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Could This Be Celiacs Or An Intolerance?

ArmyCurl

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ArmyCurl Newbie
ArmyCurl
Posted

My son just turned 4. He was 9lbs 5oz at birth. I believe he slowly dropped in percentiles since birth (although i need to double-check). His height and weight are currently in about the 14th percentile and he is growing (although slow). The problem with his 14th percentile is that he comes from two very tall families so this leaves him with a projected height of the shortest in the family--odd in my mind.

I don't think he has any GI symptoms.

I recently realized his sleep problems started about 4 months old which is also when we introduced solids. He was breastfed from birth to 15 months with solids starting at 4 months.

I'm not sure if he has any other "typical" symptoms.

Could this be celiacs or gluten intolerance? I really don't know what to do since growth is a VERY slow indicator if we were to try a gluten-free diet.

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momtok&m Explorer
momtok&m
Posted

If you're trying a gluten-free diet, you would remove gluten for a month and then add it back in. You'd notice the symptoms when you add it back. That being said......I wouldn't do it without letting your ped. know so he can monitor things. Good Luck!

Cara in Boston Enthusiast
Cara in Boston
Posted

My son was diagnosed at age 6 and his only symptom (we thought) was an extreme change in behavior. Zero GI symptoms, no complaints, etc. He was tall for his age, so I never noticed that his growth slowed down. But, after being diagnosed and going gluten free, he shot up several inches in the first month. He was back on his original growth curve.

You don't really need to be monitored by a doctor while on a gluten-free diet because it is perfectly safe (you will probably eat MORE healthy food when all the processed stuff is removed). BUT, you should check with your MD before starting and maybe ask for the blood tests. Once you start gluten-free, the tests will no longer be accurate. If you want to get tested in the future, he will have to resume eating gluten for several months before testing. After being gluten-free for any length of time, the reaction to gluten tends to get worse . . .

Other things that have improved: better, more regular sleep habits, no more random joint pain (we thought it was "growing pains"), no more dark circles under his eyes, less frequent nose bleeds, no more eczema, more focused, more friendly and generally happy. We didn't even know these were symptoms!

His hair is also thicker and more wavy now . . . coincidence?

Cara

ArmyCurl Newbie
ArmyCurl
Posted
  • Author

Wow thanks for all the info ladies! I didn't realize we could see results in such a short period of time. We are going to visit the Dr before starting the diet to get any growth related tests (and gluten related) done in advance. After reading this board I don't want to have to glutenize him in the future just for tests.

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

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      @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
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      By Jane02 · Posted

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

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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