<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thanks again to everyone who responded!



 
-"If they really aren't sensitive to gluten it doesn't seem plausible that
they would not react if they went off and then back on.  We do that with a
lot of foods because many foods are available seasonally or eaten more by
certain ethnic groups and not others, etc. so some foods may be consumed rarely.
 
But if a person thinks they are not sensitive gluten and then they go off it
and then react when they reintroduce it, it makes sense that in actuality
they were sensitive to begin with and the tests didn't show it.up.  Most
tests today are incomplete and don't check enough different antibodies.
Gluten can break down into a number of different known (or undiscovered as
yet?) pieces, and most tests only test one or two pieces, or an enzyme, tTG,
that it turns out not everyone has in certain gluten syndrome reactions.  So
if you are reacting to an untested piece or one for which there may be no
test as yet, you may have had a negative test that is misleading you. 
 
That is why an elimination diet can sometimes be helpful for folks with
symptoms.  If  you get better when gluten or a food is removed or get worse
when it is reintroduced, that is a definitive diagnosis of the gluten
syndrome. "
 
 
 
 
-"My wife went GF (about 18 months ago) because my 13 yo son and I have 
Celiac.  She does not.  But when she goes out with my daughter (not CD) and 
eats something containing gluten, usually wheat based, she always has a 
reaction.  So, it is not a dumb question at all."
 
 
 
-"Very likely not, but ....
 
A person that can normally digest gluten has a digestive tract that breaks
down peptides (amino acids linked together - these come from proteins). It
is thought that those of us with CD break down peptides of any length down
to somewhere around 40 and pick up again somewhere around 16. But between
about 40 and about 16, we don't break these peptides down. Instead, we
transport them through the gut membrane. That is the problem.
 
I don't think by abstaining from gluten that the body loses it ability to
breakdown the peptides that celiacs can't (scientifically, the offending
peptide is called 33mer). This is an interesting question, but it is not a
dumb question. I've heard, but I really don't know this to be a fact, that
adults can lose the ability to produce lactase (enzyme that digests milk
sugar) if they do not expose themselves to lactose.
 
The CD mechanism is not well understood. Some people are born with CD, and
others like me, develop it. The question is what breaks down the peptides,
what goes wrong to cause the gap, and why do we transport? There are a
number of investigators that believe it is genetic. OK, but what is
happening at the enzyme level that makes a mistake*?
 
My suspicion is that celiac disease is not just one condition. Few things in
nature are straight forward. But, we can hope. There has been a lot of
learning over the years, and I know of two teams that are at work on the
genetic aspects of CD - one at UC Irvine and one in Europe. There are also a
number of workers trying to find out what happens in the gut. They know
about the immune reacation and the inflamatory response, but they haven't
figured out the exact reason that triggers the problem."
 
 
 
-"They might have a reaction, since their
body isn't used to it anymore (depending on how long it has been) - it
would be similar to a vegetarian eating meat after a long time without
it (in which they might have reactions, especially stomach problems,
etc., if they reintroduce a large amount after a long time).  So, I
would say, certainly it could happen - especially depending on the
amount reintroduced to the diet and how long it has been since last
eating it.  A dietitian may be helpful with this."
 
 
 
-"I personally think  a person will react if going w/o gluten for a period
of time.  Here is my person experience:.  My husband and daughter have
confirmed celiac disease.  We spent 4 days in Dallas at the GIG National
Education Conference.  Meals were included (and gluten free) and all the
vendors there obviously were gluten free food product makers with lots of
samples.  After me eating gluten free(because that's what was available) for
4 days, I decided to go gf long term and see if it helps my rheumatoid
arthritis.  I've heard it could.  After eating gf for about 2 weeks, I ate
some cookies and wedding cake at a wedding reception.  The next day my
bowels were going crazy.
 
I believe this to be because of the uniqueness of the amino acid chain of
the gluten protien molecule.  As described to us by a physician at the
conference, humans, no humans, fully digest gluten.  It is unique among all
the grains because of it's amino acid chain (moleucular make up.)  I know
this sounds technical and  unless you are a biological/chemistry science
person, it's hard to understand.   I believe anytime you remove a specific
food from your diet for a significant lenght of time, then add it back in,
your body will notice and have some reaction.  Think about when you start a
high fiber diet all of a sudden.  You have to do increase fiber intake
gradually as your intestines are not used to it.  After a while they react
normally. 
I don't think everyone should eat gluten free, but it certainly bears some
thought given the facts about gluten."
 
 
 
 
-"Not unless they have asymptomatic GI or CD...often times people are
unaware or haven't been "triggered".  It is possible that once you take
it out of  your system and then reintroduce, your body would react as it
began to heal and then got shocked. "
 
 
 
-"Yes.  My fiance does not have Celiac and he's on the gluten-free diet with
me.  Not only has he noticed a difference in the way he feels, he also
notices when he accidentally eats something wrong.  Since he isn't Celiac,
he tends to eat more questionable items that I avoid when he goes out. 
Gluten effects every single person whether you have a sensativity or not, so
it would make sense that you'd see a reaction to adding it back into a diet."

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