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Can You Make Yourself Sensitive To Gluten By Avoiding It?

Chakra2

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Chakra2 Contributor
Chakra2
Posted

My husband and I were gently debating this topic the other day. Both my 2 yr old and I went gluten-free before celiac testing (and got life-changing results) so now my husband wonders if the kiddo and I react so strongly to gluten just because we've been avoiding it. I understand that people with true gluten intolerance can get more sensitve to it the longer they stay away so I'm really trying to ask about a different phenomenon: what happens if you don't start off with any gluten problem, but then you avoid gluten for a long time and try to eat it again? Could "normal" people become gluten-sensitive just by avoiding it?

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nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

Yes what happens is that you got something called freshly activated T cells.

Several places are even doing trials on it, to develop a new kind of means to test for celiac. Only celiacs get this reaction. (freshly activated T cells)

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

My husband and I were gently debating this topic the other day. Both my 2 yr old and I went gluten-free before celiac testing (and got life-changing results) so now my husband wonders if the kiddo and I react so strongly to gluten just because we've been avoiding it. I understand that people with true gluten intolerance can get more sensitve to it the longer they stay away so I'm really trying to ask about a different phenomenon: what happens if you don't start off with any gluten problem, but then you avoid gluten for a long time and try to eat it again? Could "normal" people become gluten-sensitive just by avoiding it?

No, I really don't think so. I avoid brussel sprouts for long stretches at a time and have never managed to develop a sensitivity to them. :P But seriously, my brother and SIL did a full elimination diet and didn't eat gluten for about a month, since it was one of the last things added back in, and neither of them had any reaction whatsoever.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

No, I really don't think so. I avoid brussel sprouts for long stretches at a time and have never managed to develop a sensitivity to them. :P But seriously, my brother and SIL did a full elimination diet and didn't eat gluten for about a month, since it was one of the last things added back in, and neither of them had any reaction whatsoever.

I agree completely. If folks reacted to stuff just because they don't eat it elimination diets and challenges would be worthless as folks would react to everything they added back in.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

Many people here have gluten free households, meaning their entire family eats gluten free at home whether they need to or not, but outside of the house they can eat whatever. If going back to eating gluten was a problem with everyone, then there would not be people that can eat gluten free at home and indulge in gluten while at parties, restaurants, etc. without any symptoms. Or another way to look at it would be to look at populations of the world where their main staple is rice (or other grains) instead of wheat. They may not eat products with wheat very often but they don't react to it when they do eat it.

I think what you are really trying to ask is, is this a placebo effect or do you really need to avoid gluten? Or another similar question might be, is this all in your head? The answers are no and no. I think everyone goes through a denial phase at first. Or everyone has a point where they have to convince a family member this is real. I hope your husband reads up a bit on celiac disease/gluten intolerance and comes to the conclusion that this is a real illness. This is not something that you "caused" to happen to yourself by avoiding gluten. And it's not something that you chose. Be sure to explain that, you are not just choosing to do this, but that you MUST do it for your health. I'm sure if we all had the choice to go back to eating gluten and not feel sick after a while of trying it again, we would do it. But sadly it doesn't work that way.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

I don't think so either. When you think about it, we all have things that we only eat once in a while--like at holidays and such.

Also, I've been retested twice by blood and had a repeat endoscopy in the 5 years I've been gluten-free, and while I react to trace amounts of gluten with unpleasast reactions, I have always tested in normal ranges with the retesting.

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    • trents
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      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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