Anyone Celiac With An Eating Disorder?

[citykatmm]

Just wondering if anyone else is having the same experience. I have anorexia and celiac, and am wondering how the two might be related. Just wonder if the anorexia triggered the celiac, for instance. I'm sure they are related somehow, but I haven't seen much research on the topic. I have googled it and found some case studies. I started a gluten free diet in the past week and feel a lot better already. I can tell that I may have eaten something with gluten in it last night at a neighbor's house as I am having some symptoms this morning. It's amazing how much difference the diet mnakes! I was living on whey protein before I knew. No wonder I felt so bad all the time. My dad has it too, and I know it is hereditary. But maybe it was triggered by the ED?

[ShayFL]

I think it is the other way around. Celiac can lead to anorexia.

[citykatmm]

I think it is the other way around. Celiac can lead to anorexia.

Probably so for most people, that's why I have found limited research on it. I can see how it could lead to anorexia because you are so limited and eating just isn't enjoyable if you are eating wheat products and doin't know you are allergic to them. I don't think my Celiac led to my anorexia though. Although I feel uncomfortable after eating, it is most psychological. There were some physical symptoms too, though, so it's possible either way I guess.

[Jestgar]

I don't have any helpful advice, but I'm curious. Do you think going gluten-free has helped your symptoms of anorexia?

[Sunrise85]

I've been curious of the relationship between celiac and eating disorders also. I had anorexia in my younger teen years, then began to have bouts of binging and purging towards the end of high school. I wondered if the binging was triggered by my increased consumption of gluten as I got older and ate out with friends more, as my family has unintentionally eaten practically gluten-free anyhow (mostly fish, chicken, vegetables, tofu, rice, nuts..). The binging would always be on foods with high gluten content, ie bread, baked desserts, cookies, wheat thins, cereal, etc. These were things I wouldn't normally eat, but once I had a little, I would have a full blown episode, followed by an inability to digest and nausea. Thus, I would either not eat for the next day or so from massive stomach pains, or throw up and feel better immediately. I would also feel panicky, emotionally unstable, and very anxious after eating these kinds of foods, and attributed it mostly to the eating disorder. Now I'm thinking, the physical reaction was probably due to celiac.

I've heard other accounts of people with eating disorders that later discovered they were celiacs also.. wish they would do more research on this! I could see how it could also work the other way around too. I think I found it hard in the beginning to restrict so much, because it struck a familiar feeling to those severe dieting days. Also was a little sensitive when eating in public, and having people think my restrictive eating WAS due to an eating disorder instead of celiac!

Just curious, how are you doing now with the ED? I find it hard sometimes to juggle both the worries of weight, and eating gluten-free on top of everything. Now, I'm trying to channel it positively and focus on becoming healthy instead of worrying too much about caloric intake, weight, etc.

[ShayFL]

There is some evidence that certain nutritional deficiencies can lead to eating disorders as well. Research that and see what you find. Celiac often causes many deficiencies, so that could be your calling card.

I am a recovered bullimic. I have been binge free for about 15 years. I too often binged on high gluten foods...pizza...donuts....captain crunch.....cakes...cookies....yup...me too. I couldnt puke. nope. I then exercised like an animal to get rid of it and took laxatives. My tummy hurt the whole time though.

[citykatmm]

So far it's just been a mere week that I have known about the celiac. I find it very triggering to have to restrict and I have worked hard to put some weight on and keep it on. Honestly, I'm afraid this might send me into a tailspin. But the more information I find on the subject the better I night be able to get a hold of this before it again gets out of control. Well, it already is out of control I guess - I just am too heavy and I think I need to lose weight. But I always think that. It's interesting to hear from other people as well.

[Lux]

Hey there,

I am also a recovering anorexic, recently diagnosed with Celiac...I was absolutely certain that there was a link in there somewhere...perhaps, for me, it was due to the kinds of foods I was restricting myself to (small helpings of zero fat pasta on its own, every night for dinner for about four years)...perhaps this contributed to creating/worsening my condition? I do not know. If you do find any information, please do post about it. I am curious...

xo

[LuvMoosic4life]

I am very interested in this also. I've never officially had an eating disorder, but there were definite periods in my life where I had disordered eating habits, at one point I avoided food, and then at other points I would binge, which often led to occasional purging, not because I was afraid of becoming fat, but because I felt sooo sick from the gluteny foods I binged on and the only way to fell better was to puke, sometimes it would just come up. Then I would get severely depressed and purposely eat things I know would make me sick, only I didnt realize the connection to it being gluten intolerance, even the depression. Funny how depression is the a major symptom of celiac and it is also the trigger in ED's. I have no doubt it's all connected.

My whole family is like this. I come from a VERY itailian family where food is the focal point and we learn from a young age that it almost like it's "everything". The whole day/year/every single event revolves around food. PLus my whole family is overwieght and has a host of digestive problems ranging from bleeding ulcers/gallbladder problems to pancreas and colon cancer. I watch my family memebers gain and lose wieght as they attempt new fad diets, give up, binge, and then feel miserable that they go back to thier old "fat" selves. depression is also very prevelant in my family. there have been 2 suicides and multiple people including my mom are taking depression meds. Many continuously complain about gas and digestive problems, but yet they fail to take me seriously when I tell them it could be gluten. And when I dont eat something or am picky about certain foods they dont believe me and jut think I am being "wieght concious" or on some new diet. and since I've lost wieght in the past and have become much thinner than the rest of my family, they think I'm using this whole gluten thing as a way to avoid eating

ok I way way off topic, but I just thought I'd share...i could go on forever with this topic.....

I believe celiac is a major hidden trigger for ED's in the case that someone doesnt even know they have it , but I also believe that the celiac can be activated by an ED since ED's are a major stress on the body! I think a smaller amount of people would get an ED after finding out they have celiac, I think finding out may actually help an ED, but I can see how in some cases it may trigger it later on since many become more focussed on food than ever before.

I wonder though if having the gene for celiac (not neccessarily having the full blown disease activated)makes one more prone to depression leading to ED?? definitly needs research- although this would take quite some time!

[flourgirl]

I have no doubt about the connection between the disease and the disorders. Your body is reacting negatively to something that it needs to survive....food. You eat the foods that you think are healthy, and it makes you ill one way or another. You are caught in a double bind here......and the war is on. Brain/body knows it needs something, but that very something is killing you. So, without really knowing why, you avoid the things that hurt you (food) and barely subsist on what little you can "get by" on. Some fail to subsist and literally starve themselves to death (Karen Carpenter comes to mind). Others get caught up in the war by binging....the survival instinct comes into play...you NEED food to live....but then you purge because you know on a subconscious level that those very foods are hurting you.

This is just my theory, not something I read. BUT it's the only way I can make sense of all of this. I have been diagnosed as anorexic, I have a niece diagnosed the same way. Her doctor accused her of just not eating! In the end she was diagnosed as Celiac.....her doctor telling her all the while that she COULD NOT BE.

[loraleena]

I honestly think it is possible that the trauma to your body that an eating disorder could cause could trigger celiac. I had anorexia in college. It was not related to food making me feel bad. I just desperately wanted to be waif thin! After recover in 93, I started to have health issues a couple years after. I often wonder if hurting my body in this way contributed to all my health issues.

[jgross]

I totally agree with the posts saying that celiac can trigger anexoria! I was diagnosed with celiac almost three years ago and I still struggle with eating sometimes, although I have come a long way. Every day is a battle - some more than others.

When I was first diagnosed, the change in diet and the increased cost of the food and a lot of other factors caused me to eat a lot less. Plus, I always enjoyed bread and the gluten-free varieties just aren't the same, so I ate less of them. The decrease of carbs in general in my diet caused my weight to go down. I started out at 140 - 145 lbs; at the end of December, I was down to 100. I'm usually between 110 and 115 now, but for someone my height (5' 10"), that's really underweight.

I have a family situation like someone else described where food = love and if you don't eat how much I think you should, then you don't love me, which puts this unspoken expectation out there at every meal, especially at holidays or other family gatherings, where the normal mode for most people is to stuff yourself. And the people in my wife's family have weight issues, but the opposite of me. My family tends to be more on the slim side; I've never been overweight, but I used to be able to stuff myself to appease them, but I just can't anymore.

I've gotten over most of the guilt of the cost of the food. Remember - what you don't spend on food will be spent on doctor bills if you're malnourished. I have to keep reminding myself of that. And yes, I sometimes binge and eat too much - and regret that too.

Hang in there.

[Katsby]

I had an eating disorder (anorexia) up until I became pregnant with my first child nine years ago. Coincidentally it was that pregnancy that I think triggered my whole gluten intolerance problem that I have. I gained a lot of weight and I think it was pretty traumatic on my body which had been struggling with nutrients.