Food Tasting Salty

[Mnofsinger]

There was an old thread from 2011 that I came across but has been archived and I could not reply to it. I would like to reopen this discussion but really dive into a potential connection for a early "warning sign" for undiagnosed celiac people.

Let me give some back story. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in June of 2023. How long I had it before? I can't say for certain, because my wife and I had been on and off keto diets, which naturally I would cut out gluten containing food. However, there was an instance I went into the ER about 4 years ago for potential appendicitis, but that was ruled out as "nothing". Looking back it would be the pains in the abdomen from being "glutened". 

Prior to being diagnosed I would always say our food needed less salt because it tasted to salty. My wife would always point out, "No, it could use more". Most people around me would say it's not too salty, and I would chalk it up to having a sensitivity to salty foods. I did not make this correlation until after my bloodwork had came back to normal range after eating a gluten free diet. In the span of four months I brought my tissue transglutaminase IgA results from a 45 down to a 4. After that, I did not go out of my way to focus on was my food "too salty" or not, I just never really mentioned that the food I was eating was too salty. In fact, I would find myself adding salt to foods.

It wasn't until I had been glutened about 13 months into my gluten free diet, that the few days afterward I made a comment "This is too salty". As soon as those words left my mouth, I was like "Wait a second!", and said to my wife "what if all this time I thought the food was too salty was because of eating gluten?". Now, I know everyone's body reacts differently to to celiac disease whether someone is asymptomatic or if they have symptoms what symptoms do they have.


I'm not saying I'm right, but I would be curious to know other's experiences and ways we could help other undiagnosed people get the proper medical treatment they need, by common early warning signs.

So, on this old thread: 

 Some people explained the change was after, but I would be curious to know your experience!

1. My question(s) to the ones that experienced this after a gluten free diet, was it because you other more serious symptoms were occupying your mind while eating gluten that you never really noticed the "too salty" experience?

2. Is it possible that you had been accidentally glutened during your gluten free transition that spiked this reaction? 
     (Some context to this one: The reason I was able to get my numbers down so low in the 4 months after being diagnosed, was I went "over the top", We stopped going out to eat, we through out all our food, we threw out ALL of our cookwear/utensils/glasses/plates/cutting boards and I do mean EVERYTHING, and started with new, because I didn't want to be hindered by "hidden gluten". My wife tells me I have the tendency to go to the extremes 😄 )


Hope everyone finds this topic interesting and fun at the same time. So please, tell me your experience on this subject!

[knitty kitty]

Gluten can cause inflammation in the digestive tract and that includes the mouth.  Also, nutritional deficiencies can cause oral inflammation.  Cobalamine B12 deficiency and Niacin B3 deficiency can result in swollen irritated tongues and mouth sores.  Salt would definitely cause further irritation.... Like pouring salt in a wound....

[nanny marley]

This literally happened to me today I had gluten after not eating it for over 6 months doing the elimination diet has I'm trying to get help with a diagnosis I ate gluten a few days ago and then stopped  because I went for my blood test today unfortunately it's not enough has I've now learned from some helpful people on this forum it has to be a lot longer before a test but my food today was really salty I just thout it was me because I'd deviated off my diet but I definitely tasted my  food  salty so that's a very intriguing investigation for me now thankyou for the post 

[Mnofsinger]

On 12/9/2024 at 3:55 PM, knitty kitty said:

Gluten can cause inflammation in the digestive tract and that includes the mouth.  Also, nutritional deficiencies can cause oral inflammation.  Cobalamine B12 deficiency and Niacin B3 deficiency can result in swollen irritated tongues and mouth sores.  Salt would definitely cause further irritation.... Like pouring salt in a wound....

I appreciate the input and that would make sense to irritation/mouth sores. I'm more asking directly to the taste of the food being too salty as opposed to being irritated by salt.

[knitty kitty]

Part of the body's immune reaction to gluten is to release histamine.  This tastes salty, just like tears and snot.  

 

 

 

[Scott Adams]

Histamine itself does not have a taste. The salty taste associated with tears or mucus comes from their electrolyte content, not from histamine. While histamine can be part of various immune responses, its connection to gluten reactions is not direct, and it does not taste salty. The salty taste of tears and mucus is due to their sodium chloride content, not histamine.

[knitty kitty]

Yes, though histamine itself may not taste salty, histamine is present in mucus and tears which contain sodium chloride because salt is a great antimicrobial.  

[Mnofsinger]

Those are great points and some follow up thoughts and ideas.

I think you're both stating the same thing in two different ways, but I appreciate the "accuracy" of what you're getting to.

 

1. Are you both stating that the "too salty of a taste" could be triggered by a histamine reaction, and the flavor is coming from the electrolytes?

If that is the case, wouldn't the individuals mouth always be salty during a "Glutening" situation, or are we saying that the person could get "use to the flavor" until introducing food or beverage and that could be enough to "stir the pot" and notice the salty flavor?

2. To push back on "#1": If that were true anyone with issues of histamine releasing foods/treatments would experience the same thing. Also, I did not experience a situation where most beverages were "too salty".


Thoughts?

[Scott Adams]

I'm not making any claims about what your issue is regarding you issue with saltiness, I only wanted to dispel the claim that histamines have a salty taste.

Most foods, particularly in the USA, are in fact, too salty. The spike in overly salty foods that has occurred in the USA since the 1950's junk food explosion has caused many foods to be overly salty, and has changed our taste buds to not be able to recognize this. If friends or family visit me from Europe or Asia, some of them notice this right away, but as American junk foods have spread worldwide, less people notice this issue, as it is becoming a worldwide issue.

[knitty kitty]

Foods tasting salty can be an indicator of diabetes, kidney failure, Sjogren's syndrome, thyroid problems, smoking, dehydration and zinc deficiency.