Results From Enterolab-Please Give Opinion

[abergop]

Hi. I was instructed to do an anti-candida (yeast) diet, and started in early January. This included me eating completely gluten-free. A few weeks into it, my chiropractor suggested I also get tested for gluten.

I had this test done from Enterolab with these results, after eating gluten-free for 3.5 weeks:

Gluten Sensitivity Stool Test

Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA: 9 Units

Interpretation of Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA (Normal Range is less than 10 Units): Intestinal antigliadin IgA antibody was below the upper limit of normal, and hence there is no direct evidence of active gluten sensitivity from this test. However, because 1 in 500 people cannot make IgA at all, and rarely, and some people can still have clinically significant reactions to a food antigen despite the lack of a significant antibody reaction (because the reactions primarily involve T cells), if you have a syndrome or symptoms known to be associated with gluten sensitivity, a gluten-free diet may help you despite a negative test. If you have no syndrome or symptoms associated with gluten sensitivity, you can follow a gluten-containing healthy diet and retest in 3-5 years; or you may opt to go gluten-free as a purely preventive measure.

My chiro says that since I was off gluten for that long before the test, he would conisider me to have a sensitivity, at least. What do you all think?

TIA

Amy

[mushroom]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

It is a pity that he did not have you do the test before you stopped eating gluten. After that long gluten free it is really hard to draw any conclusions from your test. Six months after going gluten free my fecal anti-gliadin IGA was 145 So everyone is different in their reactions and their intensity and how long they last. Generally, the fecal anti-gliadin is considered to be longer-lasting than in the blood stream, up to several months, whereas for the blood test they advise you to keep eating gluten up to the time that all testing is complete.

However, if you feel better not eating gluten, then by all means avoid it. Even on the blood testing and endoscopy there are a lot of false negative results; i.e., some people who are gluten sensitive will never have a positive result. There is also a distinction made between gluten sensitivity/intolerance and celiac disease. These are moderated by different genes and the response to gluten in those with intolerance genes tends not to cause the severe damage to the small intestine that celiac disease produces.

I'm sorry not to be of more help. Perhaps someone else will have something to add.

[abergop]

I definitely do feel better, and I have lost about 20 pounds while doing so. I'm sticking with this, but am also concerned about my kids, so really wish I knew more.

Anyone else have any insight?

Thanks.

[Wolicki]

Here's a really hard lesson I learned. Sometimes, you have to trust your own body, because doctors just can't understand that there could be something wrong if they can't "see" it on a blood test/biopsy. You'll save yourself a whole lot of tears by just accepting that you feel better this way, and try to let that be enough.

As for your kids, do they have symptoms? If so, keep them on gluten and get them tested. Even if they test negative, try the diet. Blood tests are notoriously wrong with kids. Good luck with your choices.

[abergop]

Thank you for that. It's just what I needed to hear.