Celiac And Depression

[mac0521]

Hello - I am 39years old and I was diagnosed with celiac about two weeks ago.

Probably the biggest struggle in my life up until now has been with depression. I have been through talk therapy for years and have been on zoloft for years. From what have been reading there seems to be some connection between celiac and depression.

Has anyone followed the gulten free diet for a period of time found some relief from depression?

Thanks!

[KristaleeJane]

Yes

I have also been diagnosed with depression at a very young age and put on anti-depressants alot through my early 20's, I didn't find that they worked and eventually I got myself off of them and tried a more natural approach, but nothing seemed to work. I have only been gluten free for about 2.5 mths and I feel a big change in my levels of depression and anxiety. It truly does effect your mood and overall strive for life.

I am hoping to continue on this path

Krista, 28

[veggienft]

Here's how I understand it. Wheat gluten's active ingredient is the gliadin protein. The autoimmune reaction to gliadin in the gut causes the gut to produce a protein called zonulin. Zonulin makes membranes permeable. Gliadin makes the gut-blood barrier permeable. So the permeable gut walls empty gliadin and zonulin into the bloodstream. In the bloodstream zonulin makes the blood-brain barrier permeable, and allows gliadin where it does not belong, surrounding nerve tissue.

Humans have cell receptors in the central nervous system for a protein called endorphin. Endorphin is mother nature's own tranquilizer. It keeps our moods positive. Gliadin is an "exorphin", so called because it mimics endorphin, and plugs into the endorphin receptors in the central nervous system. But instead of helping mood like endorphin, gliadin harms mood.

Gliadin also attacks nerve tissue, damaging and killing it.

Gliadin also attacks the liver, slowing the production of an enzyme called cholinesterase. In nerve tissue, cholinesterase is the base chemical needed for shutting off electrical nerve impulses. With lowered cholinesterase levels, nerves tend to fire more often, and randomly.

Wheat gluten is extremely harmful to the nervous systems of celiacs.

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[Lizz7711]

Hello - I am 39years old and I was diagnosed with celiac about two weeks ago.

Probably the biggest struggle in my life up until now has been with depression. I have been through talk therapy for years and have been on zoloft for years. From what have been reading there seems to be some connection between celiac and depression.

Has anyone followed the gulten free diet for a period of time found some relief from depression?

Thanks!

I have suffered from depression since childhood and just 6 months ago found out I am celiac. But more importantly for the depression issue, found out that I had adrenal fatigue about 9 months ago (likely due in part from the celiac). When I began taking low-dose hydrocortisone for adrenal fatigue, much of my depression was lifted (along with irritability, rage attacks--disappeared in a few days!). In January 08 also diagnosed hypothyroid and began taking ARmour --there is a high link of hypothyroid with depression as well (also caused from the celiac disease).

I also think other factors play in here to increase depression/nervous system issues and those are: exposure to heavy metals esp. mercury and lead; leaky gut issues; intake of things like food dyes, aspartame, MSG; and Candida.

So, you may get great improvement just by going gluten-free, but if not, i'd look into some of those other links. Hope you feel better soon

[geokozmo]

I used to be treated for depression in the past. My fatigue lifted since I am on a glutenfree diet. The connection is evident.

[gfp]

Here's how I understand it. Wheat gluten's active ingredient is the gliadin protein. The autoimmune reaction to gliadin in the gut causes the gut to produce a protein called zonulin. Zonulin makes membranes permeable. Gliadin makes the gut-blood barrier permeable. So the permeable gut walls empty gliadin and zonulin into the bloodstream. In the bloodstream zonulin makes the blood-brain barrier permeable, and allows gliadin where it does not belong, surrounding nerve tissue.

Technically zonulin is supposed to control the permeability of the cell walls. However its less simple (permeability doesn't exist as a quantity because its always relative to the liquid ... i.e. A substance will have different permeabilities for water and oil a seive coated in wax but with lots of holes will allow water through but will repel oil so its permeability for water will be higher than water for instance but without the wax its permeability for water will be higher than oil because the oil is 'thicker'...)

If you add a detergent to the oil then the permeability for oil in the sieve changes ... this is analogous to the addition of zonulin

[veggienft]

Technically zonulin is supposed to control the permeability of the cell walls. However its less simple (permeability doesn't exist as a quantity because its always relative to the liquid ... i.e. A substance will have different permeabilities for water and oil a seive coated in wax but with lots of holes will allow water through but will repel oil so its permeability for water will be higher than water for instance but without the wax its permeability for water will be higher than oil because the oil is 'thicker'...)

If you add a detergent to the oil then the permeability for oil in the sieve changes ... this is analogous to the addition of zonulin

That reads like a lipid function. Funny you should dredge up this thread in this way. I just started researching lipids on the internet. Lipids are simply cholesterol.

Lipids seem to be the body's vehicles for proteins and their effects on membranes all the way down to cell walls. Lipids are used this way because they have the capacity to be fluid, have the capacity to form coatings, and have the capacity to form vessels for transporting chemicals. Lipids seem to morph in and out of these states via chemical actions which simply change the adhesion and fluidity properties of the opposing ends of the lipid molecules.

I started down this road by investigating the connection between celiac disease and miscarriage ......an autoimmune disease called "anti-phospholipid syndrome". Apparently the body creates antibodies against phospholipids.

Lipids receive their remarkable qualities because the opposing ends of their molecules have opposing qualities. One end is hydrophobic, while the other is hydrophilic ......opposing vs attracting water. I found references to the body making lipids release from membranes simply by changing the hydrophobic qualities of the "head" ends of lipids.

Sometimes contaminated lipids fail to release, apparently in saturated form. Phosphates are detergents. I could find no link which said so, but I'm gonna hazard a guess, and say that some phospholipids exist because they have been scrubbed from membranes.

The point to the subject post is that lipids play a pivotal roll in sealing and protecting membranes. The membrane permeability action of a cytokine like zonulin would have to at least include the removal or parting of the lipids protecting a membrane.

Anything past that would be speculation on my part. But it's becoming apparent that an abundant intake of high density lipids is essential to maintaining the body's membrane integrity.

Eat your Omega 3s people.

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