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Is It Possible To Be Overweight And Have Celiac?

azmom3

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azmom3 Contributor
azmom3
Posted

I understand why a person would be malnourished and underweight with celiac, but not sure why it would cause a person to be overweight..not just bloated, but heavy or even obese. There are quite a few people in my family who I suspect could have celiac, but most of them are on the heavy side. What would cause this? What should they say to the dr. who isn't knowledgeable and questions why they want to be tested when they don't look malnourished.

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queenofhearts Explorer
queenofhearts
Posted

I really don't know why but the statistics don't lie-- even the NIH points out that Celiacs can be overweight. Have you seen their new site? I hope it will help doctors forget what they read in their old textbooks & wake up to reality!

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Leah

azmom3 Contributor
azmom3
Posted
  • Author
I really don't know why but the statistics don't lie-- even the NIH points out that Celiacs can be overweight. Have you seen their new site? I hope it will help doctors forget what they read in their old textbooks & wake up to reality!

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Leah

Thanks Leah! I just checked it out. I think they just have to demand the test if the docs give them any grief at all. If nothing else, they can say it will give them peace of mind since another family member was already diagnosed with celiac. I hope someone on this board can shed some light on the "why" for the rest of us.

tiffjake Enthusiast
tiffjake
Posted
Thanks Leah! I just checked it out. I think they just have to demand the test if the docs give them any grief at all. If nothing else, they can say it will give them peace of mind since another family member was already diagnosed with celiac. I hope someone on this board can shed some light on the "why" for the rest of us.

I am overweight and celiac. I know for me, when I had the Enterolab test done, my fatty stool level was low (meaning I was absorbing the fat, and not losing it in the stool). This could be because part of my intestines are ok, while part are not. My damage could be localized to one part of the intestine allowing my body to absorb more food/fat/nutrients.

Also, there is a VERY long explaination that comes with the genetic testing from Enterolab. Of the Celiac genes, I do not have the one that appears (to the Doc) to cause the intestinal damage. So I have the symptoms, but not the damaging of the intestinal wall?!?! I do not understand all of the finer points, but I do know that it is possible to be overweight and have Celiac Disease. My grandmother had it and was very thin and very ill. I do not know why mine is different......

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted
I understand why a person would be malnourished and underweight with celiac, but not sure why it would cause a person to be overweight..not just bloated, but heavy or even obese. There are quite a few people in my family who I suspect could have celiac, but most of them are on the heavy side. What would cause this? What should they say to the dr. who isn't knowledgeable and questions why they want to be tested when they don't look malnourished.

It was explained to me this way, as I was morbidly obese and still malnourished AND I hardly ate anything. It wasn't like I was a piggy eating everything in site, I didn't eat much at all and still kept gaining... Ok how it was explained was, the body gets to a point where it can't absorb any nutrients and the ONLY thing it can hold onto is the fat cells, the body goes into survival mode and thinks it's starving (which it is) and just keeps making more fat cells. Since I have gone gluten free over 3 1/2 years ago, I have lost 110 pounds. AND I am eating more food than I ever ate prior to my dx. (still not a big eater though).

jnifred Explorer
jnifred
Posted

I am so glad this question came up. My aunt keeps saying she can't have Celiac b/c of her weight. I am going to show her this. I always thought it might have something to do with metabolism too. Personally I have so much more energy now that I am off gluten.

penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted

Yes, you can. Proof of this for me is that while on a 3 month gluten challenge for a biopsy (after 4 mos gluten-free)...I GAINED 30 lbs!!!! I'm not being a big piggy either, and most of that weight I gained in the first month. I think my body is just holding on to whatever it can!

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