Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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

Cross- Contamination


hihikmn

Recommended Posts

hihikmn Newbie

After I got sick from eating at his moms house, my boyfriend asked me why cross contamination affects me. I was at a loss for words. He wanted to know how such a small amount (such as the amount transferred by a fork, or by uncleaned machinery in a factory) could make me so sick, and I had never thought about it.

Can anyone explain the science behind cross-contamination, and why it only takes a small amount to have an affect?


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



kareng Grand Master

Would " because the experts say it will" work?

Open Original Shared Link

"The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage your intestine. This is true for anyone with the disease, including people who do not have noticeable symptoms. It can take weeks for antibody levels (indicating intestinal damage) to normalize after a person with celiac disease has consumed gluten"

Really, it's a bit like a germ in our body. Germs aren't very big, but our immune system recognizes them as a problem and makes antibodies to attack. Gluten doesn't have to be a large amount to cause our confused, Celiac immune systems to recognize it and make antibodies. Only these antibodies don't attack the gluten, it's not alive, they attack the intestines so we don't absorb the gluten our immune systems think is evil.

Jestgar Rising Star

Your immune system is designed to keep you alive. If your body is invaded by a bacterium or a virus, your immune system doesn't have the luxury of waiting to see how harmful it is, it throws everything it can at the invader to get rid of it, and keep you alive. Kind of like putting out a fire with a fire hose - doesn't matter if it's a match, a candle, or a campfire, the fire hose comes out.

With gluten intolerance, your body has decided that gluten is an invader, and it has the same response. Even if only a tiny, tiny amount comes in, you still get the fire hose.

hihikmn Newbie

Awesome! Those are very helpful. I hope that helps him understand!

Thanks :)

Mom23boys Contributor

For those needing more of a picture I may modify the cat poo/brownie story from a religious moral to a health moral.

If you don't know the story, the kids (or in this case bf) are asking why just a little bit won't hurt. You then bring the kids into the kitchen to bake some brownies. You then ask the kids to go to the catbox since you are out of chocolate chips. When the kids freak at the thought, you remind them that it is just a little bit. Point made.

Your body rebels against the gluten like most minds are rebelling against the thought of any amount of cat poo.

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,543
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    alimb
    Newest Member
    alimb
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.5k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • PixieSticks
      Hi yes! I was diagnosed 10 years ago through a biopsy. I’ve been gluten free ever since but no one I’m around is gluten free. I sometimes wore a surgical mask in the kitchen. but I believe particles were still getting through. I’ll definitely look into n95 instead. thanks for the reply. 
    • BoiseNic
      Ya I used to react to iodine, but it doesn't bother me anymore after strict adherence to a gluten-free diet for many years now. I am happy to report that for the first time ever in my life, a probiotic formula is not making me break out, but actually seems to be helping. The strains in this formula have been specifically tested to help with skin issues. It is gluten and dairy free also. 
    • knitty kitty
      @Whyz, I take a combination of Thiamin (Benfotiamin), B12 Cobalamine and Pyridoxine B6 for my pain and headaches.  Really works well without hurting the digestive tract.  Riboflavin B2 also helps with migraines.  Most newly diagnosed people have vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  Check with your doctor and nutritionist.   If you follow the updated gluten challenge guidelines, you can wait until two weeks (minimum) before your appointment, then eat lots of gluten, like six slices of gluten containing bread or "name your poison".   Here's the Updated Gluten Challenge Guidelines: Recommended intake of gluten should be increased to 10 grams of gluten per day for at least two weeks. Or longer. While three grams of gluten will begin the immune response, ten grams of gluten is needed to get antibody levels up to where they can be measured in antibody tests and changes can be seen in the small intestine.   Keep in mind that there are different amounts of gluten in different kinds of bread and gluten containing foods.  Pizza crust and breads that are thick and chewy contain more gluten than things like cake and cookies.   References: https://www.beyondceliac.org/celiac-disease/the-gluten-challenge/ And... Evaluating Responses to Gluten Challenge: A Randomized, Double-Blind, 2-Dose Gluten Challenge Trial https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7878429/?report=reader  "In our study, limited changes in Vh:celiac disease (villi height vs crypt depth - aka damage to the small intestine)  following 14-day challenge with 3 g of gluten were observed, in accordance with Sarna et al.  While the 3 g dose was sufficient to initiate an immune response, as detected by several biomarkers such as IL-2, the 10 g dose was required for enteropathy within the study time frame. Based on our data, we would suggest that gluten challenge should be conducted over longer durations and/or using doses of gluten of ≥ 3 g/day to ensure sufficient histological change can be induced." Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Scott Adams
      I don't believe that existing life insurance policies require such notifications--health checks are typically done before such policies are obtained. I believe it would primarily affect any new policy you get, and perhaps any policy renewal.
    • Scott Adams
      You could go gluten-free now, and then start eating lots of gluten for at least 2 weeks before your endoscopy--just be sure to tell your doctor about this beforehand. If your symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet, it is further evidence of celiac disease and/or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.  Approximately 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity than have celiac disease, but there isn’t yet a test for NCGS. If your symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet it would likely signal NCGS.  
×
×
  • Create New...