Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Gluten Intolerant Vs. Celiac ?


blc40

Recommended Posts

blc40 Newbie

Hi

I was just wondering what is the differnce between being Gluten intolerant and having Celiac ? Are the symptoms different etc ? I have had a stomach biopsy that was negative for Celiac but i went gluten free and most of my symptoms dissapperared ?


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ang1e0251 Contributor

Welcome to the forum. This is a great place to ask all your questions.

Did you have blood tests run for celiac disease? Which ones? If you post your results here, there are those who are very knowledgable and can explain your test results for you.

There is a lot of debate here about the difference between gluten intolerant and celiac disease. I guess it comes down to what you believe. I don't think medical science agrees on the difference. Some believe an intolerance means you will suffer some symptoms when you ingest gluten which will be uncomfortable but not long term damaging to your body. celiac disease means you have an autoimmune disease where your own body percieves gluten as an enemy and attacks your small intestine when you eat it. This can lead to gluten "leaking" into other organs in your body and all kinds of other diseases and problems.

Some believe that's true but others think that an intolerance to gluten is the beginning stages of celiac disease. If a gluten-free diet is followed at this stage, other long term damage can be stopped in its tracks, if not, the damage to your intestine progresses until you have serious health issues that you may not be able to stop with a gluten-free diet.

It's a heated debate on this forum so I'm sure many will let you know what they believe. Those with more knowledge than I, can give you links to evidence on what they believe. It's good for us to talk about it as we are all learning new information.

Mother of Jibril Enthusiast
I have had a stomach biopsy that was negative for Celiac

By definition, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the villi in your intestines. A stomach biopsy can't rule it in or out.

blc40 Newbie
Welcome to the forum. This is a great place to ask all your questions.

Did you have blood tests run for celiac disease? Which ones? If you post your results here, there are those who are very knowledgable and can explain your test results for you.

There is a lot of debate here about the difference between gluten intolerant and celiac disease. I guess it comes down to what you believe. I don't think medical science agrees on the difference. Some believe an intolerance means you will suffer some symptoms when you ingest gluten which will be uncomfortable but not long term damaging to your body. celiac disease means you have an autoimmune disease where your own body percieves gluten as an enemy and attacks your small intestine when you eat it. This can lead to gluten "leaking" into other organs in your body and all kinds of other diseases and problems.

Some believe that's true but others think that an intolerance to gluten is the beginning stages of celiac disease. If a gluten-free diet is followed at this stage, other long term damage can be stopped in its tracks, if not, the damage to your intestine progresses until you have serious health issues that you may not be able to stop with a gluten-free diet.

It's a heated debate on this forum so I'm sure many will let you know what they believe. Those with more knowledge than I, can give you links to evidence on what they believe. It's good for us to talk about it as we are all learning new information.

thanks so much

i have not had blood tests yet i had a Biopsy which came back negative , i went gluten free after my biopsy was taken and it was the best i have felt in months ! so i was again disappointed when results were negative . i have colonoscopy tomoorow and then my follow up appointment . very frustrated but i think if i felt better gluten free i might follow my bodies advice !

what blood tests should i ask to have done for further checking ?

blc40 Newbie
By definition, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the villi in your intestines. A stomach biopsy can't rule it in or out.

so why did they take one to see if i had it ?

Jestgar Rising Star
so why did they take one to see if i had it ?

A very good question. And one you should ask your doctor.

happygirl Collaborator

They may have been looking for something else in your stomach. Did they take a biopsy of your intestine? If they didn't, they can't say you do/don't have Celiac. You may want to follow up with your doctor for clarification.

Info on Celiac/gluten intolerance: Open Original Shared Link


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ang1e0251 Contributor

None of the tests given now will be positive since you've been eating gluten-free. If you are planning further testing for celiac disease, you must eating gluten some say for at least 3 months. Being gluten-free for your testing will result in negatives. Don't worry about the colonoscopy though. It doesn't test for celiac disease and it won't matter if you're gluten-free for that test.

Gfresh404 Enthusiast
so why did they take one to see if i had it ?

Usually when they take a biopsy of the stomach, they also take one of the duodenum (the opening of the small intestine) and sometimes even the esophagus. So they had to have taken one of the small intestine when they were down there.

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular

Not necessarily, gfresh--I've had 2 endoscopies, and they looked at ONLY stomach and esophagus. In my case, they were looking for Barrett's esophagus, and were not suspecting celiac at all.

gfb1 Rookie
By definition, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the villi in your intestines. A stomach biopsy can't rule it in or out.

this is a VERY interesting thread.

so...

has the work on mhc locus completely supplanted the concept of celiac as an inborn error of metabolism??

the nih does not say so directly... i Open Original Shared Link:

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley.

however.. later the same article suggests an immune component/causation

When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      9

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

    2. - Scott Adams replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    3. - Scott Adams replied to Amy Barnett's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Question

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,323
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    bttyknight83
    Newest Member
    bttyknight83
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      I might suggest you consider buckwheat groats. https://www.amazon.com/Anthonys-Organic-Hulled-Buckwheat-Groats/dp/B0D15QDVW7/ref=sr_1_4_pp?crid=GOFG11A8ZUMU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bk-hCrXgLpHqKS8QJnfKJLKbKzm2BS9tIFv3P9HjJ5swL1-02C3V819UZ845_kAwnxTUM8Qa69hKl0DfHAucO827k_rh7ZclIOPtAA9KjvEEYtaeUV06FJQyCoi5dwcfXRt8dx3cJ6ctEn2VIPaaFd0nOye2TkASgSRtdtKgvXEEXknFVYURBjXen1Nc7EtAlJyJbU8EhB89ElCGFPRavEQkTFHv9V2Zh1EMAPRno7UajBpLCQ-1JfC5jKUyzfgsf7jN5L6yfZSgjhnwEbg6KKwWrKeghga8W_CAhEEw9N0.eDBrhYWsjgEFud6ZE03iun0-AEaGfNS1q4ILLjZz7Fs&dib_tag=se&keywords=buckwheat%2Bgroats&qid=1769980587&s=grocery&sprefix=buchwheat%2Bgroats%2Cgrocery%2C249&sr=1-4&th=1 Takes about 10 minutes to cook. Incidentally, I don't like quinoa either. Reminds me and smells to me like wet grass seed. When its not washed before cooking it makes me ill because of saponins in the seed coat. Yes, it can be difficult to get much dietary calcium without dairy. But in many cases, it's not the amount of calcium in the diet that is the problem but the poor uptake of it. And too much calcium supplementation can interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals in general because it raises gut pH.
    • Scott Adams
      What you’re describing really does not read like typical IBS-D. The dramatic, rapid normalization of stool frequency and form after removing wheat, along with improved tolerance of legumes and plant foods, is a classic pattern seen in gluten-driven disease rather than functional IBS. IBS usually worsens with fiber and beans, not improves. The fact that you carry HLA-DQ2.2 means celiac disease is absolutely possible, even if it’s less common than DQ2.5, and many people with DQ2.2 present later and are under-diagnosed. Your hesitation to reintroduce gluten is completely understandable — quality of life matters — and many people in your position choose to remain strictly gluten-free and treat it as medically necessary even without formal biopsy confirmation. If and when you’re ready, a physician can help you weigh options like limited gluten challenge, serology history, or documentation as “probable celiac.” What’s clear is that this wasn’t just random IBS — you identified the trigger, and your body has been very consistent in its response.
    • Scott Adams
      Here are some results from a search: Top Liquid Multivitamin Picks for Celiac Needs MaryRuth's Liquid Morning Multivitamin Essentials+ – Excellent daily choice with a broad vitamin/mineral profile, easy to absorb, gluten-free, vegan, and great overall value. MaryRuth's Liquid Morning Multivitamin – Classic, well-reviewed gluten-free liquid multivitamin with essential nutrients in a readily absorbable form. MaryRuth's Morning Multivitamin w/ Hair Growth – Adds beauty-supporting ingredients (biotin, B vitamins), also gluten-free and easy to take. New Chapter Liquid Multivitamin and New Chapter Liquid Multivitamin Orange Mango – Fermented liquid form with extra nutrients and good tolerability if you prefer a whole-food-based formula. Nature's Plus Source Of Life Gold Liquid – Premium option with a broad spectrum of vitamins and plant-based nutrients. Floradix Epresat Adult Liquid Multivitamin – Highly rated gluten-free German-made liquid, good choice if taste and natural ingredients matter. NOW Foods Liquid Multi Tropical Orange – Budget-friendly liquid multivitamin with solid nutrient coverage.
    • catnapt
      oh that's interesting... it's hard to say for sure but it has *seemed* like oats might be causing me some vague issues in the past few months. It's odd that I never really connect specific symptoms to foods, it's more of an all over feeling of unwellness after  eating them.  If it happens a few times after eating the same foods- I cut back or avoid them. for this reason I avoid dairy and eggs.  So far this has worked well for me.  oh, I have some of Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot cereal and I love it! it's hard to find but I will be looking for more.  for the next few weeks I'm going to be concentrating on whole fresh fruits and veggies and beans and nuts and seeds. I'll have to find out if grains are truly necessary in our diet. I buy brown rice pasta but only eat that maybe once a month at most. Never liked quinoa. And all the other exotic sounding grains seem to be time consuming to prepare. Something to look at later. I love beans and to me they provide the heft and calories that make me feel full for a lot longer than a big bowl of broccoli or other veggies. I can't even tolerate the plant milks right now.  I have reached out to the endo for guidance regarding calcium intake - she wants me to consume 1000mgs from food daily and I'm not able to get to more than 600mgs right now.  not supposed to use a supplement until after my next round of testing for hyperparathyroidism.   thanks again- you seem to know quite a bit about celiac.  
    • trents
      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SilkieFairy! You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) as opposed to celiac disease. They share many of the same symptoms, especially the GI ones. There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.