<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Here is a summary of responses to the question
of whether or not a Gluten Free diet can be
reversed without any serious consequences
for people who are not Celiacs.
<><><><><><><>
The problems you have going on a GF diet are not going
to last if you go off the diet properly. As with any
food that is taken out of your diet for a long time,
you should reintroduce it slowly. Doctors say that
you should start with an oz. for 2-3 weeks and then
slowly add 1oz a week to your diet. Your body has
turned off the enzymes which digest these foods and it
takes small doses to turn them back on. Then you
should have no problems.
<><><><><><><>
When a person is sick enough and does an elimination diet this tells
that person what foods are causing the problems and eliminating them is
putting that person on a gluten free diet and that makes the illness go
away then that is the real final diagnosis for celiac disease, it might
take many yrs of illness and even death before a doctor does the diagnosis .
<><><><><><><>
my dad thinks the same way. he says you can create allergies to something
simply by avoiding it then when your body does get it, it does not know what
to do with it... i guess that could be true. he also thinks that by avoiding
even a small amt every day as a celiac, we set ourselves up for less
tolerance and can get worse and worse in time, so when we do get any
contamination it about kills us...
<><><><><><><>
I would take what he says with a grain of salt.
(ie GF diet is reversible without problems)
<><><><><><><>
I can't imagine any possible harm by being misdiagnosed gluten intolerant
& eating GF for a trail period. If they go back on gluten & find
themselves getting sick, then they were not misdiagnosed.
<><><><><><><>
I have no technical knowledge, but common sense would say that as coeliac
is a chemical reaction that occurs because of a challenge to the gut in
people that have a particular physical chemistry, then to remove gluten in a
non coeliac's diet and then re-introduce it should have no effect. Having
said that, there is also a school of thought that says that no-one should
eat gluten, it is bad for everyone and coeliacs are lucky to have such a
good warning system in place! Perhaps we are more highly evolved than our
counterparts
<><><><><><><>
There is no danger, in fact many, many health benefits to a gluten free
diet! Everyone feels substantially better when avoiding gluten. The only
problems with re-introducing gluten containing foods are; bloating,
congestion, feeling tired, These are some of the symptoms that you abate
when you stop eating grains that contain gluten. I have been teaching people
to eat a lactose & gluten free diet for 15 years, not just people who
have Celiac or gluten intolerance. My recommendation would be to stay off
the glutens!
<><><><><><><>
I have never been diagnosed, but went on a GF diet. I get so sick from
gluten that it just doesn't seem to matter if I am diagnosed or not. The
bottom line is that I cannot eat gluten even in the smallest amounts and the
rest is just a label.
<><><><><><><>
Actually, I believe that a gluten-free diet is a good idea for anyone,
regardless of GF sensitivity. But then, being a vegitarian, I feel the same
way about flesh foods.
<><><><><><><>
If they do not have a problem with wheat or gluten and do the
elimination diet, they will not react to it when they go off the diet
again. That's what the elimination diet is for: if you react more
strongly to the substance when you've been avoiding it for a couple of
weeks or more, then you have a problem with that substance. If you do
not have a problem you will not react.
<><><><><><><>
I asked this specific question of our local GI doctor:
If a non-Celiac person goes on a gluten-free diet, then returns to eating
gluten, will they have symptoms or even a worsening of a reaction?
His answer: No, only a celiac person will have problems upon returning to
the gluten-free diet
<><><><><><><>
It is possible for the body to develop an anaphalactic reaction to a food
it if the body is unaccustomed to it and then it is suddenly introduced in
massive quantities (this is true of any protein suddenly introduced).
That's probably the only thing I'd worry about so it's another case
of...take it slowly.
<><><><><><>
Ordinarily, you don't develop food allergies by NOT eating the allergenic
food for a few years.... On the contrary, avoidance of a food for long
periods typically makes it possible to eat the food again, as long as you
don't overdo it by eating it every day. This is the basis for the
rotation scheme for allergy control. Exceptions are permanent allergies
that will bother you right away even after several years avoidance. If
you are allergic, you don't start reacting to a food until after a
certain degree of exposure to the food on a regular basis. It might take
years before you have a reaction. That's not what I would expect if there
were an acquired enzyme deficiency that prevents digestion of wheat or
barley -- I would expect an immediate problem instead.
<><><><><><><>
I will agree with your friend in one respect- I think you might indeed
FEEL sicker when you do the gluten challenge than you were before you
went GF. That is because when you were eating gluten all your life,
your body very gradually got worse, and your brain adjusted to the level
of pain and discomfort your tummy was always feeling. Then once you have
had a period of good health after going GF, your body gets used to being
pain free. When you zap it with gluten again as a test, your body
screams NOOOOO!
Cheers Anand.
Sikh Philosophy: Truth is Heaven.
|
