Little Bit

[Knoppie]

I didn't exactly know where to put the question

I recently went on a gluten free diet and my symptoms have been less. I've avoided pretty much everything with gluten in it.

Someone told me that maybe a little bit wouldn't hurt like the soy sauce. If I don't get any stomach issues from it does that mean that it won't cause any of the other symptoms like fatigue and anemia to come as well or can even a little bit like that cause my blood iron to stay really low?

[Ahorsesoul]

The anwser is NO.

Just because you (or your friend) do not see or feel the damage being done does not mean it's ok.

[Tim-n-VA]

There have been some studies that indicate that there is a threshold below which a person will not react. The problem is that the threshold is different for each person and not all reactions to gluten are apparent without testing.

My theory is that there is a threshold that won't hurt me but I used that to take care of small amounts of cross-contamination, not to allow me to intentionally consume gluten.

Note: The study is linked in a thread on ppm on this board a month or so ago.

[tarnalberry]

To add to what Tim-in-VA said, that threshold is VERY LOW. Not - "oh, I can eat a crust of bread" low, but "oh, a sprinkle of flour dropped into the 50 gallon drum of sauce" low.

It's "basic" chemistry. The gluten molecule gets to your gut, and your immune system starts fighting your body. Chemistry doesn't stop if there is only a little bit of something. And the chemical reaction that gluten triggers in the intestines is self-sustaining for up to two weeks!

So, really, a little bit is not ok.

[mysecretcurse]

*Runs toward you in slow motion with dramatic music playing*

NOOOOOOOOOO! DOOOOOONNNN'T DOOOOO ITTTT!

*cough* anyways, yes my point is, I agree with the others, it's definitely not okay to have ANY gluten.

Thinking tiny amounts, such as that in soy sauce were acceptable (or prior to that, me not even being aware there was gluten in soy sauce at all) was what destroyed the first few months of me attempting to be gluten free. I wasn't seeing improvement and couldn't figure out why I was still sick and having skin breakouts, and eventually after studying a lot more about the diet I figured out these small amounts were doing me in.

I went 100% Gluten-Free and am like a different person. Literally. It's amazing.

[Storm]

I have "accidentally" had a little bit without realising until afterwards, and have suffered had I consumed lots!

No matter what amount I ingest, I get the same reaction D and sickness.. it's not worth the risk.

[Tim-n-VA]

When I posted earlier I only had a few minutes at work. I've added the links here.

The study on thresholds is at: Open Original Shared Link

The thread about allowable amounts is at: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=55953

[Knoppie]

Thanks for the info. I have one more question. What if you have gluten intolerance, does it make a difference? do you still experience exactly the same symptoms?

[angieInCA]

NO! NO! NO! At least for me anyway

The longer I am on a gluten-free diet the worse I feel after an accidental glutening no matter how small. My last accident was a couple of bread crumbs in my peanut butter (CC'd by a family member). I was very sick for four days and the symptoms seemed worse than ever before.

To help me stay on course I imagine that each and every time I get glutened, while I may not feel the effects, my intestines are getting attacted and have to start all over at ground Zero to start healing again.

[Traveller]

A good study on the celiac's tolerance for gluten is at www.celiac.org/downloads/research/ catassi%20study%20on%20gluten%20tolerance.pdf

My interpretation: Although the study results say that ingestion should be less than 50 mg/d, the study also notes a wide variance in the tolerable amount per celiac subject. It also says "Because of the limited number of patients, we were not able to reach firm conclusions about the potential toxicity of 10 mg gluten/d..."

As for me, I got glutened by a crouton at Outback.

[sol's mom]

i heard that the fermentation of soy sauce gets rid of the gluten. i have no idea how this would be possible.

[Knoppie]

Thanks for all the info. I got my answer.

A few days ago I ate a couple of mentos because I didn't know they had gluten in them and I paid the price