<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Dear Ayn: There's been a lot of discussion on the list about the low-carb diet, and the benefit of trace minerals. I found some interesting sites that tie it together for me. I was hypoglycemic, I had gestational diabetes, I have the hyperinsulemic belly. What I was looking for was the relationship between the bloating and my apparent inability to metabolize carbs and gluten intolerance. This is what I found, though it may not apply to everyone. Let's just call it a working theory, something to discuss with your doctor. First , the background. I think this is an interesting link, because it picks up on the incidence of both thyroid deficiency and diabetes among the celiac: http://www.aafp.org/afp/980301ap/pruessn.html I thought it was interesting because I have 2 sisters who are both on synthetic thyroid. My thyroid seems to be fine, though I had it tested as late as last summer, when I presented to my family doctor so fatigued I couldn't lift my arm to put my makeup on. When the thyroid test came back normal, I took to the web, looking for the answer of why I felt all the symptoms of low thyroid, but... This is what I found: http://wellweb.com/altern/diseases/thyroid.htm The crux of this article is that it takes particular trace minerals for that thyroid hormone to work. Iodine, selenium, manganese, copper, zinc and potassium. I think it is really interesting that copper, manganese, potassium and zinc each have a different function in carbohydrate metabolism. Here's a quick link to a reference site: http://quiles.home.mindspring.com/minerals/minerals.htm#man The reference to manganese and the development of the pancreas is particularly intriguing to me. I found the same reference on another website, and it's interesting to think how maternal diet might influence organ development and function in offspring. If I were a researcher looking into any dysfunction related to the pancreas, Do we who are carb intolerant have pancreases that differ from the norm? But you might want to take the time to read though the roles of the other trace minerals I cited. In addition to the carb-crunching minerals, I spent a lot of time looking into the function of selenium. Early on, I came across some websites that mentioned that soils in Finland, maybe Great Britain, China and Africa were deficient in selenium. I found another site that seems to indicate that HIV crossed over into the human population in a selenium-deficient population http://www.solgar.com/nutrition_library/articles/selenium2.html I was thinking that possibly populations in selenium deficient areas were more susceptible to viruses/adenovirses that might trigger the symptomatic form of celiac disease. I got as far as the soils in the western half of North America are alkaline, and contain more selenium that the eastern half, but without good data for incidence of CD, I couldn't take that one any farther. Another thing I'm not sure about with selenium, does anyone know if selenium can regulate yeast population? Here's the link: http://www.nrc.ca/cisti/journals/40702/tema_e.html, use your edit function to look for the word "yeast" This sort of suggests to me that selenium aids in the development of neutrophils that ingest and kill yeast cells. Makes it and interesting mix if yeast cells can secrete transglutaminase. But the idea of mineral soil content still is intriguing. Ever hear of the goiter belt? Roughly around the region of the Great lakes, where iodine levels in the soil are low...I live in it...I noticed that two of the papers dealing with American celiacs were researched in the goiter belt. Here's an interesting link that might keep this alive: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/iodine981001.html and http://www.faseb.org/asns/NIIODI.html In the end, I favor more research into our need for zinc. Especially if you supplement with essential fatty acids I haven't found a specific site that explains the relationship between the EFAs and blood sugar regulation, but then I haven't looked all that much. But here are some links about the EFAs: http://www.smartbasic.com/glos.nutrients/efa.glos.html and http://www.keats.com/news/w96efa.html If EFAs are a source of prostaglandins and zinc works with prostaglandins, zinc is significant for us. I have two more reasons I favor taking EFAs...both from Purdue University. They are: http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/9606.Burgess.html and http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/970926.Watkins.omega3.html Really sorry for running on like this, but it's interesting stuff to think about. The more I think about potassium, for example, the more I want to know. If potassium can influence the body's pH level, for example, could a dysfunction in how the body uses potassium + hormones negatively influence the pH of the mucous environment of the small intestine? Would this in turn affect the absorption of trace minerals, sort of setting up a downward spiral? I don't know...it's taken me years to get this far, as it is... Bec