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Will Celiac Disease Go Away Once My Leaky Gut Is Gone?


alicewa

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alicewa Contributor

I've heard leaky gut can cause food allergies and intolerances can go away once the gut barrier is completely healed. As I understand it, a normal healthy gut lining only allows small food particles into the bloodstream at a time and blocks out the larger proteins.

Does that mean that once a celiac's gut heals completely (i.e. no longer has a leaky gut) it is possible that he or she may include gluten in his/her diet without worry? I believe the T-cells would only respond in the blood if they saw a large-enough amount of the gluten peptide wouldn't they?

Let me know your thoughts. Also I saw this video on candida:

My CDSA said I didn't have a candida problem, but some deficiency in bifidobacteria.


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Lisa Mentor

I would think not, as Celiac is an autoimmune response disorder.

But, there is a great deal of research ongoing regarding the "Spectrum" of gluten intolerance.

...there are more scientific minds here.

psawyer Proficient

My understanding is that celiac disease is a life-long autoimmune disorder. You cannot outgrow it. Once activated, celiac disease will cause an autoimmune response to gluten. The antibodies will attack various parts of your body, particularly the villi in your upper intestine.

Alice, I know you want to hope that you can go back to eating gluten. But the science today says that you never can. I have accepted that and moved on. I hope you can join me. ;)

kareng Grand Master

Alice! Honestly! I hope you find a cure but this continued denial isn't going to help you heal and be as healthy as you can be.

Skylark Collaborator

I've heard leaky gut can cause food allergies and intolerances can go away once the gut barrier is completely healed. As I understand it, a normal healthy gut lining only allows small food particles into the bloodstream at a time and blocks out the larger proteins.

Does that mean that once a celiac's gut heals completely (i.e. no longer has a leaky gut) it is possible that he or she may include gluten in his/her diet without worry? I believe the T-cells would only respond in the blood if they saw a large-enough amount of the gluten peptide wouldn't they?

That video you linked is made by someone who is trying to sell you $120 of very expensive water. He would like very much for you to believe it and buy his homeopathic "cure" for celiac disease. When it doesn't work he will tell you that you used it wrong.

You can never eat gluten again. Period. Fasano's zonulin work suggests that underlying abnormalities in intestinal permeability allow development of celiac disease in the first place. It's unlikely that you can ever completely heal the gut lining of a person with celiac disease. If you are diagnosed with celiac by blood or biopsy, even if you mostly heal your gut, eating gluten will still trigger enough of an immune reaction to start the autoimmunity back up. That will damage villi, reverse the healing, and start the full-blown celiac going again.

As for T-cell response, you are talking about a system in your body that is tuned to find ONE virus particle. What makes you think that a bagel could somehow magically slip by without notice?

Sorry, but we're stuck with celiac. We can only hope that as more and more people are diagnosed, awareness will improve and the diet will get easier.

cahill Collaborator

I've heard leaky gut can cause food allergies and intolerances can go away once the gut barrier is completely healed. As I understand it, a normal healthy gut lining only allows small food particles into the bloodstream at a time and blocks out the larger proteins.

As to leaky gut and intolerances ..... "leaky gut can cause food allergies and intolerances that can go away once the gut barrier is completely healed." I believe this to be true. As my gut has healed many,not all but many, of my food intolerances have resolved.

BUT an autoimmune response is different than a food intolerance

I have an autoimmune disease.My body has an autoimmune response to gluten .I will NEVER be able to consume gluten ,not even once my gut is completely healed .

norcal-gf Newbie

a1956chill - how long did it take your leaky guy to heal? I've been gluten free for about 5 1/2 months, and keep hoping for my leaky gut to healed :-)


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GFinDC Veteran

I've heard leaky gut can cause food allergies and intolerances can go away once the gut barrier is completely healed. As I understand it, a normal healthy gut lining only allows small food particles into the bloodstream at a time and blocks out the larger proteins.

Does that mean that once a celiac's gut heals completely (i.e. no longer has a leaky gut) it is possible that he or she may include gluten in his/her diet without worry? I believe the T-cells would only respond in the blood if they saw a large-enough amount of the gluten peptide wouldn't they?

Let me know your thoughts. Also I saw this video on candida:

My CDSA said I didn't have a candida problem, but some deficiency in bifidobacteria.

Hi Alice,

Healing your leaky gut is a phrase people use to describe getting past the inflammation and damage done by celiac disease to your intestinal lining. It doesn't mean the immune system has stopped caring what you put in your body, but that the immune attack has stopped since you aren't throwing gluten at it. That gives your intestines a chance to heal and grow new villi. If you do toss some gluten in your gut your immune system will go on the attack again and the damage cycle will start all over. The immune reaction causes the damage.

There is some research being done on a chemical called zonulin that controls the "leakiness" of the intestinal villi. It may be that people with celiac have a difference in the way their intestinal villi react to zonulin than non-celiacs. or have too much zonulin. Dr. Alessio Fasano has done the research on it. The search link below has lots of threads about zonulin that might be interesting to you.

Open Original Shared Link

IrishHeart Veteran

I see you are still searching the internet for magical ways to eat gluten again. :rolleyes:

Alice, you need to talk with someone about your ongoing denial about your celiac diagnosis, hon ---because you continually post these links to people claiming it is possible to "cure" celiac.

I will say it again--if there were a cure for celiac, it would be front page news. And we would all know about it.

Time to accept you have an autoimmune disease. They are treatable, but not curable. And you can live a long, healthy life.

Devote your energies elsewhere, sweetie--for your own well-being.

There are no magic bullets on the internet.

Stalker Newbie

I kind of new to this so please correct me if I am wrong. But "leaky gut" is a symptom. It is not the problem. In other words treating the symptoms wont cure the disease. SO curing you leaky gut wont affect your Celiac disease.

IrishHeart Veteran

I kind of new to this so please correct me if I am wrong. But "leaky gut" is a symptom. It is not the problem. In other words treating the symptoms wont cure the disease. SO curing you leaky gut wont affect your Celiac disease.

You got it! A gut that is permeable or "leaks" is just a part of the picture.

Dr. Weil is about the only Doctor who even writes about it:

"Leaky gut syndrome is not generally recognized by conventional physicians, but evidence is accumulating that it is a real condition that affects the lining of the intestines. The theory is that leaky gut syndrome (also called increased intestinal permeability), is the result of damage to the intestinal lining, making it less able to protect the internal environment as well as to filter needed nutrients and other biological substances. As a consequence, some bacteria and their toxins, incompletely digested proteins and fats, and waste not normally absorbed may "leak" out of the intestines into the blood stream. This triggers an autoimmune reaction, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal bloating, excessive gas and cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, skin rashes, and autoimmunity. The cause of this syndrome may be chronic inflammation, food sensitivity, damage from taking large amounts of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), cytotoxic drugs and radiation or certain antibiotics, excessive alcohol consumption, or compromised immunity.

Leaky gut syndrome may trigger or worsen such disorders as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.

My colleague, pediatrician Sandy Newmark, M.D., who deals with leaky gut syndrome in children, tells me that it isn't clear how many people have this disorder or exactly what problems can be attributed to it. Dr. Newmark says that it has been established that a significant percentage of children with autism have increased intestinal permeability, but it isn't known whether this is a cause or an effect of food sensitivities and an underlying metabolic problem.

Some alternative medicine practitioners blame such unrelated problems as migraines, bad breath and insomnia on leaky gut syndrome and recommend buying home test kits purportedly capable of measuring intestinal permeability. I doubt it. For treatment, some of these practitioners recommend an assortment of dietary supplements.

I would be wary of any diagnosis of leaky gut syndrome if you don't have inflammatory bowel conditions (Crohn's disease, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome), rheumatoid arthritis, or asthma.

The leaky gut treatment I recommend involves avoiding alcohol and NSAIDS as well as any foods that you're allergic to. Make sure you're eating plenty of fiber. Take Culturelle or another probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus GG. I would also recommend eating an anti-inflammatory diet, including essential fatty acids like fish oil and GLA. In addition, you might try supplementing with glutamine, an amino acid that helps maintain intestinal metabolism and function and seems to benefit patients who have had intestinal injury from chemotherapy and radiation."

You can heal a leaky gut, but you will still have celiac disease.

I am gluten-free, but I still have other food intolerances and health issues, so I am sure I have a leaky gut too.

GottaSki Mentor

I know that I'll never be able to eat gluten again - nor do I want to.

However, I am hopeful that once time has passed my gut will heal and once again tolerate some of the other foods I've lost. I just finished six months of trialing foods on a strict elimination diet and plan to re-trial the foods I lost once a year for the next few years. Most info I've read says re-try foods at six months but I am sick and tired of getting sick every time I try a food so I choose to wait awhile and hope for a bit more healing while I wait.

cahill Collaborator

a1956chill - how long did it take your leaky guy to heal? I've been gluten free for about 5 1/2 months, and keep hoping for my leaky gut to healed :-)

I have been gluten free since 2009

Because of my leaky gut ,I did a strict elimination diet the end of 2010 into 2011 . During that time I had intolerances to coffee ,eggs ,corn, nightshades, legumes, dairy, soy, most fruits ,most veggies and most meats .It was almost 8 months later before I started slowly adding them back.

I now can eat eggs,dairy,corn some fruits, some veggies some legumes,some meats,occasional have a cup of coffee, nightshades are ok as long as I rotate them in and out of my diet.

I do not believe my gut has fully healed and I continue to rotate most food in and out of my diet to prevent further damage and allow for healing.

Every one is different ,My gut was severely damaged from 40+ years of non-diagnosis.

I would think the less the damage the quicker to heal.

Be patient ,dont rush it, and be grateful for what you can eat

((HUG))

IrishHeart Veteran

Every one is different ,My gut was severely damaged from 40+ years of non-diagnosis.

I would think the less the damage the quicker to heal.

Be patient ,dont rush it, and be grateful for what you can eat

((HUG))

Same here.

The longer you go unDxed, the worse it seems to be.

But it does not mean you cannot heal. It just takes time.

GottaSki Mentor

Same here.

The longer you go unDxed, the worse it seems to be.

But it does not mean you cannot heal. It just takes time.

Ditto.

Patience is not just a virtue...with Sillyaks it is a necessity :)

IrishHeart Veteran

Ditto.

Patience is not just a virtue...with Sillyaks it is a necessity :)

YUP! sigh. No rushing this recovery..."it IS what is IS", as we say in my house. ;)

Some days, though....a fast-forward button would be great.

mushroom Proficient

I am still on slow play with my intolerances, keep putting off the trial.... I had IV antibiotics last summer and my gut has not recovered from those, so the abstinence period has been extended again until I find out if I have SIBO or c.diff . - going to do it this week because I have been living on digestive enzymes and probiotics. But I still have hopes that I can have an occasional nightshade or lemon or bean. Some Day!!! :D

GottaSki Mentor

But I still have hopes that I can have an occasional nightshade or lemon or bean. Some Day!!! :D

Some Day :)

Oh...I did find out something interesting about nightshades (well tomato). My cousin's hubby was involved in the science of genetically altering foods until he became unhappy with his research and left academia to become an organic pig/poultry farmer 30 years ago -- anyway he suggested I trial heirloom tomatoes to make sure that my intolerance of tomato wasn't actually an intolerance of the genetically altered tomatoes found in the grocery store. I added Heirlooms to my items I trialed during elimination diet and although I still had some minor reaction (slight bloat and minor joint/muscle aches) it was nothing like the horrible reaction I had had to a regular store bought beefsteak tomato (mouth went numb immediately, every joint locked up and full bloat -- took me out for 2 days).

I never even knew what heirloom meant in connection with tomatoes -- now I've purchased heirloom seeds for many vegies for my garden -- here is hoping heirloom tomatoes and peppers will be back in my diet one day :)

mushroom Proficient

Thank goodness for the seed savers :) When I try tomatoes it's going to be home-grown heirlooms too.

IrishHeart Veteran

That IS good news because we have planted the heirloom toms before and the seeds are readily available. This summer, in they go!

Thanks, GottaSki! ;)

GottaSki Mentor

That IS good news because we have planted the heirloom toms before and the seeds are readily available. This summer, in they go!

Thanks, GottaSki! ;)

You are welcome...glad I popped back by...this thread really perked my hope for getting some items back in time.

Have a great weekend :)

IrishHeart Veteran

You are welcome...glad I popped back by...this thread really perked my hope for getting some items back in time.

Have a great weekend :)

Well, I am glad you popped back by, too! because I don't think I ever " met" you before :lol: and you are a bright ray of sunshine and your post about recovering and feeling so well is very encouraging!!

and Back atcha!

:)

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