Tennis Players Gluten Free .

[tennisman]

I have recently found out a number of top Tennis players have said they are gluten free . One minute they say going Gluten Free has helped and the next minute it's there hard work that has helped them and going Gluten Free hasn't done much .

They often say they are allergic or intolerant to Gluten but never say they are celiacs. I really want to find out if they are celiacs or are just avoiding gluten for other reasons.

Also when asked about it Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic always changes the subject really quick :S If he really is a celiac he could really raise the profile of the disease . But it seems like he is hiding something , maybe he doesn't want his opponents to read about celiac disease , it just seems he is acting like it helps him yet when he has a chance to let the world know about he doesn't want to talk .

2nd thing I read on tennis sites lots of people saying going Gluten Free has helped this player so they think it will also help them . Yet I think they will do the Gluten Free fad diet approach and make celiac less serious. After 8 year's I hate Gluten Free and people want to try it because they think it will turn them into a superhero it makes me annoyed ,we are all forced to stick to the diet and yet many of us develop extra health problems.

Also how can coming off Gluten turn a great athlete into a superhero , since I was diagnosed with celiac disease I have had health problem after health problem it makes no sense.

[chasbari]

Turned back the clock for me, especially after going basically paleo and raw dairy and eggs. I can personally understand how this might help him. It probably doesn't hurt that he has top level folks working with his whole regimen from training to food. I know I get tired of talking to people about my health even though I have come sch a long way in a relatively short amount of time. I bet he would rather just talk about tennis since he is at the top of his game at present. It still takes a lot of discipline and hard work regardless of the other issues and he looked beyond mentally prepared for today's match with Nadal. Of course, the gluten-free diet might just have helped the focus and mental clarity.

I hope you get to the real root of your complications soon. Just getting DX'ed with celiac after a whole host of other autoimmune complications wasn't enough for me. I had to go over the edge dietarily before I really turned the corner after struggling with the whole strict gluten-free diet. Just keep digging. and, good luck.

[ElseB]

A lot of people think Djokovic is on steroids and just using "gluten free" as a bogus way to explain his very rapid and sudden improvement in fitness levels.

[Juliebove]

I don't keep up with tennis any more, but... I would think anyone in the public eye like that who has a dietary issue would be best served not to make a big deal of it in public. I say this because someone who is not on the up and up could easily use this against them. And by this I mean like sneaking the substance into their food, arranging to have it thrown on them, etc. Sad but true.

[MJ-S]

I have to laugh reading this thread because I'm also a big tennis fan and I've been thinking of posting about the same thing!

First, I wonder how much of this is a "fad" and how much is actually medical. In Djoker's case (no, I'm not a fan), he stated earlier this year that the gluten diet was recommended by a new nutritionist he's using. That, coupled with his on-going histrionics and lack of mental stability leads me to believe that it's PROBABLY not celiac, but rather a tool that is being used to feel better and instill more confidence. I certainly hope he's actually ncgs, because it's annoying if he's just "using" this for now.

This is in contrast with Sabine Lisicki, who just made the Wimbledon semi-finals. The story with her is that doctors told her not to have gluten, so I wonder if she actually does have celiac disease. She has struggled quite a bit, going so far as so experience severe cramps and have to be taken off court in a stretcher at the French Open, which she later said was from loss of energy from still learning the ropes of the gluten-free diet.

I'm not familiar with any other top tennis players touting the diet.

Regarding the comment about Djokovic on steroids (and again, I'm not a fan), that's just wildly irresponsible. Tennis is heavily controlled for drugs, and while he's widely disliked, he has been a top player for years. Not fair to accuse someone with no evidence at all.

[tennisman]

I have to laugh reading this thread because I'm also a big tennis fan and I've been thinking of posting about the same thing!

First, I wonder how much of this is a "fad" and how much is actually medical. In Djoker's case (no, I'm not a fan), he stated earlier this year that the gluten diet was recommended by a new nutritionist he's using. That, coupled with his on-going histrionics and lack of mental stability leads me to believe that it's PROBABLY not celiac, but rather a tool that is being used to feel better and instill more confidence. I certainly hope he's actually ncgs, because it's annoying if he's just "using" this for now.

This is in contrast with Sabine Lisicki, who just made the Wimbledon semi-finals. The story with her is that doctors told her not to have gluten, so I wonder if she actually does have celiac disease. She has struggled quite a bit, going so far as so experience severe cramps and have to be taken off court in a stretcher at the French Open, which she later said was from loss of energy from still learning the ropes of the gluten-free diet.

I'm not familiar with any other top tennis players touting the diet.

Regarding the comment about Djokovic on steroids (and again, I'm not a fan), that's just wildly irresponsible. Tennis is heavily controlled for drugs, and while he's widely disliked, he has been a top player for years. Not fair to accuse someone with no evidence at all.

Cool Who are your favourite players ? I was thinking of posting it a long time ago but kept forgetting lol.

Djokovic said the gluten free diet made him lose weight and become sharper and faster on court and said it had helped him . Now I find he says it's his hard work that has got him to where he is this year. One postive thing is a serbian restaurant in London has added gluten free pasta and beer to the menu because of Djokovic going gluten free. Maybe one day he will say if he is celiac or not , I met him twice I should have asked him lol.

Sabine Lisicki is great I have been a fan since her amazing Wimbledon run 2009, finding out she is now gluten free I like her even more She wrote this on her website - " Doctors recently discovered that I

[tennisman]

Turned back the clock for me, especially after going basically paleo and raw dairy and eggs. I can personally understand how this might help him. It probably doesn't hurt that he has top level folks working with his whole regimen from training to food. I know I get tired of talking to people about my health even though I have come sch a long way in a relatively short amount of time. I bet he would rather just talk about tennis since he is at the top of his game at present. It still takes a lot of discipline and hard work regardless of the other issues and he looked beyond mentally prepared for today's match with Nadal. Of course, the gluten-free diet might just have helped the focus and mental clarity.

I hope you get to the real root of your complications soon. Just getting DX'ed with celiac after a whole host of other autoimmune complications wasn't enough for me. I had to go over the edge dietarily before I really turned the corner after struggling with the whole strict gluten-free diet. Just keep digging. and, good luck.

I'm glad it helped you I guess your right he wants to just talk about Tennis , I just want him to talk about it maybe he could raise more awareness about celiac disease but maybe not if he only has an allergy and not celiac disease.

Thanks , hopefully things will improve soon

[tennisman]

A lot of people think Djokovic is on steroids and just using "gluten free" as a bogus way to explain his very rapid and sudden improvement in fitness levels.

I haven't seen many people say this. I see more on tennis sites how people say going gluten free has helped Djokovic and now they think it will do miracles for them lol.

[tennisman]

I don't keep up with tennis any more, but... I would think anyone in the public eye like that who has a dietary issue would be best served not to make a big deal of it in public. I say this because someone who is not on the up and up could easily use this against them. And by this I mean like sneaking the substance into their food, arranging to have it thrown on them, etc. Sad but true.

That would be bad. But you would think Djokovic would only eat foods he or his team has prepared , because restaurants are not always telling the truth when they say this dish is gluten free.

[MJ-S]

Lol, his parents' owned a pizza place in Serbia when he was growing up, so maybe they motivated the place in London. And he's a national hero, so I'm sure a Serbian restaurant in London would be careful enough! They probably convert to ALL gluten-free when he's there.

My favorite players are Federer and Nadal.

[color-me-confused]

Regarding the comment about Djokovic on steroids (and again, I'm not a fan), that's just wildly irresponsible. Tennis is heavily controlled for drugs, and while he's widely disliked, he has been a top player for years. Not fair to accuse someone with no evidence at all.

It's hardly "wildly irresponsible". A major change in performance for a pro athlete is pretty unusual. If Djokovic is gluten intolerant, or has a wheat allergy, or is even a celiac than a gluten free diet could quite possibly make such a change. It's been tried in other sports. The Open Original Shared Link team has done an "anti-flammatory" diet (with little to no wheat) for pro cycling tours for a few years. Another cause for sudden improvement is, alas, performance enhancing drugs. Open Original Shared Link, of course, along with every other pro sport in varying degrees on the planet.

Whatever the case is for Djokovic if it's really the diet and a related health problem it would be interesting to get the inside story some day...

[MJ-S]

It's hardly "wildly irresponsible". A major change in performance for a pro athlete is pretty unusual. If Djokovic is gluten intolerant, or has a wheat allergy, or is even a celiac than a gluten free diet could quite possibly make such a change. It's been tried in other sports. The Open Original Shared Link team has done an "anti-flammatory" diet (with little to no wheat) for pro cycling tours for a few years. Another cause for sudden improvement is, alas, performance enhancing drugs. Open Original Shared Link, of course, along with every other pro sport in varying degrees on the planet.

Whatever the case is for Djokovic if it's really the diet and a related health problem it would be interesting to get the inside story some day...

How closely do you watch tennis? Hate to get argumentative on a celiac forum, but this is a player who's been in the top 3 since 2007. He won the AO in 2008. Top players will tell you that the differences at that level between winning and losing have the narrowest margins. Djokovic has long been known for mental instability and physically many of his problems have been due to breathing problems, which have in turn have been speculated to be due to asthma/allergy/mental. So while this is a major change in mindset and results it is hardly a major physical change.

I probably won't continue to post about this because this isn't a tennis board, but I stand by my statement. Drug accusations are serious, and should come with more evidence than "better results", especially when you're talking about someone who's already been at the top of a grueling sport for many years.