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Hello Listmates

Finally I am posting the summary to my inquiry regarding nutritional deficiencies with a no wheat diet.  I have copied the original message
first as a reference.  I received about 30 responses from listmates. Generally, most said that adding some sort of oil to one's diet with food or supplements could eliminate some of the "excema" type rashes caused by the elimination of wheat. Mostly with the addition of Vit E..!!  I added Vitamin E and Cod Liver Oil and all the symptoms went away almost immediately. Does this mean we are not getting Vit E or some other oil from not eating wheat--I don't know!!  Below are the various response I had!
Thanks
Jim

Subject: No Wheat=Nutriional defienciencies

I have been gluten free since last October. I am now getting these incredible itchy patches all over my legs and arms--some on my sides
too--which I think is excema !  I used to have bouts with excema years
ago, but eliminated it for the most part by eating well--including wheat
products. I believe wheat has essential oils and/or other nutrients that
are now missing from my diet and causing some typw of excema to return.  I would like to hear if any memebers have had any experience with this at all.  Perhaps there is a supplement such as Vitamin E, Fish oil or
some other nutrional supplement that might replace the what was in wheat.?  Anyway, I suspect I am not getting some vital oil that my body
needs by not eating wheat--could be something else though. Years ago I
used to add wheat germ oil, lesicin and some other supplements when I
had an excema bout and it would make it go away. Your feed back would be
appreciated and perhaps helpful in eliminating this problem..   Thanks
Jim from Nevada




Unless you were eating lots of whole grain wheat products, it's more likely you are missing  the B vitamins that flour is enriched with rather than the oils.  You can get those by eating nuts & soy. The make vitamins that contain a variety of Bs or you can get them in a multivitamin.

Do you think your eczema is an allergic reaction?


My docs have recommended flax/borage oil- 1-2 tbsp a day. I like Barlean?s Omega Twin. It has to stay refrigerated and you can?t cook with it. You can put it in salad dressing or yogurt or a smoothie and not even know it?s there. Also check into Fish oil and evening primrose oil (EPO or Efamol are best brands), also a product named SeaCure. You can get these cheap at NEEDS.com. ?no affiliation, just like their prices and service. I got a catalog and call in orders for supplements and natural soaps, etc. The thing you might need in an oil is the Omega 3 fatty acids. There is also a margarine type item called omega something I think, that has this.

You might want to try "Evening Primrose Oil" supplements.

Vitamin E might help you..but often eczema is a sign of
allergies, specifically food allergies

You know I gave your post a little more thought; actually a lot more thought and I think I understand the point you are making.

I have a friend who takes 400 mg of Vitamin E daily.  His reasoning for it is that he feels it is one vitamin that is very hard to get enough of even tho the body will store it. And, lets face it 400 mg's is probably not going to cause toxic levels to build in the body.  If memory serves, Vit. E sources are vegetable oils, leafy green veggies, wheat germ,cereal and breads and other whole grains.

So.  I see what you are saying.  It makes sense that someone cutting out wheat is probably cutting out a major source of Vit. E and I think it is very difficult to find a completely wheat free supplement of Vit E.  To be honest, I haven't even looked for one just assuming that they all probably came from wheat.

Thanks to your post, Jim, I am going to make a real effort to increase the leafy green veggies in my diet. That's one thing I can do right away and it sure as heck is not going to hurt.  I really do think you are making a very good point and and it is not due to the typical malabsorption issue.


You might be right.  I eat fish, take fish oil capsules, especially cod
liver oil, and eat lots of avocados.  It can also just be that you may not be absorbing all the fats you are eating, so eat more fats, and try your level best to get your guts back into working order by staying religiously away from everything you're allergic to.  Good luck.

Skin problems may be improved with an increase in Vit A(or a precursor)
consumption = dark green vegies(usually leafy) and orange-colored fruits
and vegies(not oranges though).


don't overlook the possibility of this being a cleansing reaction as well, or an allergy to something in your diet that the wheat reactions may have "masked". i also have had bouts of eczema that come and go and seem to be caused by different things. that said, i have been **tremendously** helped by doing the following:
1. replace all margarines and trans-fats (hydrogenated) in my diet with
olive oil or canola oil.
2. take supplements for fish oil, evening primrose oil and black current
oil.
3. even better, eat cold water fish at least once a week (salmon, halibut,
etc.)
4. watch intake of foods i'm sensitive to: milk, corn, chocolate, coffee.
5. moderate stress levels.
6. drink plenty of fresh water daily.

I take folic acid pills daily and get a B-12 shot every month, and also take Shaklee vitamins. We are missing a lot of nutrients - just look at our cereal boxes! Jan

        People with CD are proned to more skin problems.  I have DH and I also get bouts of Atopic Eczema which sounds much like what you describe.  I found it difficult to decipher the difference between the Eczema and DH; both were intensely itchy, raw and red and occured on large areas of the skin.  Biopsy told the story.  Watch out for Vit. E, can be and most of the time is derived from wheat.  The best thing for Atopic Eczema is to keep the skin hydrated, lots of vasoline after bathing to lock in moisture.

Cd is a complicated disease.  Be careful.  I have fallen into the trap of making my problems worse by trying different solutions that were incorrect.  See a dermatolgist; you need a good one.  And keep your skin moisturized with out perfumes and fragrances.  Careful of laundry detergents and fabric softeners.

I don't think the cause of your problems is 'lack' of wheat.

I have no help to offer but some empathy.  I have been gluten free for
about two months and the itchiness started within a week after I cut out
the gluten.  I thought maybe it was our unusually dry weather.  I also had
eczema as a child but outgrew it (mostly) as a teenager.  My itchy patches
are not as bad as my eczema was, but still annoying.
I am very interested to hear what others tell you.


You are right about the nutritional cause of eczema......in time past the
prescription was using lard and or sun bathing to relieve the rash.  So
it sounds like vit D...........Jess

Try safflower or sunflower oils.  They are gluten-free and can be used as salad dressings (oil and vinegar) or in cooking.  Have you also considered that the 'eczema' may actually be dermatitis herpetiformis, a skin condition related to celiac disease?






















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