What Is Your Ethnic Origin?

[Emme999]

Mariann,

I'm definitely not saying that you can't have it if you don't come from a certain place! That would be ridiculous

I'm just very intrigued by the high numbers of specific cultures showing up here. No offense!

- Michelle

[Guest Viola]

I think is more prevalent in European countries and North America because we are more apt to eat a lot of grain. I think that they will find when Asian people, or any other race that comes here start eating a more Canadian/American diet, they will start showing up with the Disease as well. At the moment, I think the Asian diet still is mostly rice, which wouldn't raise the problem in a lot of people.

Just my thoughts

[gf4life]

Michelle, No offense was taken. I hope I didn't sound offended...

I do agree that in many Asian countries they do have a diet high in rice, and it would then be safe to assume that the diet was also low in gluten. This is not true in the Philippines. So many of their everyday products are wheat based! My MIL was surprised to find out that the lumpia wrappers they use are wheat flour, not rice. She has been eating them for over 60 years and thought they were rice the whole time. A lot of their foods are like that. I can't even count the times that I have been told "oh no, it's not wheat, it's rice flour", only to find the label and show them that it is wheat. When we go for family parties there is almost never anything we can eat, except the plain rice, and still I worry about people mixing the serving spoons...

My husband at least carries one gene that is known to cause celiac disease, and admits that he might have it too, but doesn't want to be tested or change his diet. His whole family has problems digesting lactose, and they literally buy Pepto Bismol by the case.

I do agree that this is primarily a caucasian disease, but certainly not limited by race...

God bless,

Mariann

[Guest vetnurse]

I am swedish, french and irish from my mom's side, dutch scotch and english on my dad's side. Neither of my parents have been tested for celiac. My mom always reminds me that her mother's stomach was always bloated and she was also a diabetic. My guess is my celiac disease came from somewhere on my mom's side of the family. Which would fit, all fair skinned, blondish/brown hair and blue eyes. I have light brown hair and hazel eyes with fair skin. My Dr. tried explaining it as an Irish descent type disease. To be honest, I never even heard of celiac disease until after I was diagnosed. I just that I had IBD and in trying to make myself feel better I of course at tons of oatmeal, which was making me worse.

[mommida]

I have read the cultural connections has to due with - when the people started to cultivate wheat. Northern Europe was later to begin farming. Ireland had suffered the potato famine, the main source of their diet. The less time for the area population digesting wheat, the higher incidence of gluten sensitivity and Celiac. Well that's the theory of the caveman /Paleo diet.

But isn't Celiac supposed to be *Greek* for suffering of the gut?

Laura

[Guest BellyTimber]

In Western Sahara (Africa) 6% of the population are thought to have celiac disease.

It's interesting the article says 3% because that's what I've been thinking generally.

My forebears are English (from widely different parts), Belgian and a little Jewish.

I have a theory the Huns (from Asia) fetched up on the Channel coast of Belgium hence the sallow complexions and high cheek bones there!

I've brown hair and eyes (well the hair has greyish bits), squarish head, sallow-ish complexioned.

With regard to "nobody" in some continents having celiac disease, didn't we have a list of 200 symptoms around here recently, in what continent does "nobody" have those 200 symptoms?

Like someone said with the ignorance we come across professionally in our countries we are lucky to have got this far in getting help and putting a name to our experience so we can hang our remedial actions around it. It's only natural that in those other nations there should be ignorance as well.

celiac disease was being discovered in the 1940s after undoubtedly many thousands of years of existence "under our noses". A couple of weeks ago I met two people, both diagnosed at 1 year old, 60 years ago (must have been among the very first). Yet in the 1960s my folks were in trouble over my emaciated condition because this awareness had not trickled down everywhere in my country and evidently still hasn't trickled down everywhere in our countries let alone all countries.

[Guest BellyTimber]

Should have added there are definite coeliac symptoms on both sids of the family ; like attracts like

[mommida]

Those 60 year-olds lived through the famine in Europe from WW2?

The famine in Belguim that gave us the information to avoid gluten. The failure to thrive/ malnourished children with this "wasting away disease" did better when the standard diet was eliminated.

There are biblical accounts describing Celiac symptoms. I would think the disease has been around since man started eating wheat, rye, and barley (Neolithic).

[Emme999]

Laura -

I think this might be what you are looking for:

ce

[mommida]

That's it! Michelle, weren't you a newbie like 2 weeks ago?

You keep doing your research and teach me!

[Emme999]

Three weeks ago

I just have an insatiable curiosity. I can never learn enough about something - especially if it deals with *me* !

I've always been interested in health issues (managed a health food / vitamin store for almost 2 years) and I read a lot.

It annoys the hell out of my boyfriend He's always talking about my OCD

Oh well! The more we know, the better chance we have of coming out on top of this. Plus - *somebody* has to teach everyone else about this stuff! It might as well be us

- Michelle

[KarenCM]

My Father is from Germany and my Mother has Englush on her side. I have brown hair and blue eyes and light skin. My Dad has symptoms I think. We are waiting still for the test results. I am the only one diagnosed in my family so far.

Karen

[jknnej]

Italian/Greek here.

Brown hair (although blonde now!) brown eyes.

Even though Italian I have very fair skin-actually use the lightest make-up colors!

[Guest gfinnebraska]

I am 3/4 Swedish, 1/4 mix. I have blonde hair (did!), blue eyes... I am 42 and totally white haired now ~ blonde thanks to L'oreal!!! So, I guess I fit your description to a "T"!! Yikes!!!

[LynG]

I think celiac disease will be found in any population if you look for it.

Please see:

Open Original Shared Link

Perhaps some countries are better at finding coeliac disease than others?

*****************

After reviewing my "Celiac Info Packet" mommida commented on my last name (shown in my email address):  Larsen.  She said something about being of Scandinavian descent and the higher incidence of celiac disease in those countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands).  So - I'm wondering how many people in the forum are from Scandinavian countries.  Then I started wondering where people here originated from in general  

So - here's the newest poll:  Where did your family originate?  I'm really interested in seeing if there is any relevance (in the Forum) to the Scandinavian thing.  In the book "Dangerous Grains" the author made a note about the "facial and hair features typical of celiac disease"  They are:  Blue eyes and fair hair, triangular face shape, and prematurely greying hair.  That alone sounds like a description of a Scandinavian person! 

Also - if anyone knows anything about this link, please fill me in  

Thanks!!

  - Michelle

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Canadian Karen]

On my mom's side - Irish and French

On my dad's side - Irish/Scottish/English

I am 42, also totally white but back to brunette thanks to L'Oreal also! Brown eyes......

Karen

[Misa]

Interesting to read all the mixes.......I'm 1/2 Norwegian and 1/2 English. 32 years old, natural dark brown hair, blue eyes and medium coloured skin tone.

Although celiac disease is supposed to be high in Norway, I never hear about it and only know of a friend of a friend with celiac disease throughout my life. gluten-free food labeling on ordinary foods is non-existent and even though I live in a large city, only one bakery offers some gluten-free ready made sandwiches, nothing else. No restaurants offer gluten-free information on menus. Norwegians do eat excessive amounts of bread and my English family and friends always comment on this when visiting us.....Apparently eating alot of bread originates from the old days when Norway was a poor country. They used to fill up with bread and porridge......and this tradition has been passed on generation after generation....

Misa

[cgd]

Like many here, I'm English and Welsh, with a bit of Irish and Native American thrown in the mix, mostly English though. Interesting topic!

[mushala72]

After reviewing my "Celiac Info Packet" mommida commented on my last name (shown in my email address):  Larsen.  She said something about being of Scandinavian descent and the higher incidence of celiac disease in those countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands).  So - I'm wondering how many people in the forum are from Scandinavian countries.  Then I started wondering where people here originated from in general  

So - here's the newest poll:  Where did your family originate?  I'm really interested in seeing if there is any relevance (in the Forum) to the Scandinavian thing.  In the book "Dangerous Grains" the author made a note about the "facial and hair features typical of celiac disease"  They are:  Blue eyes and fair hair, triangular face shape, and prematurely greying hair.  That alone sounds like a description of a Scandinavian person! 

Also - if anyone knows anything about this link, please fill me in  

Thanks!!

  - Michelle

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am a blue eyed and red headed German, Danish ,Dutch, and Italian Mix. Celaics disease came from the German and Italian side. I have been diagnosed for about a year and I have never felt better in my life- infact my Dr. says I am in perfect health(outside of the disease ofcourse). Without my diagnosis I would feel like crap right now!!!! Michelle

[num1habsfan]

Lets see

I am Ukrainian from both my parents sides and part polish. My gido (grandpa) was actually born in Ukraine and then moved here to SK and my baba (grandma) is Polish. But all that most of my family speaks Ukrainian more than anything. I am slowly catching on but only understand so much

I have a hair color that does not have a name We can just call it Dirblown (or well ok, a natural combo of dirty blonde, blonde, and brown, with natural highlights, mostly dirty blonde). It is also very naturally curly. and I have light brown(sometimes greenish) eyes. My dad had really had dark brown almost black hair and brown eyes, my mom's had really bright blonde(turned to dirty blonde now) hair and light blue eyes. Guess I got a combo of all of the above, hey?

and so far only person in family to have celiac disease..

~lisa~

[blueshift]

Solid Danish on my mother's side..A mutt on my father's side. He has an English name but it is all the Danish blood that has the gut problems...

Our family doctor's name was Nielsen and we had to go to him simply because he was Danish, never minding the fact that he was blind in one eye and looked just like Igor..

[scotia]

Scottish...My Mother probably had celiac disease, although undiagnosed.

My Mum suffered for many yearsfrom stomach problems, fatigue, anemia and weight loss.

I remember being told in 1996 that there were 4000 Celiacs registered in Canada out of about 30 Million people...so that was about 1 in 7,000.

Now I believe the instance is a lot closer to our European counterparts.

Regards

Scotia

[AnnieMarie]

Hello,

My mother is from Ireland and my dad is from England.

I am first generation American.

AnnieMarie

[elonwy]

Irish ( mostly) /English/French/Native American. Red hair, green eyes, freckles and I'm 5'1" and 3/8".

My mom probably has it, most of my cousins show symptoms and my grandfather and grandmother on my mom's side had "weak stomachs". Hmmmm. Wonder what that was.

Elonwy

[zakismom]

My ancestry is mostly Irish and Italian but with a little English and German too. So far I've been the only diagnosed celiac but I suspect that there are a lot more.