<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I received a tremendous amount of excellent and important information.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to address this issue and share
their knowledge!!!! I've answered as many as I can so far - apologies if I
did not get to you yet!!!! Because I received so much information, I am
sending this summary in parts.
Some respondents felt that supplements were not always necessary -
especially in children who were diagnosed and treated early - if you can get
them to eat a balanced diet. One person also made the excellent point that
artificial/genetically engineered compounds are a concern. How well
artificial supplements absorb - especially since they need to be 'complexed'
to do so properly was an issue that was also raised. A great deal of
excellent advice on how to get nutrients through dietary management was
sent.
Other respondents felt that supplements were essential. Excellent advice
included: moderation is the key and the safety of the supplements (e.g.,
making sure that they have been tested as to effectiveness and toxicity) is
critical. A point that many people made is that most of the foods available
are 'trash' - highly processed and/or grown artificially.
Excerpts from the responses:
>Last year when my son had his blood tests everything was normal and he
didn't need to have any kind of vitamin or mineral supplements. His
doctor said that a good variable GF diet is enough. Is there a difference
of absorption between young (children) celiacs and adults? From what I
read on the list, almost all celiacs are on some kind of supplement.
>Lee, I agree that a well balanced diet is better than vitamins, but in
the real world, my son (4) does not have a perfectly balanced diet each
day.
Vitamins are a good insurance policy and the right ones in moderation
can't hurt.
>we rely mostly on diet also. when i remember i give Justin Centrum for
kids. bugs bunny and Flintstones are OK too i heard but cant verify for
sure. i think because kids have not had celiac for very long they heal
faster and completely and absorb like anyone else. we have been celiac
2 1/2 years with no problem what so ever
>I have been told this too. I don't currently take any vitamin supplements,
but eat a well balanced diet. I had blood tests done to confirm that
everything was in the right level and low and behold, it is. My homeopath
says I am one of the few people that he doesn't have on vitamin supplements,
so obviously I must be doing something right with my diet - I had lots of
deficiencies before being diagnosed.
Just from a chemist's point of view, alot of the multi-vitamin tablets
don't absorb very well, and since some of the vitamins really need to be
complexed to absorb, you don't get them anyways. Certain vitamins have to
be taken with other (e.g., iron has to be given with vitamin C) in order to
be absorbed and must be in a specific form. The idea behind these mega
multi-vitamins is that you might absorb a little bit of it, so if you take
them daily, you probably help yourself out some. I think dietary
management is a better idea.
If your son is celiac, he's probably eating alot of rice, so that covers
vitamin B's, make sure he eats alot of a variety of fruits and vegetables of
different colors, red meat once in a while for the iron, milk for calcium
(or replace with calcium rich foods like broccoli, orange juice, etc.), and
try using eggs and as many different grains as he can tolerate. Probably a
good idea to become familiar with what certain vitamin deficiencies
manifest themselves as, so you can monitor if he's getting enough and blood
tests once in a while to check for vitamin B and iron, since these seem to
be the ones that celiacs have trouble absorbing.
Definitely more work in the short term, but I would suspect to be more
beneficial in the long run.
>This is not to argue, one thing we learn as Celiacs is that the majority of
USA doctors have not a clue about this condition. The microvilli of the
small intestine are the means by which absorption of vitamins and nutrients
from food take place. By definition, the Celiac destroys these microvilli
via gluten intake.
Once GF for life, with no mistakes, these microvilli do begin to reappear and
grow back as stunted and deformed entities. Your child, diagnosed young, may
not have suffered as much damage as we adult-diagnosed.
However, how are you going to account for his/her need for the B-complex
vitamins, most of which are derived primarily from Wheat Germ, Mixed Grains
and Brewer's Yeast--all of which are heavily laden with GLUTEN?
I have gained my information from medical tracts written by M.D.'s in Celiac
research at major medical schools. They include photographs of slides of the
mucosa of the small intestine in various stages of this disease, therefore my
confidence in the validity of this information.
Also, after 23 years of experience, I know what works for me. AGAIN, with a
child, having not suffered 30 or so years of damage, the situation may well
be different. But, be very sure that the doctors you consult are absolute
experts on Celiac and these you can count practically on your fingers in the
entire USA.
>The line your doctor is feeding you is WAY out of date. Even the fellow on
one of the morning TV shows (an MD) said ON CAMERA that he had been wrong
all these years that he has been advising people to eat well and not "waste
money on vitamin supplements." He now agrees with additional vitamins for
most people. I'm sure he would be doubly enthusiastic about vitamins and
mineral supplements for celiacs - before - during - and after removal of
gluten from their diets. Extra Essential Fatty Acids are especially
important (Omega 3 Oils) and if you find them too expensive, at least
taking a tablespoon of olive oil each day is a good idea. A strong multi
and a strong B Complex are really important.
>This is true of anyone, not just celiacs. It is always better to get
Vitamins and nutrients from food rather than a pill. That is why eveeryone
Should eat a variety of foods every day. This is what is meant by a well
Balanced diet! However, it is hard for a celiac to do this, given the
Enormity of restricted foods. I have my daughter eat many different foods,
But i still give her a vitamin daily. Your doctor was probably trying to
PREVENT YOU FROM depending ON PILLS AS YOUR SONS SOLE SOURCE OF VITAMINS,
And not actually discouraging their use altogether.
> Basically, your doctor is correct. The problem is that doctors are
not well educated in nutrition. They don't realize that no one is getting
the complete balance of nutrition our bodies need from food these days.
Through soil depletion, pesticide use, toxins in the air and soil,
antibiotic use on animals, etc., no one (even on a perfect organic diet) is
receiving the complete balance of nutrition each day that our bodies need
for the cellular communication our immune system needs in order to function
properly. Everyone needs to supplement their diets. The trick is to find
FOOD supplements rather than chemical supplements. Sure, you have to pay for
them, but what price do you put on good health?
> I do agree to absorbtion. If you buy capsules or liquid it will help.I
do believe that you cant get that much with food especially gf.I juast
started taking liquid vitamins 2 months ago and iam absorbing.
> Doctors are slowly coming around to recommending that patients take
supplements. These enlightened, realistic doctors realize that our food is
trash and is so highly processed that it isn't really nutritious.
My doctor recommends a high quality multi-vitamin every day. . . She doesn't
recommend taking large amounts of supplements because that can be dangerous.
After some research I agree with her on this point.
Doctors that recommend that no vitamin supplements be taken are either naive
or they realize that if people are properly nourished their business will be
reduced. If you fail to realize that the practice of medicine is a
multi-billion dollar business and is supported by sick people, you need to
take a more realistic look at our world. The local hospitall in this
community is the biggest business in our county and it hires the most
people. Does that tell you anything?
I recommend that you take a well-balanced, high-quality muti-vitamin pill
every day and that you avoid taking massive doses of ANYTHING. Above all I
think it is folly to take supplements that have not been medically tested
for effect and toxicity.
>Suppliments are a fact of modern nutrition. Our body gets nourishment
from the soil through vegetables and animal protein. But, due to
modern agriculture methods (conventional styles, not organic), the
soil is depleted of the substances that help sustain our health.
Many foods are grown on "dead" soil. In order to grow foods on such
soil, many chemicals in form of synthetic fertilizers and hormones (some
safe, many not safe for humans or animals) are needed to coerce the
plants to mature. These chemicals may induce plants to grow,
but may not have the same qualities as their natural counter-parts.
Nobody knows what their long term effects are, too.
Celiacs' should be able to absorb suppliments just like any other
person (provided they haven't been "sick"). Proper absorption is
dependant on a couple of things:
1. balance of nutrients. Each vitamin, mineral, and amino acid
work in harmony with each other. For instance, taking a vit C
tablet won't necessarily do any good if there aren't complimentary
nutrients for it to work with. (This is known as chelation).
2. Enzymes. Enzymes are the spark plugs! Without proper enzyme
levels, your body won't use anything you eat. Enzymes can be
obtained through whole, raw, vegetables and fruits. The fresher
the better. Enzyme levels, as well as nutritional content can
diminish with time...also irradation (used to delay sprouting
and increase shelf life in produce)
The problem with nutritional suppliments is that they aren't living
foods. If your body is going to use them properly, you need to have
enzymes in your system. The best way to insure this, is to make sure
you eat several helpings of fresh raw fruit and vegetables every day.
Also, you should take your suppliments with one of these servings, too.
>Pardon the Fre=nch, but he knows nada. When your system is damaged,
food is not going to be absorbed correctly now and probably forever.
If he ever checked on the leaky gut symdrome, which is a major problem
for us and cuases malaborption, he would find that there is a vitamin
formula that heals it. Take one L Glutamine capsule and one acipholus
capsule with each meal. It heals the gut. The glutamine is an amino
acid. Perfectly safe. The acidophilus should be dairy free and contain
mulitple strains of bacteria.. Since you have to take it with each
meal, then make sure it is stable, and doesn't have to be refigerated.
His comment that you can get all you need from food shows someone who is
seriously behind. The fact that your son's body is under stress from
the ceiac means that he needs B vitamins, not to mention calicum et al.
Find a goot nutrionist! This guy does not know his elbow from his....
>Your doctor is quite wrong, I know from my own experience.
>I doubt that doctors spend 10 min on nutrition in medical school.
They know NOTHING about it!!!
We have several friends that are doctors and they think they know
everything but they are some of the most niave people on this subject.
They want to feed us drugs AFTER we get something, rather than prevent
it from happening in the first place!
Being celiac, I know we must take nutritional supplements just as
anyone should. Our food supply contains less nutrition now than it
ever has due to all the artificial means and hormones used to grow our
food. I've been taking vitamins, etc., for dozens of years. But when the
diagnosis of celiac was made, the first thing I did was head for the
hfs. I talked with the licensed nutritiionist there. She put me on a
mega vitamin, mineral, superfoods, etc., and I could immediately feel
the difference. More energy, needed less sleep, just felt better.
Get him on a good supplement from a hfs (not the junk they sell at the
drug store). You all should be taking something. Good luck.
PS Remember the famous quote from a doctor 20 years ago: "All you do
is pee it away..." That doctor has just come out with a book on the
benefits of nutritional supplements and he now sells his own line of
products!
>I have to use vitamins. I eat right and it isn't enough. Maybe I am still
pretty run down from before my diagnosis. My hair will start to fall out
when my Iron gets low. Ive been GF for 1 1/2 years. It doesn't hurt to
cover all the bases.
>Your doctor is correct on this 100% If your son is a picky eater you might
try a one a day type vitamin for him.
>Dr. Rottmann, CSA/USA, compared our digestive systems to sieves. Things will
only go though it if there are holes in the sieve to allow it to pass
through. Children typically heal fast & recover quickly w/ little/no long
term damage. Older celiacs w/ a lifetime of damage may still have problem.
One of the problem I see, is that we have removed all the commerial wheat
products--which are enriched w/ B vits. from out diets & in may cases are
replacing them w/ alternate flours & starches that have little nutritional
value and are NOT enriched. Since B-vits are water soluble & there is
little danger of toxic effects, it think it is wise to supplement.
Also, my son used to get a mouth full of canker sores frequently. Doses of
lysine, an essential amino acid often low in the g.f. diet, makes them go
away quickly. (Even if he would take it on a semi-irregular basis it would
be better, but it's not his choice to do so--he's 19 and it's his mouth.)
> the problem with docs and vitamins is two-fold: 1. they get absolutely
no training in vitamins in med school so they know practically nothing
about them other than what you might have read; 2. about the only times the
the topic of vitamins comes up with them is when they find someone who has
poisoned themselves by taking too much of one of the oil soluble vitamins.
It's hard for celiacs to eat a well balanced diet anyway, though some do,
and add to that difficulty the fact that we don't absorb all the vitamins,
it's likely that we need some supplements, if we don't go wild and get the
idea that "if a little of something is good, then a lot is even better,"
and poison ourselves.
Also, I'd add that what your doc said is what I used to hear from all the
docs thirty or forty years ago, but nowadays most of them are at least
taking the antioxidants, and I know a couple who take considerably more
than that
>Vitamin replacement, primarily through pills/supplements is as vital as
remaining on a GF diet. Whether the individual's microvilli are nonexistent,
stunted, trying to grow back, the normal absorptive power is never restored
fully.
I take a mega vitamin twice a day along with extra glutamine, B-6, zinc,
selenium, Cal/mag, cod liver oil, and B-12 shots. This is because I know:
"the normal absorptive power is never restored fully.". Also if you read
what top young athletes are eating and taking for natural development, this
is not enough and they have a normal/perfect
stomach.
My other comment is to try to eat foods which go through the system slowly
or tend to slow down the digestion. Rice and casein are two good examples.
This allows more time to digest the benefits from the food as it passes by.
>Through everything I've read, it's impossible to get all your vitamins and
minerals from food nowadays. The nutrient values in the soil, pesticides,
over-processing, etc. That's why we are having more auto-immune diseases
appearing and more occurring in children than ever before. So, let the
doctor try and survive on just foods alone, but I'm supplementing and feel
much better for it!
>I think your doctor is mistaken. Of course, it's important to get
nutrients from food but supplements help a great deal, especially in the
beginning. Lots of supplements are full of gluten, could that be your
doctor's concern? It's taken me some time to find good gf ones.
Perhaps you will get a more scientifically based answer from others-I hope
you will share them. Good luck.
>I am sure your doctor believes what he is telling you, and maybe it would
be true if all our bodies were working at optimum levels and we ate perfect
diets of totally organic foods, grown on land that was not depleted in
minerals. However, none of this happens in the real world. As a matter of
fact, there are many ingredients in processed foods which prevent our bodies
from absorbing the few nutrients that ARE in them. Our crops are being
grown on land that has been over used and they are mineral depleted because
of this and because of the chemicals used to increase the speed at which
they are grown. (That is why organic is better, not just because they are
chemical free, but because the slower rate of growth allows the plant to
grow roots deeper and obtain more minerals from the soil.) It is proven
that if your body does not have the minerals it needs, it cannot make
efficient use of the vitamins it receives. . . .
>I don't know how old your son is, but my grandson Cody is 3 years old and
already showing calcium depletion. I am a celiac along with my two
daughters, grand daughter Katie, and grandson Cody. We are using the . .
.vitamins. The vitamins are in a powder form that you add water to. Cody
takes the Calcium Plus with no problems. What is so great about these
vitamins is that when mixed with water they become the same consistancy as
your own body fluid. This allows them to move directly from
your stomach there by the absorption rate goes up to 90-95% from the regular
pill/capsules of 8-40% absorption rate. For us with problems of aborbing
our nutrients this makes a great difference.
Thank you again to everyone!!!!
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