the gastroparesis was reglan... which i was allergic to, and erythromicin.... which didn't help one way or the other. I take phenergan when nauseas. My diabetes is under control. I'm taking plaquenil for the lupus, which is attacking my GI. So Far Nothing.... I'm still getting very ill and I'm So Tired of it all! Any advice and prayers are welcome!

Thank you!

[Scott Adams]

Here is the category where Celiac.com's articles on celiac disease and diabetes reside...some may be helpful:

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/celiac-disease-amp-related-diseases-and-disorders/diabetes-and-celiac-disease/ 

[GFinDC]

Hi 3countryboys,

It sounds like you have a boatload of troubles there.  Sorry.  Hypothyroidism can cause gastroparesis and depression by itself.  Celiac disease can also cause those.   Shouldn't be a problem to mix them, right?  Bummer!

I don't know what kind of diet plan you are following for gluten-free.  But it is real helpful IMHO to stick with whole foods for the first 6 months (or more).  This means meats, veggies, eggs, nuts, and some fruit.  Avoiding sugar and carbs is helpful too.  Avoid processed foods also.  Often people do better by eliminating dairy and oats.

You may have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?  Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is associated with celiac disease.  Hashi's T. is an auto-immune attack on the thyroid.  It causes hypothyroidism after enough damage to the thyroid occurs.  They treat it with thyroid replacement hormones.  There is a whole list of associated conditions for celiac disease.  That means there is higher chance of getting those associated conditions than for most people.  They are AI conditions.

https://www.beyondceliac.org/celiac-disease/related-conditions/

It may be helpful to find a Betaine HCL with pepsin supplement to take with meals.  Also a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement could help.  Celiac disease can cause malabsorption of nutrients so we can become deficient in several important vitamins and minerals.  Some of those deficiencies can cause depression and fatigue or joint pain, brain fog etc.

Recovery from celiac gut damage can take months to years.  And every time we consume even a tiny amount of gluten it kicks off a renewed antibody attack.  Those AI attacks can last for weeks or months.  So staying strictly gluten-free is important.

It may seem difficult at first but the gluten-free diet gets easier with time.  Eating simple meals is a good plan.  There are milk and cheese substitutes available in many stores.

Edited January 6, 2021 by GFinDC

[charks]

After a seizure in April I found out that I was diabetic and a celiac. It's been a tough ride - see my recent post https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/154553-covid-19-and-leaky-gut/

I think it is a very good idea to have a support group as we celiac/diabetics have a a more challenging time with our diets/lifestyle. I am 'lucky' because I have type 2.  But early on in my diagnosis I had such wild swings in my blood sugar ( see post ) that I panicked and thought I had late onset diabetes type 1. I rang my doctor for help but, because of covid 19 delays, it took 4 days for the diabetic nurse to contact me. The 4 longest days in my life!!! The nurse said that my readings must be wrong. But I showed her my blood meter. One thing I noticed was the more I panicked the higher my blood sugar levels were. At one particular point I got a reading of 28!!! So it shows how badly anxiety affects the body.

 

[3countryboys]

I agree. There are alot of groups concerning celiac and type 1 diabetes. And I understand that they are both autoimmune diseases where type 2 diabetes is not. But living with both type 2 and Celiac's is not easy. I was diabetic before being diagnosed with Celiac's. And substitutes for gluten free are higher in carbs. It can be very frustrating and disheartening. Am I alone in feeling that way?

[knitty kitty]

There's been more studies done that show that Type Two Diabetes DOES have autoimmune components.

"Type 2 Diabetes: How Much of an Autoimmune Disease?"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6620611/

 

I have Type Two Diabetes and Celiac Disease.  My diabetes diagnosis came before my Celiac diagnosis.  Diabetes is so much easier to diagnose than Celiac.  I believe my active, undiagnosed Celiac Disease contributed to the inflammation and malfunction of my metabolism which resulted in type two diabetes.

 I was prescribed Metformin, which is now known to cause thiamine deficiency.

"Metformin Is a Substrate and Inhibitor of the Human Thiamine Transporter, THTR-2 (SLC19A3)"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800991/#!po=48.1132

 

This along with the malabsorption of Celiac, resulted in my thiamine deficiency.  My thiamine deficiency and Wernicke's Encephalopathy was completely missed by doctors.  They said I was a hypochondriac and wrote me off.  I researched and started thiamine supplementation.

 

"The Impact of Thiamine Treatment in the Diabetes Mellitus"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3376872/#!po=17.3469

 

"High-dose thiamine supplementation improves glucose tolerance in hyperglycemic individuals: a randomized, double-blind cross-over trial"

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23715873/

 

"Thiamine deficiency in diabetes mellitus and the impact of thiamine replacement on glucose metabolism and vascular disease"

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2011.02680.x

 

"Benfotiamine prevents macro- and microvascular endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress following a meal rich in advanced glycation end products in individuals with type 2 diabetes"

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16936154/

  

My type two diabetes is now managed through diet and thiamine supplementation.  I do not take medication for diabetes.  

And now doctors are finding Thiamine helps during CoVid.

 

"Association between thiamine deficiency and hyperlactatemia among critically ill patients with diabetes infected by SARS-CoV-2"

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33448683/

 

Hope this helps.

 

16 hours ago, 3countryboys said:

I agree. There are alot of groups concerning celiac and type 1 diabetes. And I understand that they are both autoimmune diseases where type 2 diabetes is not. But living with both type 2 and Celiac's is not easy. I was diabetic before being diagnosed with Celiac's. And substitutes for gluten free are higher in carbs. It can be very frustrating and disheartening. Am I alone in feeling that way?

 

On 1/27/2021 at 11:33 AM, charks said:

After a seizure in April I found out that I was diabetic and a celiac. It's been a tough ride - see my recent post https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/154553-covid-19-and-leaky-gut/

I think it is a very good idea to have a support group as we celiac/diabetics have a a more challenging time with our diets/lifestyle. I am 'lucky' because I have type 2.  But early on in my diagnosis I had such wild swings in my blood sugar ( see post ) that I panicked and thought I had late onset diabetes type 1. I rang my doctor for help but, because of covid 19 delays, it took 4 days for the diabetic nurse to contact me. The 4 longest days in my life!!! The nurse said that my readings must be wrong. But I showed her my blood meter. One thing I noticed was the more I panicked the higher my blood sugar levels were. At one particular point I got a reading of 28!!! So it shows how badly anxiety affects the body.

 

 

[Colleenweaver]

17 hours ago, 3countryboys said:

I agree. There are alot of groups concerning celiac and type 1 diabetes. And I understand that they are both autoimmune diseases where type 2 diabetes is not. But living with both type 2 and Celiac's is not easy. I was diabetic before being diagnosed with Celiac's. And substitutes for gluten free are higher in carbs. It can be very frustrating and disheartening. Am I alone in feeling that way?

Absolutely not! I am very frustrated between accommodating both. Last night I just ate a box of gluten-free crackers. My blood levels are always on the low side and I’m always hungry. My sister got diagnosed diabetic 2 weeks after me and was assigned a class and a diatition. I’m on my own. My 2nd test after 3 months of Metformin showed I’d dropped to pre-diabetic. Maybe that’s why. 

[Colleenweaver]

On 12/2/2020 at 5:52 PM, Scott Adams said:

I'm surprised nobody has responded. Most of the overlap with celiac disease comes with Type 1 diabetes, but I'm sure there are others on here who have Type 2.

I see people did but I just now see them. Thank you!

[ravenwoodglass]

30 minutes ago, Colleenweaver said:

Absolutely not! I am very frustrated between accommodating both. Last night I just ate a box of gluten-free crackers. My blood levels are always on the low side and I’m always hungry. My sister got diagnosed diabetic 2 weeks after me and was assigned a class and a diatition. I’m on my own. My 2nd test after 3 months of Metformin showed I’d dropped to pre-diabetic. Maybe that’s why. 

The dietary advice given to your sister will apply for you also. If she was given any phamplets or other hard copy info maybe she could share them with you? With this pandemic going on many are struggling. If you only ate crackers because you are low on food do be sure to visit a food bank if you have one near you. If you tell them you are diabetic they may be able to give you more meats and cheese or veggies to replace the carbs that are normally given out. I voluteer and get food from one and that is what we do. I jump for joy when they get in some gluten free bread. 😀Try and shop the 'outside' of your grocery store.Concentrate on veggies, meats etc as much as you can. If, like me, you just don't feel like cooking and really don't want anything grab some tuna or peanut butter for those crackers.  You need to talk to your doctor about how your feeling and if your insurance will cover it ask for  referral to a dietian and to check your Metformen dose. It may need to be adjusted. Ideally you should try to bring this under control with your diet. It isn't easy to have to deal with both. I didn't have time to read this whole thread so forgive any repitition of things other may have already said. We are here to help in any way we can and I hope the adjustment becomes easier and you are feeling better soon.