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Is It A Red Head Thing?


Rook's Mommy

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Rook's Mommy Apprentice

My son is a red head. Since finding out about it I have meet people who have celiac and a good portion of the are red heads. So is my mother and niece who both have signs. It seems odd. Oh and the owner of the bakery I went to was a red head as well. :unsure:


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angel-jd1 Community Regular

Many people who have red hair are of Irish descent. Celiac also ties into Irish heritage/genes. I guess that would be about the only correlation. As far as i know :D Good observation though.

-Jessica :rolleyes:

RiceAddict Rookie

Hair color is determined by genes. Red hair is a recessive gene, which is why it is less common. We are not Irish or Scottish but I am the ONLY person in my family with red hair. Also the only one with celiac, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. .

I sure hope my REAL parents are rich!

Aizlynn Rookie

I am a red head, but of Italian/German decent no potato blood in me. However, when I went to my first Gluten Intolerance Group meeting yesterday I did notice a a few red heads in the group.

GeoffCJ Enthusiast

I think the first responder is correct.

Celiac has the highest rates of incidence amongst people of Celtic descent (which includes Scots, not just Irish). These populations also have high rates of red hair.

I'm not a redhead, but my mom and sister both are! (Scottish)

Geoff

Rook's Mommy Apprentice

I that all makes a lot of sense. We are Irish!

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular

I remember reading that among Asians in Asia, celiac disease is virtually unheard of, but among Asians living in America, the rate of celiac disease incidence increases with each generation (as their diet becomes more and more Westernized).

I am sorry that I can't remember where I read that, so I cannot present this as peer-reviewed science! But to connect it to this thread, the Asian-Americans who have celiac certainly don't have red hair or Irish heritage!

Still--we should do a poll on how many of us here have any Celtic ancestors.


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cgilsing Enthusiast

I'm a redhead and so is my son.....but the red-headed side of the family is not the Celiac side! :lol: We are all Scottish/Irish/German though....

Ursa Major Collaborator

I'm a redhead. My mother, who I am sure had celiac disease, had brown hair, but her mother had red hair (and her mother died young of stomach cancer, probably not a coincidence).

No Irish heritage here, just German.

darlindeb25 Collaborator

Well, let me see if I can stump any of you. I am sure there is some Irish on my mom's side and yes, she is a true redhead. My sister and I both have red highlights in our hair, yet, our mom is not celiac, our father is and he was a brunette in his day, now mostly gray. My dad's family is English and German. Blows that theory huh!!!!! ;)

By the way--just wanted to add, my hair really is not as dark as in the pic here, that was Garnier Nutresse ;) , still is, but as close to my natural color as possible--chestnut!

Ann1231 Enthusiast

I'm a redhead and so was my grandmother on my Dad's side, which is where the celiac is dominant. We are of Irish and German heritage.

jayhawkmom Enthusiast

I'm a redhead - and I'm Irish/German. :)

Obviously.... since my children have my dna, they also share in my heritage. However, none of them have red hair, much to my dismay.

Both my boys have brown hair and my daughter is a blondie. I can see, in years to come, one of my kiddos will post here and say..... "hey, yea... my mom has red hair!!"

*giggle*

2kids4me Contributor

No redheads in this family or in relatives ..... blonde and chestnut brown dominate...

No Irish blood but Slovak and Scot and German add european diversity :)

Sandy

plantime Contributor

Celiac was passed down in my family through my maternal grandpa. He was French and Irish. He used to say he was "Black Irish" because his hair was jet-black until the day he died. Vydorscope's little boy, Timber, has the most gorgeous red curls!

lonewolf Collaborator

My son is a red-head and is gluten intolerant, but not officially Celiac. When he was a baby, the pediatrician told me that red-heads have a higher incidence of food and environmental allergies and to be watchful.

concerned-mom061 Rookie

I am of Irish decent. My mother had ared tent to her hair....and several of her sisters have red hair. My daughter is the first known case in the family.....and she has a red tint to her hair......but after her diagnosis..many of my mom's sisters are being tested, for they all have the symptoms. My mother died at 41 of natural causes.....but in the end she suffered from bloody stools, an extreme amount of weight gain, severe anemia, horrible arthiritis, and many other things.

My little brother also has red hair...and he exhibits many of the symptoms of an intolerance.

So...maybe you are onto something!

prinsessa Contributor

None of the people who I know that are Gluten intolerant have red hair. That doesn't mean that red heads aren't more likely to have gluten intolerant. I just don't know any that are.

mtdawber Apprentice

I'm the red head in my family... that's so funny... I've always been the one with iron deficiencies, bad skin and stomach problems... ha ha ha... no one else in my family shoes any signs of celiac! My dad was too (he passed several years ago) but he was always skinny as a rail - makes me wonder....

2boysmama Apprentice

I have strawberry blonde hair and so do both my boys - all three of us are gluten sensitive. My husband has brown hair but is Irish and is also GS. My mother has red hair and her father is directly from Ireland. My dad's side of the family (where I got my specific hair color) is Scottish/Welsh...so genetically-speaking I'm pretty much surrounded, I think ! :lol:

Lisa Mentor

Interesting topic and intriguing.

My Uncle and his daughter are red-headed. I have always had red highlights and of Austrian decent.

Red hair and odd body shape.......could this be an alien connection. :unsure:

  • 2 weeks later...
laurac Newbie

Well, funny thing-- my son and husband are both celiacs. Celiac comes from my husband's side of the family. There are a few others including his grandfather that have celiac disease. They are all 100% Italian. There is nothing else mixed in there.

ILOVEOMC Enthusiast

Yes, my son who has celiac is a redhead. I am also and my daughter but we don't have celiac. Good idea to bring up!

  • 6 years later...
0range Apprentice

Very old thread, but here's an interesting article about this! Open Original Shared Link

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