Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Celiac/gluten Intolerance And Diabetes


Joe0123

Recommended Posts

Joe0123 Contributor

Is there a link between the two diseases? I've been gluten free for 18 months and the past 6 I have felt worse, especially my stomach. It gets so irritable sometimes, even brushing my teeth I have to worry. Since August I've become very thirsty all the time and I urinate many times per day. Also the muscle spasms are back and sometimes my feet and hands will hurt out of nowhere, then it'll go away. Sounds like neuropathy, I think. Do I need to get a test for diabetes? Does diabetes explain some of these symptoms, since I'm positive I'm getting no gluten. Thanks.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



missy'smom Collaborator

The thirst and urination are symptoms of diabetes. Ask your doctor for an A1C. That's a measure of average blood sugar over the past few months. Any one-time blood sugar number is of little value. Fasting blood sugars, which doctors often go by are not enough to go by IMHO. A glucose tolerance test gives the best picture IMHO. Know what the numbers mean and ask for them. Don't settle for a "positive" or "negative". Blood sugar issues fall along a wide spectrum. Know where you are on the spectrum. Open Original Shared Link You don't lose a thing by getting tested. Better to be "wrong" and rule it out. Blood sugar issues can be very manageable the earlier they are caught, the better. And yes, there is a connection.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

Being glutened will also raise your blood sugar like any illness. Especially with your tummy being off you may be getting some gluten sneaking in somewhere. Are you eating a mostly whole foods diet and checking all meds and supplements etc? Do have your doctor do the A1C but also take a look at anyplace you may be getting CC'd.

srall Contributor

My mother is Gluten Intolerant and has diabetes. She was a dietician, exercised her entire life (I remember as a kid her going through all the crazes: Jazzercise, Jane Fonda, aerobics classes...) and has always eaten very healthy. My 39 year old brother is almost certainly an undiagnosed celiac based on his long-term symptoms and he was just diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago. My numbers are still normal (I'm 42) but I believe there has to be a link.

cyberprof Enthusiast

Is there a link between the two diseases? I've been gluten free for 18 months and the past 6 I have felt worse, especially my stomach. It gets so irritable sometimes, even brushing my teeth I have to worry. Since August I've become very thirsty all the time and I urinate many times per day. Also the muscle spasms are back and sometimes my feet and hands will hurt out of nowhere, then it'll go away. Sounds like neuropathy, I think. Do I need to get a test for diabetes? Does diabetes explain some of these symptoms, since I'm positive I'm getting no gluten. Thanks.

Joe, there's definitely a genetic link, but even if there wasn't you should see a doc soon.

From wikipedia: "With DQA1*0501 the allele is most frequently found in coeliac disease. With DR3 this DQ2 has the second strongest linkage to Type 1 diabetes, and when paired with HLA-DQ8 is the most abundant phenotype found in late onset, "Type1-Type2" diabetes mellitus type 1."

and

"DQ2.5 and the linked DR3 are associated with probably the greatest frequency of autoimmune occurrence relative to any other haplotypes. The haplotype is positively associated with coeliac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, juvenile diabetes, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), Sj

GFinDC Veteran

Hi Joe,

I agree with Ravenwood, if your stomach is acting up there is probably a food issue causing it. Could be gluten sneaking in your diet somehow, or it could be a secondary food intolerance. Have you tried eliminating dairy and soy? They seem to be the most common ones. But there are plenty of other possibilities too, like nightshades, corn, eggs etc..

I had some cramps in my calves not long ago when I first woke up and moved my legs in the morning. I thought it might be diabetes because my dad had cramps in his legs and he had type 2 diabetes. I found that if I ate a bowl of white rice late in the evening before bed I would wake up with cramps in the morning. So I quit eating white rice except in very small amounts. I was also taking Unisom for sleep an thot that may have something to do with it but not really sure about that. But the cramps are gone. Now I am eating a lot less starches and rice except for brown rice tortillas to make wraps. I don't know if this helps you or not but thot it might relate.

Joe0123 Contributor

No I am not getting any gluten from anything. And I've cut out lots of food that gives me problems. The problem is that the list keeps growing. My stomach feels worse now than it did 6 months ago.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



cyberprof Enthusiast

No I am not getting any gluten from anything. And I've cut out lots of food that gives me problems. The problem is that the list keeps growing. My stomach feels worse now than it did 6 months ago.

Two things: The urination/thirst could be diabetes and at least needs to be checked out by a doc. 2) The stomach issues could be related to gluten, to diabetes, to other food intolerances or another condition (ulcer, etc). An elimination diet might be something to try.

But going to the doc to address the diabetes symptoms should be your #1 priority, IMHO.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

No I am not getting any gluten from anything. And I've cut out lots of food that gives me problems. The problem is that the list keeps growing. My stomach feels worse now than it did 6 months ago.

Can you think back to what may have changed six months ago? For example did you start some home remodeling with drywall or putting up wallpaper? Did you start drinking distilled gluten alcohols? Start going to a restaurant you hadn't before or did a favorite change chefs? If you have a significant other and they eat gluten are they being careful to brush teeth before kissing or do they, if female, use lipstick? Do you take any generic scripts? Generics can change binders so even if a drug was safe a year ago it may not be now. It is not unusual for us to become more sensitive to trace amounts of gluten after we have healed for a while. Do you eat processed foods made in the same facility as wheat products? That can be an issue also.

Joe0123 Contributor

I ate some bad apple sauce in May and my stomach has felt worse since then. By that I mean things I could eat before I ate the bad apple sauce I couldn't eat afterwards.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

I ate some bad apple sauce in May and my stomach has felt worse since then. By that I mean things I could eat before I ate the bad apple sauce I couldn't eat afterwards.

Do you mean you may have had food poisoning? If so you may want to ask your doctor to do a stool sample on you. Most cases of food poisoning resolve on their own but not all. You may still have some issues that require an antibiotic to resolve.

Joe0123 Contributor

No not food poisoning, just made my stomach hurt. And since then my stomach has been more irritable than it was before.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    2. - SilkieFairy replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    3. - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    4. - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,338
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Erica Johnson
    Newest Member
    Erica Johnson
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      No coincidence. Recent revisions to gluten challenge guidelines call for the daily consumption of at least 10g of gluten (about the amount in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of 3 weeks. If possible, I would extend that two weeks to ensure valid testing.
    • SilkieFairy
      Thank you both for the replies. I decided to bring back gluten so I can do the blood test. Today is Day #2 of the Challenge. Yesterday I had about 3 slices of whole wheat bread and I woke up with urgent diarrhea this morning. It was orange, sandy and had the distinctive smell that I did not have when I was briefly gluten free. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but the brain fog is back and I feel very tired.   
    • knitty kitty
      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.