<<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