Non Celiac Gluten Intolerance

[AlysounRI]

Hello all:

For those of you who have much more research and have lived this for longer, can you tell me if those who are obviously gluten intolerant without being diagnosed celiac, face cancers and other health problems down the line

if they continue to eat gluten or become glutened?

Obviously celiac requires that you be gluten free for medical reasons or considerable health problems are bound to occur. But does gluten intolerance, aside from being a painful inconvenience in one's life, set you up for the same problems.

I was thinking about this yesterday after reading one of the posts on this board.

I'd be interested in hearing people's opinions.

Thanks

[ravenwoodglass]

In my opinion they are the same thing. Both are autoimmune but GI can attack other organs than the gut before the gut system is effected. Some would consider me GI because of my consistantly negative blood work but as you can see the effects on my body were just as bad. Most of my issues were in place long before the GI symptoms hit, like for almost 30 years if you are counting DH and ataxia which I had since childhoood.

[AlysounRI]

Thank you Raven.

I knew that you would have a good reply for me.

I appreciate your input.

~Allison

[lynnelise]

I'm glad you asked, I have wondered this as well. My bloodwork was negative but I have very bad reactions to gluten and low B-12. A EGD done to check for ulcers showed my small intestines were very inflamed but no biospy was taken so it kind of leaves me clueless as to whether I'm at risk for the kind of problems affecting celiacs down the road!

[Jestgar]

In my opinion they are the same thing.

Emphasizing the word opinion here, as there are no studies done on what we call gluten intolerance. I, however, am of the same opinion as RWG. I think they are two (multiple?) versions of the same thing.

[Pac]

Emphasizing the word opinion here, as there are no studies done on what we call gluten intolerance. I, however, am of the same opinion as RWG. I think they are two (multiple?) versions of the same thing.

It depends on the definition of gluten sensitivity/intolerance. There are some articles about mortality risk in both celiac and gluten sensitivity, where gluten sensitivity means patient has anti-gliadin antibodies but not celiac antibodies. Defined like that, the risk of malignacies and over-all death rate is similar in both. One interesting fact that all studies seem to agree on is lower risk of breast cancer for gluten intolerant population.

Otherwise I'm also of the same opinion as Ravenwoodglass. It's easy to diagnose apparent celiac disease, but that doesn't mean it's the only or superior damage gluten can trigger in our bodies. From what I can watch in my body, gluten can damage nerves and other tissues directly, no vitamin deficiency via villous atrophy needed.

[Jestgar]

what are you calling celiac antibodies? I'm not familiar with that term.

[WheatChef]

He's most likely referring to tTG antibodies which are not needed for a gluten sensitivity.