Still Drinking Regular Beer - No Problems

[Mountaineer Josh]

I've reported in the past that I regularly drink Bud Light without any issues. For the third straight blood test "check-up" my numbers are great and no sign of gluten entering my system. I'm looking forward to the "gluten-free" definition being finalized because I believe that if Anheiser Busch/InBev does test their lighter beers, we'll find that their gluten levels are well below 20 ppm. Hopefully they view this as advantageous from a business perspective.

I also drink Corona without any issues. I think the key is to avoid all gluten from other sources.

Anyone else drink beer on a regular basis without problems?

[Ken70]

I'm not Celiac but gluten is a problem for me.

Carona Light - no problem

any regular beer - problem

[JNBunnie1]

I've reported in the past that I regularly drink Bud Light without any issues. For the third straight blood test "check-up" my numbers are great and no sign of gluten entering my system. I'm looking forward to the "gluten-free" definition being finalized because I believe that if Anheiser Busch/InBev does test their lighter beers, we'll find that their gluten levels are well below 20 ppm. Hopefully they view this as advantageous from a business perspective.

I also drink Corona without any issues. I think the key is to avoid all gluten from other sources.

Anyone else drink beer on a regular basis without problems?

Idunno, I definitely have Celiac and I always tested negative anyway. I wouldn't trust it so much, I'd say try going without the beer for a couple months and then try, that would be a better indicator than tests that are historically undependable.

[Mountaineer Josh]

Idunno, I definitely have Celiac and I always tested negative anyway. I wouldn't trust it so much, I'd say try going without the beer for a couple months and then try, that would be a better indicator than tests that are historically undependable.

After my first celiac panel bloodwork revealed my antibody count was around 275. Also, last year, I had a follow-up endoscopy, while drinking beer regularly, showed no signs of celiac after being on a gluten-free diet for the previous year. Obviously, we all have different levels of sensitivity to gluten. Apparently the levels in watered down beer like Bud Light and Corona simply don't affect my system.

I've read that others drink regular beer on here in the past. Again, hopefully beer companies will test their levels once the definitions have been finalized.

[Calicoe]

Yeah, I've been having the same experience. Some beers make me sick as a dog for days, and some beers I can drink 2 or 3 close to bedtime and wake up clear as a bell. I have found that the clear lagers and pilsners are a good bet for me. I'm sure it has something to do with the brewing and fermentation time. Darker ales usually have a caramel color added. I find the beers I can drink and stick with them: Bavik Beer (Belgian Pils), New Grist (Gluten free and good), Budweiser (rice water), a polish beer (forgot the name, but it's in Whole Foods). I think Asahi may be safe as well.

There must be a reason that can be explained in the ingredients and fermentation process of lagers.

*However, I'm not sure what is wrong with me. It may be celiac disease/gluten intolerance, or it may be something else. If I have Candida A., I don't think any beer is good. You have to trust your own experiences on this one, because my own are not a standard.

[Lockheed]

Well.. I'm a silent sufferer. At 20 I developed osteoperosis and only found out because while riding my bike across campus to get to class I hopped a curb and my then 10lb backpack strap caused my right collar bone to shatter (okay well not shatter exactly but one full break and two fractures and all of which lined up with the strap when they finally x-rayed me). So totally random in my unsuspecting gluten afflicted life. So the moral of my story is just because you don't notice a symptom doesn't mean there isn't one present.

[larry mac]

This is the Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Forum. If one has Celiac disease, one doesn't consume gluten. Wheat, Barley, & Rye contain gluten. Beer is made from malted barley. Celiacs don't drink beer. Perhaps you people don't have Celiac Disease.

best regards, lm

[Ken70]

This is the Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Forum. If one has Celiac disease, one doesn't consume gluten. Wheat, Barley, & Rye contain gluten. Beer is made from malted barley. Celiacs don't drink beer. Perhaps you people don't have Celiac Disease.

best regards, lm

We can debate the differences between celiac and GI but that is another topic. I think some of us feel like some beer may not have gluten in it either at all or in parts so small that some of us don't react. Noone is recommending drinking beer for Celiac sufferers but there is more that we don't know about all of this than we do know.

[Tim-n-VA]

There is so much variation from human to human it is hard to generalize.

I'm not sure what "... I definitely have Celiac and I always tested negative..." means considering that celiac overlaps other diseases/conidtions in symptoms, etc. A true wheat allergy could symtomatically be exactly like classic celiac symtoms, test negative on all standard celiac tests and still allow someone to consume gluten in the form of barley or rye.

Just to be clear, I really don't care how someone chooses to describe their "condition". I am concerned that someone might try to extrapolate one person's experience into a general statement about celiac and beer.

Added note: I have accidentally consumed malt from barley with no symptoms. I didn't have an immediate blood test so I don't know if there were other things happening. I would not jump from that to starting to consume all foods with barley (although that would make cereal selections significantly better).

[modiddly16]

This is the Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Forum. If one has Celiac disease, one doesn't consume gluten. Wheat, Barley, & Rye contain gluten. Beer is made from malted barley. Celiacs don't drink beer. Perhaps you people don't have Celiac Disease.

best regards, lm

not really sure this type of attitude is necessary... A lot of people react differently to celiac disease, Mountaineer Josh- Just because you're not having a reaction to the beer, doesn't mean that it isn't doing some serious internal damage. If you were diagnosed then I think it's best you don't drink beer, even if you don't have a negative reaction. My ex-boyfriends father is a Celiac, a diagnosed Celiac, who doesn't react to certain foods so he eats them...never once have I questioned his diagnosis. Just because someone has Celiac Disease, doesn't mean they're going to follow the directions and do what's best for them.

no need for rudeness.

[elye]

not really sure this type of attitude is necessary... A lot of people react differently to celiac disease, Mountaineer Josh- Just because you're not having a reaction to the beer, doesn't mean that it isn't doing some serious internal damage. If you were diagnosed then I think it's best you don't drink beer, even if you don't have a negative reaction. My ex-boyfriends father is a Celiac, a diagnosed Celiac, who doesn't react to certain foods so he eats them...never once have I questioned his diagnosis. Just because someone has Celiac Disease, doesn't mean they're going to follow the directions and do what's best for them.

no need for rudeness.

I don't think Larry Mac was trying to be rude, just straightforward in his point that with celiac disease, it's all or nothing - - you cannot be a little pregnant, and you cannot be just a bit celiac. When you say, "a lot of people react differently to celiac disease", if you mean that people with the illness have varying degrees of reaction to gluten, this is quite true. However, the treatment remains the same regardless: no gluten in the diet.

"If you were diagnosed then I think it's best you don't drink beer" - - well, if you were diagnosed, from a medical perspective I know that it's mandatory that you don't drink beer....unless of course it is gluten-free.

[Takala]

Bud Light is brewed from hops, barley malt, and rice.

This poster had repeatedly posted that he drinks this beer and claims to have no "issues" with it, however, this item is not certified to be gluten free and is made from barley, which is part of the wheat family, so it also would cause an auto immune reaction in people who are known to be sensitive to gluten. He is offering up a personal experience as an example of how in the future, an item might test out to be below the proposed legal limit for gluten.

But this is all speculation.

People's reaction to minute amounts of gluten truly varies from person to person. But to rely on a physical reaction to gluten is not enough for most people to be able to truly tell whether or not an item is "gluten free." I am basing this not only on my personal experience (not from drinking beer, but from eating other contaminated things accidently and finding out after the fact that it was contaminated but I did not react much at all, one of the mysteries of life. I have, of course, also eaten supposedly gluten free items and reacted badly.) but on what I have read here written by many other people. Lack of obvious reaction does not mean that an item made from barley malt is going to be safe for consumption by people who are supposed to be adhering to a gluten free diet.

In the majority of gluten intolerant people the disease is silent, undiagnosed because the damage is occurring in a way that is not obvious. In many people the

If any beer company wanted to make a truly gluten free beer they are free to do so and then market the item as truly "gluten free."

If a beer company wanted to increase their market share by implying that they were gluten free (while still being made of gluten sources) then that would not be a good thing to be trying to market it to people who had to stick to a gluten free diet.

[neesee]

Josh,

You really shouldn't drink beer. I'm not one to preach at someone, but if something clearly has gluten, you shouldn't consume it.

I'm sure it's tough to be young, male and celiac, but you've got take care of yourself. You are only issued one body, and you are lucky enough to know you should be gluten-free. You've been given a gift. The gluten-free diet! Don't turn your back on it.

I'm not the paranoid type either. But if something clearly has gluten, I don't eat it.

neesee

[happygirl]

This is the Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Forum. If one has Celiac disease, one doesn't consume gluten. Wheat, Barley, & Rye contain gluten. Beer is made from malted barley. Celiacs don't drink beer. Perhaps you people don't have Celiac Disease.

best regards, lm

Actually, there are very many people with Celiac Disease that do not follow the diet https://www.celiac.com/articles/21484/1/Stu...Diet/Page1.html. People with Celiac Diease do drink beer. It doesn't mean they should or shouldn't - but they do.

Josh has confirmed Celiac Disease and I'm willing to bet he doesn't appreciate being told that he doesn't have a condition that he does have.

[Mountaineer Josh]

This is the Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Forum. If one has Celiac disease, one doesn't consume gluten. Wheat, Barley, & Rye contain gluten. Beer is made from malted barley. Celiacs don't drink beer. Perhaps you people don't have Celiac Disease.

best regards, lm

This is laughable on many levels. Unfortunately, not everything is black and white. I've been confirmed celiac for three years. I know this shatters people's strict interpretation of the gluten free diet, but the bottom line is, light beers don't affect me. My follow-up endoscopy and blood tests have proven this. If I were to eat a sandwhich, I'm sure my antibody counts would jump up. The bottom line is this, beers like Bud Light contain such low levels of gluten, that many celiacs simply don't react to it.

You do realize there are varying degrees of the disease right? Look at the literature.

[tom]

I know this shatters people's strict interpretation of the gluten free diet, but the bottom line is, light beers don't affect me.

Shatters?

I think a more appropriate word is 'violates'.

There was a time, in the 90s, when I'd consume small amounts of gluten that didn't affect me symptomatically.

Biggest mistake I ever made.

[Takala]

Here is a helpful FAQ link that mentions why drinking regular beer is a bad idea for gluten intolerant people. It might look familiar to you.

Open Original Shared Link

"What is the treatment for Celiac Disease?

There are no drugs to treat Celiac Disease and there is no cure. But celiacs can lead normal, healthy lives by following a gluten free diet. This means avoiding all products derived from wheat, rye, and barley."

"Can a person with Celiac Disease drink wine?

Yes, wine is made from grapes. Conversely, beer is made from grains and cannot be consumed by a Celiac."

[gfp]

This is laughable on many levels. Unfortunately, not everything is black and white. I've been confirmed celiac for three years. I know this shatters people's strict interpretation of the gluten free diet, but the bottom line is, light beers don't affect me. My follow-up endoscopy and blood tests have proven this. If I were to eat a sandwhich, I'm sure my antibody counts would jump up. The bottom line is this, beers like Bud Light contain such low levels of gluten, that many celiacs simply don't react to it.

You do realize there are varying degrees of the disease right? Look at the literature.

Josh, this is short because I have to leave for work ... so it might be a bit blunt.

There are many people with celiac disease who are simply in denial. I know, I was one ...

Like you I was diagnosed and was determined ... hey, I'll be one of those who can drink the odd beer or eat oats .. etc.etc.

The figures you have quoted (I'm not sure which test) but you need a full panel to be 'sure'...

My Sig translates as "man(kind) will willingly believe what he wishes to believe.

Now it's possible you don't react to horedin (barley protein) ... however there are also a lot of other explanations...

Regardless of biopsy there is a lot of damage you can do outside the intestines... neurological and thyroid being common.

You can trigger other auto immune responses.

to quote yourself

You do realize there are varying degrees of the disease right? Look at the literature.

There are many responses but there are also many celiacs who think they are doing a gluten-free diet but are not really.

The first hand literature (clinical studies) I have seen has never said that even very low amounts of gluten causes NO DAMAGE ... however these are often misread..particularly the part that say's "damage was no worse" ... because there are plently of companies would like to get away without being able to guarantee what is in their product.

In the end I find it hard to believe you were ever gluten-free in the true sense. (not a criticism but something for you to think about)

Many of us (probably most) actually started off this way... and things got better...

Because things got better we thought that was it.... then 6 months or a year later we start asking "Does anyone else ....."

If you read posts in that light you'll see for yourself. And ... Almost EVERYONE who is diagnosed who then gos that extra mile sees improvement... symptoms we didn't know we had disappear from joint pain to migranes to ..... (its a very long list)..

In that year of gluten light I developed peripheral neuropathy... 4 yrs later its still not right.... but its getting very slowly better...

For many these non GI symptoms are permanent or certainly going to affect their life for years to come...

I would ask you consider going 100% strictly gluten-free for 3 months... then try a beer...

All you have to lose is .. well a few beers!

[elye]

I would ask you consider going 100% strictly gluten-free for 3 months... then try a beer...

All you have to lose is .. well a few beers!

This is a great suggestion! You may be surprised, Josh (in a good way) at how you feel at the end of those three months, and how you feel after you drink that first light beer once being completely gluten-free for that time. You could drink Redbridge in the interim, the gluten-free beer that DH says is quite passable......

[gfp]

This is a great suggestion! You may be surprised, Josh (in a good way) at how you feel at the end of those three months, and how you feel after you drink that first light beer once being completely gluten-free for that time. You could drink Redbridge in the interim, the gluten-free beer that DH says is quite passable......

Exactly, what I didn't have time to say earlier was how so many of us then react to that first glutening...

We might think we are not getting glutened but that is because we have no real reference...

I know of many of the people on here who started off the 'normal way' .. but the normal way is what the MD or GI tell you, they can't FEEL what you FEEL.... and I know that I personally (and lots of us here) actually discovered symptoms by their absence, not by their presence.

When going 100% gluten-free we found that symptoms we thought were 'getting older' or 'everyone has that'

[MauriceReed]

I am pleased to say that over here in the U.K. a couple of breweries now produce gluten-free beers. The come in bottles only and can be purchased by mail order.

One of the breweries now does three different types of beer.

I'm not Coeliac myself but my wife is. I have tried a couple of these beers and they are quite good. So, there is hope for all.

[ravenwoodglass]

I would ask you consider going 100% strictly gluten-free for 3 months... then try a beer...

All you have to lose is .. well a few beers!

I also am going to suggest this. One of the first things you may notice is that you do not get as good of a 'buzz' off of wine or gluten free alcohols. This is a good thing and will help you to realize that the gluten is affecting your neuro system more than you realize. Also bear in mind that gluten is a very addictive substance and you may find the switch over difficult, if you do then you know for sure that gluten beers are not for you. There is so much more to celiac than just the GI related stuff. Even small amounts can lead to some pretty bad autoimmune damage to the joints, brain, thyroid and just about every other organ.

If you do decide to continue for the time being with gluten grain beer please be sure to get regular liver panels done. If the autoimmune process should decide to attack your liver a lot of damage can be done fairly quicklly.

[modiddly16]

I don't think Larry Mac was trying to be rude, just straightforward in his point that with celiac disease, it's all or nothing - - you cannot be a little pregnant, and you cannot be just a bit celiac. When you say, "a lot of people react differently to celiac disease", if you mean that people with the illness have varying degrees of reaction to gluten, this is quite true. However, the treatment remains the same regardless: no gluten in the diet.

"If you were diagnosed then I think it's best you don't drink beer" - - well, if you were diagnosed, from a medical perspective I know that it's mandatory that you don't drink beer....unless of course it is gluten-free.

I'm sorry...mandatory?? There is no one sitting here to hold my hand and force me to follow the diet, I choose to follow the diet because it makes me feel healthier, I know several people who choose not to follow the diet because of whatever personal reason and they deal with the consequences. So yes, while the treatment remains the same, some people do not noticeably react when they consume gluten. Nothing is mandatory...most people won't immediately die if they eat gluten, they just get sick...and if people want to be sick all the time, that's their decision.

Like I said in my post...just because you're consuming gluten and don't notice a reaction doesn't mean that it isn't doing damage, even if your antibody levels don't jump up.

[cruelshoes]

The thing that strikes me about this entire conversation is this: The mantra that we all hear on the different celiac boards is that the testing is not perfect. In the diagnosis phase, does negative bloodwork mean you don't have celiac? Nope. Does no villi damage found on a biopsy mean gluten isn't a problem? Nope. Why should things be any different when it comes to follow up testing? Gluten intake may fall below what can be detected on bloodwork, and villi damage can be patchy. It does not mean that damage is not ocurring, with or without symptoms. The effects of gluten are cumulative. A couple of beers today and incremental gluten exposures tomorrow add up to a whole lot over a lifetime.

They are your villi, and you can do what you want with them. I hope you remain healthy, but I don't think I would be willing to take the same chance.

[gfp]

I'm sorry...mandatory?? There is no one sitting here to hold my hand and force me to follow the diet, I choose to follow the diet because it makes me feel healthier, I know several people who choose not to follow the diet because of whatever personal reason and they deal with the consequences. So yes, while the treatment remains the same, some people do not noticeably react when they consume gluten. Nothing is mandatory...most people won't immediately die if they eat gluten, they just get sick...and if people want to be sick all the time, that's their decision.

Like I said in my post...just because you're consuming gluten and don't notice a reaction doesn't mean that it isn't doing damage, even if your antibody levels don't jump up.

I think what some of us are trying to say is that "noticeably react" really depends if you are gluten-free or not.

When posting here its good to remember people who have poor or more likely worse than poor advice from a GP or GI will be reading these posts thinking ... ooh I can drink beer...

Its only natural ... however it can be very harmful.

Most GP's and GI's have never actually been gluten-free.... for those with big symptoms they can tell... the worse case is for those who can't.

HOWEVER ... my experience (both personal and of others here) is that MOST of the people say they don't react that then TRY a 100% gluten-free diet then find they actually did react, they just didn't recognise the symptoms.

.and if people want to be sick all the time, that's their decision.

Yes, but lets be sure we give them the best information to base that decision on....

Josh may say he doesn't react .. but I believe its more likely he doesn't recognise the symptoms.

Perhaps Josh is anomalous, (heck we are all anomalous) but perhaps he doesn't react to Barley...

This still doesn't help those reading the post....

We do have a collective responsibility to at least provide the best advice we can and sometimes this means disagreeing with someone.... but not only for them but for newly diagnosed who come here wondering what the heck to do ...