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

Vitamin D Deficiency And Celiac?

lesliev523

Recommended Posts

lesliev523 Rookie
lesliev523
Posted

Hello,

I had posted here in this forum a few months back, and now my doctor is revisiting Celiac as a diagnosis for me. A few years ago, I started with chronic constipation. Last June I would have "gall bladder attacks" so bad I would be home from work for a couple days. Tons of tests run, and nothing found to be wrong with my gall bladder, but we decided to take it out anyways. There was an endoscopy at that time, and they did not find any evidence of celiac. Shortly after the surgery, I still was not feeling better so I went gluten free. It was awesome.

Well.... over the course of the last six months I have let gluten creep back into my life (although not as bad as I was before) and I feel like crap again. Over the last four months I have had terrible anxiety, stomach issues (occasional constipation, joint pain, allergy/sinus issues, fatigue...etc. So my doctor did a blood panel last week to look at autoimmune (not celiac because she knew i was gluten "light"). Negative for the ANA (?) test, but I had seriously low levels of Vitamin D. I was at 20, norm is between 50-100. So I am on mega vitamin doses.

I have seen some correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and Celiac.

I am also wondering if I am low in magnesium, because of the constipation.

I was advised to go full out gluten for the next few weeks, and then get the blood test done.

Anyone else have experience with Vitamin D and their Celiac, or have similar situation to mine? I am a little nervous going with full out gluten again!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


RiFi Newbie
RiFi
Posted

Hi Leslie,

I'm really sorry to hear you've been having such a rough time of it lately. :( I'm sure it's been made more distressful by not being able to find an underlying cause.

From everything that I've read, there definitely is an association between low Vitamin D and celiac disease. What are your calcium levels like? Often low Vitamin D leads to low calcium levels because it's essential for calcium absorption.

You mentioned your magnesium levels - it's probably worth getting them checked because magnesium is essential for Vitamin D absorption.

If you google 'magnesium and vitamin D', you'll find a lot of articles. There's an interesting one here: Open Original Shared Link This article links to another site - Open Original Shared Link where you'll find a lot about the importance of Vit D. I do sometimes feel the main author on this site, Dr Cannell, has a barrow to push (frenetically) and there's definitely some bias in his reporting, but there's still some great information here.

Also, have you explored any other food allergies/ sensitivities you might be having to food chemicals that naturally occur in food ie salicylates, amines, glutamate. A lot of the symptoms you've described above can be caused by foods high in these natural chemicals. There's some good hard science around all of this and there's a great introduction Open Original Shared Link You'll also find a wealth of information at Sue Dengate's Open Original Shared Link site.

One more thing - psyllium husks are excellent for constipation (they contains both soluble and insoluble fibre) - in Australia you can buy them by the bag at supermarkets and some chemists. A word of caution though, most people can take it without a problem but I ended up developing an allergy to it - rash/ itching - but apparently this is pretty rare.

Best of luck finding some solutions :)

maximoo Enthusiast
maximoo
Posted

well when there is villi damage nutrients aren't absorbed so in addition to vit D many celiacs have anemia as well but not all. However a large portion of americans are vit D deficient due to the overuse of sunblock & avoiding the sun. Many Northerners are vit D deficient especially during winter months. We need sun but not too much sun. Depending on how fair you are a general rule of thumb is 10-15 mts a day of sunlight several times a week.

Is it correlated to celiac--yes and no. Yes, in that it's evidence of your villi not being able to absorb it. No, because of reasons stated above.

How important is it to you that you have a dx? you know that you feel much better w/o gluten. You could have non celiac gluten intolerance where you feel like crap but no damage to villi occurs. You could go thru testing & everything turns out negative. I'm sure you would still prefer to be gluten-free so you don't feel like crap.

Only you can decide if testing is worth it or not. As far as Vit D take your mega doses & try your best to get some sun. Spring is just about here.

Good Luck!

lesliev523 Rookie
lesliev523
Posted
  • Author

Thank you for the responses. Part of me wants a diagnoses because I feel that my family thinks that this is all in my head, and I want to prove them wrong.

And I love the sun, but we definitely don't get enough of it in the winter, because I live in northern Michigan. It was suggested that I actually visit the tanning bed, as well.

Thank you for the responses!

Metoo Enthusiast
Metoo
Posted

I was not diagnosed with celiac (negative blood test). But I have vitamin D problems. Last April I had a level of 14! 12 is as low as the testing range went. Though taking over 70,000 Ius for several weeks, then backing down to 35,000 Ius I got my level up to 55 by July (high sun time for me also June through July).

I continued taking 35,000 a week until September. Then I just occasionally supplemented.

I went gluten free in November. I just got my blood work back and I have a level of 32 again. So now I am back to taking 28,000 IUs a week.

I live in Michigan too, so right now should be about our lowest Vitamin D levels. It isn't until May that we start getting enough UV rays to make vitamin D up here.

Also, NO a tanning bed will not help your Vitamin D production that much. The consequences and damage, far out weigh your ability to get vitamin d from it. Low levels of vitamin D already puts you at a higher risk for cancer.

maximoo Enthusiast
maximoo
Posted

DEFINITELY NO TANNING BEDS!!! They will burn u w/o providing any vit D. Natural sunlight is what we need no artificial crap!

lesliev523 Rookie
lesliev523
Posted
  • Author

Noted on the tanning bed, thank you. My GP actually mentioned that it would be okay, but she gave me very specific instructions on doing so.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


maximoo Enthusiast
maximoo
Posted

I wouldn't do it. Dr's can be misinformed or ill-informed.I know too many ppl who died from melanoma. But suit yourself. Good luck!

  • 5 months later...
foam Apprentice
foam
Posted

I would like to see everyone here get a Vit D level test, imho it's the main or perhaps only cause for a sensitive digestive system. I'm working my way up to 120 levels. I've gone from 20 to 67 so far (would have been around 80-90 before winter started) and I feel 10x more amazing already. Go and have the test.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,535
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Katherine Baker
    Newest Member
    Katherine Baker
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      How long does it take to gain weight?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      First, it's fantastic news that your diarrhea has resolved after a month—that is a huge and critical sign of healing, confirming that the gluten-free diet is starting to work. While it feels slow, this stabilization of your digestive system is the essential foundation upon which weight gain is built. Given the severity of your weight loss, dropping from 50kg to 35kg, it is very normal for the body to need a significant amount of time to recover. The fact that your vitamin levels are stable is a positive sign that your body is now absorbing nutrients, which is the first step. Many people in the Celiac community report that noticeable, consistent weight gain often doesn't begin until several months after their digestive symptoms have fully settled, as the intestines need that time to repair the villi responsible for absorption. It sounds like you are doing everything right by working with your specialists and ruling out other issues like thyroid complications, which, despite the fluctuating TSH, your doctors have confirmed are not a primary concern. Please be gentle with yourself; your body has been through a major trauma. The lack of strength you feel is a direct result of such a low body weight, and as you slowly and consistently nourish yourself with safe, calorie-dense gluten-free foods, that strength will return. Stay the course with your optimism and consistency—you are on the right path, and a healthier figure is absolutely ahead. Are you taking vitamin and mineral supplements? The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.  Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend that those just diagnosed with celiac disease take a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement, which would greatly benefit most, if not all, newly diagnosed celiacs.    
    • knitty kitty
      How long does it take to gain weight?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I agree, most doctors miss the subtleties of Celiac disease.   The AIP diet was designed by a doctor who has Celiac herself, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne.  Her book The Paleo Approach is most helpful.   The AIP diet eliminates all grains and other pseudo grains like rice,corn and quinoa because they can be irritating to the digestive track.  It eliminates processed gluten-free foods.  These processed foods are not enriched with vitamins and minerals like their gluten containing counterparts are.  They are usually full of saturated fats and excess fiber, not something healthy one would choose to eat anyway.  Stick with meat and veggies and some low histamine fruits.  Supplement with Benfotiamine and a B Complex to ensure your body has an opportunity to absorb these essential nutrients. You have a blessed day, too, sweetie.
    • trents
      Frequent nausea after gluten-free diet

      By trents · Posted

      Let me suggest some possibilities for your nausea/heart burn besides gluten cross contamination that are common in the celiac community: 1. You may have other food intolerances. This is exceedingly common in the celiac community. The two most common food offenders are oats and dairy products. Eggs, corn and soy are also on that list. But it can be almost anything. You might start with eliminating oats and dairy for a few weeks and see if there is improvemen.t 2. You may have MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)-histamine intolerance: you should research this. 3. You may have SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) 4. You may have an H. Pylori infection or a Candida yeast infection Unfortunately, celiac disease often brings along its friends. Often it generates other health issues by the time we ever get it diagnosed such that going gluten-free is not the only answer to the problem. We can be over simplistic and naive about it in this since.
    • petitojou
      How long does it take to gain weight?

      By petitojou · Posted

      Hi! Thank you so much! This was truly helpful. Most doctors I went to were absolutely uninformed and unprepared to treat a celiac patient. I will check for all the things you shared and focus on healing first! Really really thank you! Have a blessed day. 
    • petitojou
      Frequent nausea after gluten-free diet

      By petitojou · Posted

      Hi! Thank you   Of course! I still live with my family; there used to be six of us, and now there are four. I rarely leave the house or eat out. Although my mother has also been diagnosed with celiac disease, she does not follow the same precautions as I do. I use separate kitchen utensils (different spatulas, pans, dish towels, plates, toaster - almost everything since I’m highly sensitive), and my food is kept separate in the kitchen. The other two people who live with us consume gluten daily, but unfortunately they are not careful. Although we frequently clean the kitchen surfaces and other utensils (such as the microwave, towels, and tables), because they consume gluten constantly, there are always gluten crumbs everywhere! And more complicated contaminations have happened before. I try to eat separately in my room to avoid it as much as possible, but even on days when I am sure there has been no contamination, I feel nauseous (sometimes I feel like just the smell is enough for it). Does the food inside the fridge should also be separated and in its own shelf? I think that might be the problem too.  I really wanted to leave my home to live a more peaceful and less stressful life in terms of cross-contamination, since the people around me are not careful, but given my current circumstances, it is impossible… so I’ve been trying to deal with it calmly? 
×
×
  • 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.