What Came First Corn Allergy Or Gluten Free Diet Filled With Corn Additives?

[Guest AutumnE]

When I first went gluten free in May my only problem visible was gluten. 4 to 5 months later starts dairy problems slightly and huge corn allergy. Why would it come so late? I wonder if all the corn filled products that were gluten free kickstarted it?

Anyone else's allergy problems start quite a bit later to going gluten free?

[Ursa Major]

Autumn, the problem comes from your villi healing. Before going gluten-free, your intestines weren't absorbing a lot of things, including other foods you were intolerant to. Plus, your gluten intolerance was likely much worse than the others, and the reactions to gluten sort of overshadowed the other reactions.

Now that you have started healing, your body is absorbing other nutrients again, including the ones you are intolerant to, and therefore your other intolerances are rearing their ugly heads now.

That happened to me four months after going gluten-free as well. It was very discouraging, but I am fine with it now.

[Simply-V]

When I first went gluten free in May my only problem visible was gluten. 4 to 5 months later starts dairy problems slightly and huge corn allergy. Why would it come so late? I wonder if all the corn filled products that were gluten free kickstarted it?

Anyone else's allergy problems start quite a bit later to going gluten free?

Have you gotten a "gluten" diagnosis? Because it could just be corn.

Often when first going gluten-free, people cut out a lot of corn from their diet. They start eating more meats and veggies which have less corn in them, and cut down on carbs. They stop eating pre-made packaged foods which have a lot of corn in them.

Your body adjusts.. when you first went gluten-free.. your body was used to .. lets just say 80 amt of corn. When you went gluten-free, you cut it down to 40 corn. So your body went.. "PHEW relief" and stopped having such severe reactions, ignoring the less harmful 40.. because it was waiting for 80 to appear again. Then it got used to 40 being the only amt of corn and started putting its full effort into attacking it, and the reactions started up again.

People with a corn allergy often go through this process... where cutting out major doses of corn cause temporary relief, but the only lasting relief is to cut out all sources of corn.

[happygirl]

The other theory is slightly different than the villi issue.

It has to do with leaky gut (a mechanism believed to be behind Celiac)...basically, your cells in your intestine don't seal completely, meaning certain proteins get through (noticably, gluten)....for some of us, we might have a "super" leaky gut and other proteins get through that should not. Thats obviously a simplified version, but that might be part of the picture.

hope it helps!

[Guest AutumnE]

thanks ursula, v, and laura

You have given me alot to think about. I did have problems with corn allergy when I was younger. I dont really remember it, my mom told me. I was on allergy shots then and I guess outgrew it. It didnt cause stomach upset just a rash.

I havent yet recieved the enterolab results so Im not sure Im gluten intolerant except when I feel glutened it is very different than eating corn chips. Both equally yucky but I dont feel as bad as being glutened. I havent really cut down on corn since recently. I was feeling deprived when I started this way of eating and was eating all the junk food with corn in it for quite awhile. I can tell one thing is my villi I believe is starting to get healed I dont have sciatica all the time and especially with diarrhea.

I will have to read more about leaky gut. I do have stomach upset with other foods, mostly greasy stuff. I think it has to do with not having a gall bladder anymore but plan on looking it into it more. I cant handle eggs to well anymore either.

Its funny, It had become normal for me to have stomach upset and feeling yucky and I knew it was just part of myself to feel like I was 90, have my joints ache and crack, couldnt stand up straight for awhile due to back pain, diarrhea after everything I ate and steadily gaining weight. Now that I know I dont have to feel that way I cant stand the thought of feeling bad anymore and desperately want to fix it

[ArtGirl]

Going gluten-free allowed for a great improvement in my symptoms - but didn't clear up everything. It wasn't until I got serious about the corn issue that things got better. Since I'm nearly 60 the healing time is going to be longer than you younger folks, but I know now that I cannot eat corn anymore. I find it is harder to eliminate corn (and corn derivatives) than gluten and if it weren't for the Avoiding Corn forum and the education I received there I wouldn't be doing nearly as well. That's true for this forum re: gluten.

Gluten and corn symptoms for me are very similar - D, fatigue and irritability. However, I THINK getting corned produces less severe and shorter symptoms than gluten. It's been hard for me to determine what causes what.

[Guest AutumnE]

Going gluten-free allowed for a great improvement in my symptoms - but didn't clear up everything. It wasn't until I got serious about the corn issue that things got better. Since I'm nearly 60 the healing time is going to be longer than you younger folks, but I know now that I cannot eat corn anymore. I find it is harder to eliminate corn (and corn derivatives) than gluten and if it weren't for the Avoiding Corn forum and the education I received there I wouldn't be doing nearly as well. That's true for this forum re: gluten.

Gluten and corn symptoms for me are very similar - D, fatigue and irritability. However, I THINK getting corned produces less severe and shorter symptoms than gluten. It's been hard for me to determine what causes what.

Im hoping I will feel so good by the time I get all the hidden corn out of my life too. Mine is alot shorter. Corn will bother me the day of and I wake up next day nauseated with a sore stomach, and sorry if tmi a sore rectum area. Even if I didnt have diarrhea from it which seems so odd.

[Helena]

Yeah, I had to cut out corn, too----I went wheat free before I had this celiac disease thing checked out, and I started to react more seriously when I added a lot more corn to my diet. Think: corn bread, *large* bowls of pocorn smothered in butter (sigh. how I miss popcorn!).

But I think I've always had an allergy--when I was a kid, too much corn on the cob irritated my throat. Also, icing sugar and things with corn-derived sweetener made my throat sting slightly. It got to the point where my face would turn red and hivy if I ate corn bread----the last time I tried corn I had just one kernel. Instant throat itchiness.

My allergist was a bit skeptical about a "new" allergy until he did the tests---positive skin prick test, positive RAST test. Now he wants me to avoid corn and corn-derived ingredients as much as possible!

[Guest AutumnE]

Thanks

I love corn too, still I am feeling quite a bit better still not perfect although I wonder if I have hidden corn products somewhere. Im still researching. I'm not sure if its an intolerance or an allergy? I have alergy testing to be done on November 13th. Hopefully it will answer some questions. Mainly I would like to know if its just an intolerance and I just avoid the things to eat or if its an allergy and I need to check all my products for it.

Since its joint pain and aches, tiredness, severe bloating, upset stomach and the big d I am hoping its all intolerance. Years ago I reacted with rosacea getting worse from my allergy but now I dont notice that so much.

Boy I miss popcorn