Can Eating Gluten Give You A Cold

[JennFog]

I have been gluten free for months, made it through Thanksgiving ok & this would have been my first Christmas without wheat, but it wasn't. I ate so much wheat yesterday, that I actually woke up today not only with stomach distress but a full fledge cold, can't breathe, sneezing & runny nose that just won't stop. I took cold medicine but it is not helping at all. Has anyone else had this happen? or Is my cold just a coincidence?

[Ursa Major]

Jenn, a cold takes at least a week after getting infected to take hold. I have had the same thing happen to me when eating something I'm intolerant to. In fact, I ate ice cream the other day, and I have symptoms of a cold now.

So, I don't believe you have a cold at all, but your immune system is going haywire after eating all that gluten. That is why the cold medicine isn't doing any good. That of course is my opinion, I'm not a doctor.

There is nothing you can do but wait it out. And I hope you learned your lesson! We had an awesome meal for Christmas, no gluten at all. The gravy was thickened with light buckwheat, and everybody loved it.

[Looking for answers]

I used to get like that when I ate wheat: sneezy, itchy, achy...sounds like you're just reacting to the wheat. As for myself, beside being gluten intolerant, I'm allergic to grasses, which of course includes wheat, so I get cold-like symptoms when I eat it. I usually would feel better within a few days after an episode.

I probably don't need to say this, but don't cheat--it's never worth it!!!

[tarnalberry]

I'm thinking the same thing as ursa - a real cold takes a while to set in. It's possible, of course, but there's no way of determining that on your own. It's more likely that the spin that your immune system was sent into is causing a number of extra symptoms.

[Eliza13]

I had constant colds prior to my diagnosis. Last winter I had zero colds, which was truly amazing (was gluten-free). That alone is incentive to lay off the poison!

[dlp252]

I had constant colds prior to my diagnosis. Last winter I had zero colds, which was truly amazing (was gluten-free). That alone is incentive to lay off the poison!

My story is similar except it wasn't colds or flu, rather I got very frequent sinus infections. However, since going gluten/casein free last year I hadn't had even one until this last week, and I believe that is because I accidentally ate some gluten. It may not directly cause it (although admittedly I think mine did, lol), but I believe any time we eat something we are intolerant to it just taxes the immune system a bit more than normal which opens us up to all sorts of things.

[Aerin328]

I also find that going gluten-free has helped me get sick a lot less ; and when a real cold does take hold it seems to be defeated much faster. Celiac's can manifest itself in MANY ways, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was glutenous reaction. However maybe you caught it a few days/ a week ago and b/c of the glutening your system was unable to defend. Either way, with patience and a straight diet it will pass.

And I have to add : Don't cheat! It's not worth it!

Meanwhile good luck in recovery!

Christian