Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • 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

Can I be just barley intolerant?

samcoyle
 Share

Recommended Posts

samcoyle Newbie
samcoyle
Posted

I've never had any kind of symptoms of intolernace until I had a few pints of beer one night and the day after my stomach was awful. I sort of ignored it and stopped drinking beer, one night trying a bit too much whiskey and had the same symptoms? These are the only times I've got any kind of reaction from drinking really, other drinks not having the same effect.

An other thing I was wondering was whether I could have gluten-free beer, if my intolerance doesn't appear to be gluten? If the removed gluten from barley means it'll be alright or not.

Cheers

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

Welcome to the forum!

There are two categories of gluten sensitivity, those with celiac disease (~1% of people), and those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (~10% of people). Currently there isn't a test for those in the latter NCGS group, but both groups still must avoid all gluten to avoid symptoms and negative health effects.

It sounds like you might be in the NCGS group, but you didn't mention if you're currently on a gluten-free diet or not, so I'm not sure. Does bread or other wheat products bother you? I'd recommend getting a blood panel done for celiac disease, but you need to be eating gluten daily for 6-8 weeks beforehand for the test to be valid.

Whiskey is distilled and should be gluten-free, but regular beer does contain a small amount of gluten. Does other hard alcohol, for example 100% agave tequila cause you similar issues? I ask only because it may just be the higher alcohol level causing your system issues.

samcoyle Newbie
samcoyle
Posted
  • Author
7 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

Welcome to the forum!

There are two categories of gluten sensitivity, those with celiac disease (~1% of people), and those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (~10% of people). Currently there isn't a test for those in the latter NCGS group, but both groups still must avoid all gluten to avoid symptoms and negative health effects.

It sounds like you might be in the NCGS group, but you didn't mention if you're currently on a gluten-free diet or not, so I'm not sure. Does bread or other wheat products bother you? I'd recommend getting a blood panel done for celiac disease, but you need to be eating gluten daily for 6-8 weeks beforehand for the test to be valid.

Whiskey is distilled and should be gluten-free, but regular beer does contain a small amount of gluten. Does other hard alcohol, for example 100% agave tequila cause you similar issues? I ask only because it may just be the higher alcohol level causing your system issues.

Thanks for clearing that up.

It is interesting you ask about the alcohol, as that is the other correlation between the two, and I have wondered whether that would play a part. But, the symptoms are significantly worse if I consume one of those two drinks, since then not drinking them.

And also no, I'm not on a gluten free diet and regularly consume gluten, sorry I should have mentioned it. Thanks for your help.

Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

My thought here is that you could have either celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and now would be the perfect time to get tested, since you haven't gone gluten-free. 

Also, since you're eating gluten, it also may be possible that you've eaten more gluten, for example pasta or pizza, before you had the whiskey, but there is really no way to be sure. I will only say that whiskey should be gluten-free, and there are good gluten-free beers out there as well:

 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,473
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    simonc
    Newest Member
    simonc
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.4k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      10 years later, my celiac is progressing

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @GardeningForHealth, On my journey, I found following the Autoimmune Paleo Diet most helpful in reducing reactions to various foods.  It's very restrictive, but it really helps improve gut health.  It's worth the effort for a few weeks or months. Tea from any grocery store; Tea, organic; Tea, grown in USA, never-sprayed, loose leaf Tea contains TANNINS which can inactivate Thiamin resulting in Thiamin deficiency.  Tannins inhibit the absorption of other vitamins and minerals, especially iron. Tannins can inactivate digestive enzymes.  So drink tea between meals.  Choose a tea with lower levels of tannin, like green tea or Oolong tea.  Oolong tea contains amino acid Theanine which reduces inflammation in the digestive tract. Dairy; Rice, any brand, even after washing 3 times Many people develop Lactose intolerance because damaged villi in the intestinal lining of the digestive tract cannot produce the enzyme Lactase needed to digest the sugar in dairy, Lactose.   Many people with Celiac Disease react to the protein Casein the same as they react to the protein Gluten.  This is because both Casein and Gluten, as well as the protein in rice, carry a similar segment of a protein building block chain (33 mer peptide) that triggers the autoimmune response in Celiac Disease.  Basmati rice is less likely to carry this protein chain and may be better tolerated.  Don't wash rice before cooking.  The added vitamins get washed away.  Some of those grains of rice are extruded vitamins.  They dissolved into the cooking water and are reabsorbed into the grains as the rice cooks. Organic catchup, Potatoes; Tomatoes are a member of the Nightshade vegetables which have been shown to increase gastrointestinal permeability and "leaky gut syndrome."  Potatoes, Peppers and Eggplant also belong to the Nightshades, and should be avoided until healed.  Catsup usually is acidic which can be irritating to the digestive system. Any and all brands of gluten-free breads and dessert items; Cassava flour; Gluten-free flour Often these contain cross contamination with gluten.  @Scott Adams recently posted a new article about this.  Gluten free products are not enriched with vitamins and minerals needed to digest and process them.  They are high in insoluble fiber and saturated fats.  These may also contain microbial transglutaminase, see below. Sausage, Any processed meat These foods contain microbial transglutaminase, a flavor and texture enhancer, called "meat glue" in the food processing industry, which triggers and provokes anti-gluten antibodies to attack the microbial transglutaminase as well as the tissue transglutaminase produced by our own bodies as with Celiac Disease.  We have articles about microbial transglutaminase, too.  Cassava also contains Thiaminase, an enzyme which destroys Thiamin. Cucumbers from a grocery store, but not from my garden, Most apples, Zucchini, Plums Cucumbers, like these other fruits and veggies, contain lots of soluble fiber, pectin, which intestinal bacteria can ferment and then make short chain fatty acids, which are beneficial.  So that's a good thing.  However, commercially produced breeds of veggies and fruits may contain higher levels of pectins than historically home grown varieties.  Excess consumption of pectins can result in gas, bloating and diarrhea.   Bottled spices  There's an article (perhaps @Scott Adams can help us find, please) about how some spices can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Gluten-free dairy-free ice cream These can cause reactions if one reacts to oats.  Products made from nuts or nut milks may contain high levels of lectins which are hard to digest and can cause all the usual symptoms.   Smoke from a fire; Strong cleaning chemical fumes These contain Sulfites.  Developing a hyperensitivity to Sulfites is possible in Celiac Disease.  We can be low in vitamins and minerals needed to process Sulfites.  I have Hypersensitivity Type Four where the immune system identifies Sulfites as something to be attacked.  Celiac Disease is another Hypersensitivity Type Four disorder. Packaged sweet potato chips; Packaged plantain chips;  Rice; Any and all brands of gluten-free breads and dessert items; Cassava flour; Gluten-free flour; Gluten-free dairy-free ice cream A High Carbohydrate diet can lead to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).  Adopting a Paleo diet like the AIP diet is a great way to change your gut biome without using antibiotics which kill off the bad with the good bacteria.  Taking probiotics may not be very effective as long as SIBO bacteria are entrenched in the digestive tract.  You change what you eat and you change what grows inside you.  You starve out the bad SIBO bacteria, repopulate and feed the good ones.  Supplementing with Benfotiamin helps because thiamine has antibacterial properties that keeps the bad bacteria in check and benefits the good bacteria.  Benfotiamin is needed to process all those carbs turning them into energy instead of them turning to fat.   I hope this has been helpful.
    • trents
      New to all of this

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum @Newhere19! Yes, we have had many forum members that for one reason or another cannot go forward with the confirmation step of the endoscopy with biopsy. Usually it is because they have already been gluten free for a significant period and react so severely to gluten ingestion that they cannot undertake the gluten challenge without endangering their health. But we also have had more than a few who have severe anxiety surrounding the endoscopy itself and cannot bring themselves to go forward with it. May I ask, what was your antibody score or scores, what was the name of the test or tests done and what were the ranges given for normal/negative vs. positive?  What symptoms do you have? What caused you to seek out celiac testing? And to answer your question, many on this forum have had to go forward with the gluten free diet without an official diagnosis for the reasons already stated. You should start seeing symptom improvement within weeks. But realize that achieving a truly free gluten lifestyle is more challenging than most of us realize at the outset. There is a real learning curve involved in order to achieve consistency. That is partly due to the many unexpected places gluten is tucked away in the food supply/supplements/medications and partly because of CC (Cross Contamination) issues. I will offer this primer to get you off to a good start:  
    • Newhere19
      New to all of this

      By Newhere19 · Posted

      I recently had bloodwork done with a GI specialist and was told that I have celiac.. .but they will not confirm the diagnosis without an endoscopy and biopsy. Due to severe trauma I cannot endure the endoscopy and they made it quite clear full sedation is not an option. So now I have to venture forward assuming this is in fact what is causing all of my symptoms. Has anyone else here had the same experience and started the gluten free diet to see if you're really suffering from celiac? If so, how long did you commit before safely saying the results are accurate? My thought was at least three months would be necessary. Much love to everyone ❤️ 
    • trents
      Gluten-Free Foods

      By trents · Posted

    • Scott Adams
      10 years later, my celiac is progressing

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your experience sounds incredibly challenging and frustrating. It’s impressive that you’ve been so methodical in tracking your triggers and finding safe foods. While it may feel bizarre, sensitivities like these can sometimes point to underlying conditions like chemical sensitivities, histamine intolerance, or even specific food additives. Have you considered consulting with a functional medicine practitioner or allergist who might specialize in these types of issues? You’ve done a lot of the hard work already with your food diary, and that could provide valuable insights for a professional to help you further.
×
×
  • Create New...