Homosexuality?

[revenant]

Could homosexuality be caused by environmental factors in the womb relating to gluten messing with hormones?

It's far fetched, but my mother is very strongly gluten intolerant (or celiac, untested). She had around 7 miscarriages and then when I was born I was born a lesbian. Just wondering if anybody has ever thought about gluten as an environmental toxin that could affect hormones in the womb in this way. Of course, other environmental toxins (heavy metals, etc) could have an affect too but hmmmmmmmmm... Could it be gluten?

I have heard of the AIDS and gluten connection and AIDS is common in the gay community, no?

I have also read that gay men have an increased rate of colon cancer and I don't know if what they SAY is causing that really can...

What do you think? Could it be possible?

[GlutenFreeManna]

Since homosexuals exist even in countries that do not eat wheat as their main staple, I highly doubt it.

ETA: Also what in the world is the gluten and AIDS connection? never heard of that...

[Marilyn R]

Could homosexuality be caused by environmental factors in the womb relating to gluten messing with hormones?

It's far fetched, but my mother is very strongly gluten intolerant (or celiac, untested). She had around 7 miscarriages and then when I was born I was born a lesbian. Just wondering if anybody has ever thought about gluten as an environmental toxin that could affect hormones in the womb in this way. Of course, other environmental toxins (heavy metals, etc) could have an affect too but hmmmmmmmmm... Could it be gluten?

I have heard of the AIDS and gluten connection and AIDS is common in the gay community, no?

I have also read that gay men have an increased rate of colon cancer and I don't know if what they SAY is causing that really can...

What do you think? Could it be possible?

About 8 months or so ago their was a post questioning poison ivy reactions to see if there was a link with gluten intolerance of celiac disease. It ended up, if I recall, that some people with celiac disease have reactions to poison ivy and some don't, and that may or may not mimic what happens in the general population.

My mom had five children, all heterosexual, and she had celiac disease. I'm not saying that there isn't a link, Im just skeptical about the hypothesis. If I had to vote, I'd say "no". I'm not always right, though.

[mushroom]

I have heard of the HIV-gluten connection too, though can't come up with a solid link. Something to do with IgA nephropathy??

[Jestgar]

I think that the prevalence of homosexuality is around 10% regardless of the culture and what they eat which suggests that there is no connection.

It's just another part of life, not the result of an illness.

[T.H.]

Might be possible? I've seen some research that suggests that some hormonal changes may affect sexuality in the womb. However, some twin research on the same subject has shown that this isn't the end all, be all, because there are very often twins with one twin gay and one straight.

There are also some differences between men and women and sexuality that apply, and some curious issues with the body and how many children you've had of the same sex. If you have all boys, the odds that a child will be gay goes up the more boys you have. It's really interesting.

Essentially, though, they don't really know all the factors contributing to our sexuality. :-)

The AIDS thing, though - nah, I wouldn't think that's a gluten issue with homosexuality. Celiacs tend to have more vulnerable immune systems, and the gay community had a long history of less safe sex practices that have become safer, but is still often riskier than it should be.

I don't know about the colon cancer increase, though. First time I've heard of it!

shauna

[domesticactivist]

I'm a lesbian and my mom shows no signs of probs with gluten.

[domesticactivist]

And aids is a virus that is prevalent in straight people and even small children, depending on the culture of where you are in the world.

[sb2178]

Being gay generally raises your risk of many diseases like colon cancer. Some of them are biologically linked (lesbians = less likely to have babies young, thus more likely to develop breast cancer; gay men = more likely to smoke, more lung cancer) but many are SES-based too. Worse health insurance coverage, lower paying jobs, less likely to have regular screenings, etc.

I'd be skeptical about gluten-related disease-affected hormonal shifts were significant enough to influence the infant's proclivities later in life. I mean, really, if my mom hadn't eaten bread and granola while pregnant, would I be straight? Probably not.

[Mack the Knife]

Could homosexuality be caused by environmental factors in the womb relating to gluten messing with hormones?

It's far fetched, but my mother is very strongly gluten intolerant (or celiac, untested). She had around 7 miscarriages and then when I was born I was born a lesbian. Just wondering if anybody has ever thought about gluten as an environmental toxin that could affect hormones in the womb in this way. Of course, other environmental toxins (heavy metals, etc) could have an affect too but hmmmmmmmmm... Could it be gluten?

I have heard of the AIDS and gluten connection and AIDS is common in the gay community, no?

I have also read that gay men have an increased rate of colon cancer and I don't know if what they SAY is causing that really can...

What do you think? Could it be possible?

It's funny you should bring this up.

I'm a lesbian and a coeliac and I have four lesbian friends who are coeliacs. We often outnumber the non-coeliacs when we go out to dinner.

I don't know any straight people or gay boys with coeliac disease even though my circle of friends and acquaintances include a fair number of both.

It's getting ridiculous to the point that we've all started joking that there must be some kind of genetic link between Coeliac disease and the lesbian gene (if there is one).

I don't think there is a link though. I just think that women are more prone to auto-immune diseases than men and are more likely to get tested. I also think that lesbians are more likely to be childless (and thus more focused on their own health) and living an alternative kind of lifestyle where healthy diets and health issues are taken seriously. Also, I live in Australia where there is a much greater awareness of Coeliac Disease than in the U.S..

This is a real generalisation, I know, but it is definitely true of most of the lesbians I know. Although if one more of my friends gets diagnosed it will be beyond a joke.

[domesticactivist]

Haha, that's funny, Mack the Knife. Were you friends with all of them before the diagnosis? Sometimes I think groups of friends end up self-selecting for their similarities. On top of that, friends educate each other and then kind of spread the knowledge of certain conditions. It's surprising how many of my friends are homeschoolers, in similar financial situations, and eating a special diet... just like me.

I have noticed a high number of lesbians seem to have the symptoms of PCOS, which is also gluten-mitigated. How that number compares to the general population, I don't know. My partner discovered she was dealing with it when symptoms went away when we changed our diet for our son. Then she started telling people about it, and now 2 of the other women in her program (not lesbians) have cut out gluten for PCOS.

[Mack the Knife]

Haha, that's funny, Mack the Knife. Were you friends with all of them before the diagnosis? Sometimes I think groups of friends end up self-selecting for their similarities. On top of that, friends educate each other and then kind of spread the knowledge of certain conditions. It's surprising how many of my friends are homeschoolers, in similar financial situations, and eating a special diet... just like me.

I have noticed a high number of lesbians seem to have the symptoms of PCOS, which is also gluten-mitigated. How that number compares to the general population, I don't know. My partner discovered she was dealing with it when symptoms went away when we changed our diet for our son. Then she started telling people about it, and now 2 of the other women in her program (not lesbians) have cut out gluten for PCOS.

I knew them all before I was diagnosed. We all do same sex ballroom dancing together (our teacher now provides gluten free snacks during class).

Three were already Coeliacs, then I got diagnosed, then another friend got diagnosed. I must admit that we probably hang together more than we otherwise would because of the coeliac thing. It's just nice to go out to dinner with people who get it. When we go for pizza we can all share our pizzas. And we all invite each other over for dinner. It's great.

Besides four coeliacs, my circle of friends also includes two fructose malabsorbers, an IBS sufferer who is doing the low FODMAP diet, two vegans, three vegetarians, one lactose intolerant person and a person who is allergic to quinoa. So special dietary requirements are seen as pretty ordinary. When we have get-togethers we all try to accommodate each others needs.

My ex-girlfriend had PCOS. I didn't know that it was gluten related.

[OneStarTattoo]

For what it's worth I am a lesbian too and every celiac I know is also a lesbian. I don't know what it means but it's interesting.

[ilikepie]

Maybe a greater percentage of people who identify themselves as homosexual are more open-minded, and listening to what their bodies are telling them (more so than people who identify themselves as heterosexual) so they are just more aware that gluten is affecting them, or have even heard of gluten. Or it could be that because you are homosexual (and/or gluten intolerance/celiac) you start noticing all of the other people who are similar to you. It's like when you learn a new word. All of a sudden you start hearing it everywhere. Or. Maybe it's just a coincidence.

Also, why does something have to "cause" homosexuality? What "causes" heterosexuality? What "causes" us to feel we have the correct or incorrect sex organs? Or "causes" us to have certain personality traits we exhibit from birth? I don't identify as homosexual, but I can't help but feel offended when people try to find a "cause" for homosexuality. As if it is something that needs/can be prevented? I'm sure no one here meant any offense (in fact, it seemed very clear that no one did), and it could totally be me reading too far into this whole "causal relationship" thing....it just seems offensive.