How Much Gluten Does It Take?

[2wheels4eyes]

I saw my dr. yesterday (a GI guy; considered the expert around here on celiac; heads the training for GI residents; takes months to get an appt.) After my week of double crossings with gluten (well, CC issues) I asked him what are the health consequences for repeated exposure. He said:

1. My reaction to CC is not indicative of physical damage (necessarily)--I might "just be sensitive" to CC.

2. That's because it takes weeks of eating gluten before any significant blunting of the villi is observable.

3. So obviously, stick with the gluten-free diet and be as careful as possible but don't drive myself or loved ones nuts with it and, if I'm "sensitive" take various OTC remedies (prilosec, etc.) to deal with symptoms when glutened.

This seems sensible to me. I'm reactive enough to not want to purposely have gluten, but knowing that every time there's an accident I don't need to freak out about a short and unhappy old age is helpful.

On the other hand, he was not especially sympathetic to what it's like to be glutened. I get the sense he's heard all this before and thinks we're all overstating things. Or maybe that the best way to talk his patients off the ledge is to downplay everything. (And of course, for him, the only symptoms he seems to know about/believe are GI-related.)

[Viola 1]

It doesn't take much gluten to make most of us miserable, that's for sure. I'm not sure how much it takes to damage the intestine.

However, if the world were a perfect one, every doctor would have a serious illness, surgery, and a stay in hospital before they get their license. Then they would be more sympathetic to their patients. I don't wish a lifetime on them, but just a sample would do.

[Ursa Major]

It has been found that each glutening will cause damage to the intestine, which takes about three weeks to heal. Meaning, if you get glutened every three weeks, you'll never heal completely.

But I agree that you can't get too paranoid and constantly worrying about it, as that would cause mental problems and stress that could shorten your life as well. As long as we're as careful as humanly possibly, without being totally freaked out about the possibility of cc, we should be okay.

[tarnalberry]

I think you're doctor is being a doctor, and that's it. He's being sensible, but not 'in the life of', if that makes any sense. A small amount of gluten isn't going to do enough damage to show up on a biopsy, but studies do show that repeatedlly glutenings over shorter periods of time do have long term effects.

That said, there are no time machines that can make you go back and ungluten yourself, so there's no reason to get to anx-y when it does happen, and just be very careful to try to avoid it happening in the first place.

[brendygirl]

Makes me remember how I used to trust doctors!

You are so lucky you feel comfortable with yours...so many here have had such AWFUL experiences.