celiac, chocolate and alcohol

[barb simkin]

Anyone bothered  by chocolate and alcohol.  Found I cant drink  alcohol or eat chocolate  Anyone else

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @barb simkin! How does it affect you when you eat chocolate and drink alcohol? I'm asking because these are common migraine triggers and migraines are a common in the celiac population.

[Scott Adams]

Since chocolate has a laxative/stimulant effect on the digestive system, similar to coffee, some people do report IBS-like symptoms when they eat it, however, as long as the chocolate is gluten-free, the cause of such symptoms would be unrelated to celiac disease.

[barb simkin]

2 hours ago, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, @barb simkin! How does it affect you when you eat chocolate and drink alcohol? I'm asking because these are common migraine triggers and migraines are a common in the celiac population.

I have had a reaction to chocolate within 2 hours, severe abrupt dieherra.  With alcohol it can extend up to 12 hrs before the first reaction, but not as severe as chocolate.  I am also allergic to all fish and carry an epihpen.

 

[trents]

@barb simkin, are you sure the chocolate products are gluten-free and not "manufactured on equipment that also handles wheat products and tree nuts", i.e., cross-contamination? And what kind of alcoholic beverages are we talking about? Most beers are made from gluten-containing grains. Just checking.

[barb simkin]

I did nor read the chocolate pkg as it was offered to me and I ate 2 pcs. I do know that only very dark chocolate and and a very few others are gluten free. Most alcohols contain gluten. I have several yrs of not knowing my celiac condition as docs would not do the test. After looking on the internet about my sufferings I insisted on the gene trsting which showed positive for gluten insensitivity and a biopsy on my next colonoscopy that also showed positive which could not help the damage done to my small bowel. So I very rarely have a glass of wine

[trents]

So, I'm a little confused here.

I understand you to say that you have not been officially diagnosed with celiac disease. Is this correct? 

You have had genetic testing done to check for the potential for developing celiac disease and that was positive. Is this correct? I think you meant to type "gluten sensitivity" but you typed "gluten insensitivity". Just so we are clear about the terminology, there is celiac disease and there is NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). They are not the same but they have overlapping symptoms. Celiac disease causes damage to the small bowel lining but NCGS does not. NCGS is often referred to in short form as gluten sensitivity. However, people often use the terms celiac disease and gluten sensitivity interchangeably so it can be unclear which disease they are referring to.

Genetic testing cannot be used to diagnose celiac disease but it can be used to establish the potential to develop active celiac disease. About 40% of the general population has one or both of  the genes that have been most strongly connected with the potential to develop active celiac disease but only about 1% of the population actually develops active celiac disease. This makes the genetic test useful for ruling out celiac disease but not for diagnosing it.

A colonoscopy cannot be used to diagnose celiac disease because it doesn't permit the scope to go up into the small bowel where celiac disease does the damage. They use an endoscopy ("upper GI) for checking the small bowel lining for celiac damage.

[barb simkin]

2 hours ago, trents said:

So, I'm a little confused here.

I understand you to say that you have not been officially diagnosed with celiac disease. Is this correct? 

You have had genetic testing done to check for the potential for developing celiac disease and that was positive. Is this correct? I think you meant to type "gluten sensitivity" but you typed "gluten insensitivity". Just so we are clear about the terminology, there is celiac disease and there is NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). They are not the same but they have overlapping symptoms. Celiac disease causes damage to the small bowel lining but NCGS does not. NCGS is often referred to in short form as gluten sensitivity. However, people often use the terms celiac disease and gluten sensitivity interchangeably so it can be unclear which disease they are referring to.

Genetic testing cannot be used to diagnose celiac disease but it can be used to establish the potential to develop active celiac disease. About 40% of the general population has one or both of  the genes that have been most strongly connected with the potential to develop active celiac disease but only about 1% of the population actually develops active celiac disease. This makes the genetic test useful for ruling out celiac disease but not for diagnosing it.

A colonoscopy cannot be used to diagnose celiac disease because it doesn't permit the scope to go up into the small bowel where celiac disease does the damage. They use an endoscopy ("upper GI) for checking the small bowel lining for celiac damage.

I had both the genetic genes for celiac.  My gastroenologist advised he also took a biopsy during one of my colonoscopies and endoscopy and advised I had celiac disease, along with stomach ulcers from my esophagus stomach down to my small bowel. I was shown the ulcers on the catscan and endoscopy report.  I also had polyps in 3 places throughout my large bowel. I was on a strict diet for months following.  I am sorry if I didnt define how I was diagnosed with celiac disease.  I am sorry if you think I was misleading you.

Just now, barb simkin said:

I had both the genetic genes for celiac.  My gastroenologist advised he also took a biopsy during one of my colonoscopies and endoscopy and advised I had celiac disease, along with stomach ulcers from my esophagus stomach down to my small bowel. I was shown the ulcers on the catscan and endoscopy report.  I also had polyps in 3 places throughout my large bowel. I was on a strict diet for months following.  I am sorry if I didnt define how I was diagnosed with celiac disease.  I am sorry if you think I was misleading you.

I also had to pay $150.00 for the genetic testing.

[trents]

So, you had both and endoscopy with biopsy and a colonoscopy. That helps me understand what you were trying to communicate. No, no! It never occurred to me that you were trying to mislead me. It's just that we get a lot of posters on the forum who are misinformed about what celiac disease is and how it is diagnosed so I needed some clarification from you which you were so gracious to give.

Edited September 15, 2025 by trents

[Scott Adams]

19 hours ago, barb simkin said:

I did nor read the chocolate pkg as it was offered to me and I ate 2 pcs. I do know that only very dark chocolate and and a very few others are gluten free. Most alcohols contain gluten. I have several yrs of not knowing my celiac condition as docs would not do the test. After looking on the internet about my sufferings I insisted on the gene trsting which showed positive for gluten insensitivity and a biopsy on my next colonoscopy that also showed positive which could not help the damage done to my small bowel. So I very rarely have a glass of wine

Given your strong reactions it would be wise not to eat things offered to you without reading the ingredient labels. It's possible there was indeed gluten or some allergen in the chocolates--barley malt is a common ingredient in some chocolates.