Alcohol

[James47]

So as some of you already know I was 47 turning 48 before my diagnosis so a lot and a lot of internal damage.

I no longer obviously drink beer unless gluten-free variants of it but does anyone else really struggle when just drink any sorts of alcohol now.

I'm really thinking going tea total and avoiding it completely 

[knitty kitty]

Hey, @James47,

I encourage you to avoid alcohol completely.  

Alcohol affects your ability to absorb essential vitamins and minerals just like Celiac does.  

The body can crave alcohol because alcohol breaks down into glucose and the brain likes glucose for fuel. 

Carbohydrates breakdown into glucose, too, but more thiamine is needed to process carbs into fuel than it takes for alcohol to turn into fuel.  In an effort to conserve thiamine when there's insufficient thiamine available, carbs are turned into fat and stored in the abdomen.  

Supplementing with a form of thiamine called Benfotiamine is beneficial.  Benfotiamine has been shown to promote intestinal healing.  Higher doses of thiamine than the RDA are needed to correct thiamine insufficiency.  Thiamine is water soluble and nontoxic even in high doses.  

Once the body has a sufficient supply of thiamine coming in regularly, the cravings for alcohol can disappear because the body has sufficient thiamine to turn carbohydrates completely into glucose as fuel, and no longer needs to store half-processed carbs as fat.  Adopting a low carb diet with thiamine supplementation can help burn off those extra pounds of carbs stored as fat.  

Drinking alcohol can affect the absorption of Niacin.  Niacin is important in energy production along with thiamine.  Think of thiamine and niacin being on opposite ends of a see saw, or pistons in an engine.  Niacin primes the reaction, thiamine is the spark plug creating molecules of energy (ATP), and niacin resets everything for the next stroke. 

Niacin is also important in skin health.  Niacin deficiency is called Pellagra which causes blisters, scaling and discoloration on sun exposed areas of skin.  Pellagra can occur in Celiac Disease.  I have experienced Pellagra.  I also have Dermatitis Herpetiformis.  Pellagra  has been shown to have a correlation to Dermatitis Herpetiformis.  Niacin will improve dermatitis herpetiformis.  A form of Niacin, nicotinic acid, causes the small capillaries in the skin to expand, allowing antibodies to be cleared away from those dermatitis herpetiformis blister deposits.  Niacin helps with the itching as well.  The flushing may be uncomfortable at first.  It's said that the more severe the niacin deficiency, the worse the flushing.  But the flushing does lessen as you continue taking it, so stick with it.  

Without sufficient B vitamins, nerve cells continue to fire sporadically, hence the itching that never stops.  Pyridoxine B 6 is needed for nerve transmission regulation. 

Remember the eight B vitamins work together.  A B Complex as well as high dose thiamine (500 - 2000 mg/day) and niacin (up to 500 mg/day) will correct insufficiencies and thereby improve health.  The eight essential B vitamins are water soluble and easily excreted if not needed.  Taking the B vitamins several times a day increases their absorption.  I took a B Complex and extra thiamine and niacin with the first two meals of the day.  B vitamins may make you wide awake and energetic, so you may not want to take them close to bedtime.  

Do keep us posted on your progress!

Recommended Reading:

Gastrointestinal Beriberi and Wernicke's Encephalopathy Triggered by One Session of Heavy Drinking

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6739701/

And...

Cutaneous manifestations in celiac disease

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4066147/

Edited March 15, 2025 by knitty kitty
Typo correction

[Scott Adams]

Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Alcohol can certainly irritate an inflamed, damaged gut. 

Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal.  

 

[James47]

Thanks Scott and others who replied,, funnily enough I had milk other day and noticed my energy just dropped.. obviously bad for you but sugary sweets I Def noticed an almighty energy drop so I dont even have anything like that no more .

Hope you are all feeling well 

[Scott Adams]

I would not say that milk is bad for you, but for those who have lactose intolerance, milk allergy, etc., it's best avoided. 

[Suze046]

Hey! I’m recently gluten free and yes I really struggle with alcohol now. I haven’t really drank in 2 months as it just made me feel awful the next day in terms of stomach ache mainly. I’ve had a couple of glasses of white wine here and there (mainly low sulphate) but every time it gives me a gut ache. I think it’s because but guy is so damaged from my journey to discovering my gluten intolerance and hopefully this will improve but honestly I’m just not bothered about having a drink now. I can’t even touch Prosecco or champagne I think the bubbles really upset me! 

[Scott Adams]

Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary--wine and other alcoholic beverages might also fit in here. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months.

Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal.

This article may be helpful:

 

 

[Beverage]

I was diagnosed with Celiacs in 2015. I come from ethnic backgrounds that regularly drink a few glasses of wine or beer with dinner every night. Now that I have been gluten free for 10 years, I definitely have noticed that I gradually wanted that less and less. Now I just have 1 glass with Sunday dinner, and do not want more. Maybe I have just gotten out of the habit, ritual, or maybe my body is telling me. I do feel better overall though.

[Suze046]

Yeah I think my body is definitely telling me to lay off the alcohol I just don’t seem to agree with it right now but that might be because my gut is still trying to heal. 

[knitty kitty]

That "gut ache" after drinking may be more than alcohol not agreeing with a gut that's trying to heal.

Alcohol prevents absorption of vitamins, and actually breaks thiamine Vitamin B 1 so it cannot function.  Thiamine deficiency can cause Gastrointestinal Beriberi, with symptoms of digestive upsets and abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and can cause neurological problems and problems with thinking and judgement.  I've experienced Gastrointestinal Beriberi myself.  Thiamine supplementation is a must, along with the other B vitamins and Vitamin C.  

Gastrointestinal Beriberi and Wernicke's Encephalopathy Triggered by One Session of Heavy Drinking

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31543793/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6739701/