<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Thanks to all of you who shared your gluten-like allergy / sensitivity /
intolerance histories with me. The responses showed me that although the
first line of defense when a gluten-type reaction occurs is indeed to look
for hidden gluten in the diet, many non-gluten substances, both foods and
non-foods (environmental), can cause the same kind of reaction as gluten
in some people with celiac. These problems can pop up immediately after
diagnosis or not for many years afterwards.
Obviously the survey appealed to those who do have allergies, and it is not
an indication of the prevalence of such allergies among celiacs, but rather
a collection of several histories. Here is a summary of the responses.
POST-GF ALLERGY POP-UP SURVEY RESULTS
SUMMARY:
--------
24 OF THE 27 RESPONSES SAID YES, they got their gluten-type reaction to one
or more non-gluten substances.
40 DIFFERENT ALLERGENS WERE REPORTED as causing gluten-like responses.
MILK AND SOY PRODUCTS WERE MOST FREQUENTLY MENTIONED as substances causing
gluten-like responses, and both typically popped up shortly after going GF.
MOST ALLERGIES POPPED UP WITHIN 2 YEARS of going GF, the shortest time
being "since diagnosis" and the longest 28 years post-GF.
SYMPTOMS WERE MOSTLY GUT-TYPE. Many volunteered that gluten and the
allergens all gave them gut symptoms, but some reported mental or
respiratory or "cold" symptoms for both gluten and allergens. Although I
didn't ask about allergies that gave symptoms different from an
individual's gluten reactions, some people volunteered they also have those
kinds of allergies, especially some respiratory allergies even when their
response to gluten is a gut type.
3 METHODS HELPED IDENTIFY ALLERGIES. Some people mentioned how they found
the source of their gluten-like reactions. The most frequently mentioned
was their own informal detecting, but some went through a more formal
process of elimination or rotation diets, and some mentioned having
professional allergy testing.
DETAILS:
--------
Q 1. Does the following description sound like you? Yes/No
After being on the GF diet for some months or years you began to have
REACTIONS LIKE THOSE YOU GET FROM GLUTEN, but after some sleuthing, you
discovered the cause was not gluten but something else, such as soy or
fructose or corn or whatever. A new allergy (aka sensitivity) had popped up
into your life.
A 1. Yes (24) / No (3)
Q 2. If yes, please list the substances that gave you the gluten-type
reaction and for each one state the length of time you had been GF when the
reaction popped up.
A 2.
substance (# responses) range of times from going GF to allergy pop-up
----------------------- ---------------------------------------------
milk (6) 0-10 years post-GF, with 5 shortly post-GF.
soy (6) 0-28 years post-GF, with 4 shortly post-GF.
canola oil (3) 0-2 years post-GF.
corn (3) 0-2 years post-GF, with 2 shortly post-GF
rice (3) 0-2.5 years post-GF, with 2 shortly post-GF
food dyes (2) 0-1.5 years post-GF
millet (2) 0-10 years post-GF
sugar (2) 0-17 years post-GF
fruit (2) both shortly post-GF
Also,the following substances were each mentioned by one person. Of those
who told how long they had been GF before the problem popped up, all said
it was within the first two years of going GF:
FOODS: NON-FOODS:
all grains airconditioning
apples cat and dog dander
avocado clay dust
chick peas dust mite
citrus grass
distilled vinegar house dust
eggs mold
flax oil and flax seed ragweed
GF bread (may be the yeast) tobacco
lamb trees
msg
nitrates
nutrasweet
olive oil
onion, raw
salmon
shellfish
sorbitol
sulfites
tomatoes
tuna
Thanks again to all,
Martha
Los Angeles
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