Gluten Intolerance?
The 6 most common symptoms
Abdominal cramps, headaches, tiredness, depression… Gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, can have many faces. Because the symptoms are usually very non-specific and individual, it has been called the ‘chameleon of diseases’. People often suffer for years before they are finally diagnosed. Sound familiar? We explain what happens in the body during gluten intolerance and what the most common symptoms are.
Gluten intolerance – what is it?
Gluten, a protein mixture also known as gluten, is found in all common cereals such as wheat, spelt, barley, rye, oats and green spelt, as well as in ancient cereals such as einkorn, kamut and emmer. Because of its special food properties, gluten is also often used as an emulsifier, as a carrier for flavours or for gelling and stabilising, for example in sausages, confectionery, sauces and spice mixtures.
The terms gluten intolerance and coeliac disease cover all conditions caused by the consumption of certain types of gluten. However, there are differences: In people with celiac disease (also known as coeliac sprue), even the smallest amount of gluten triggers an autoimmune reaction. This means that the body reacts to the grain protein by attacking its own structures. The result is chronic inflammation of the small intestine, which in the long term destroys the intestinal lining and villi, making it difficult to absorb nutrients. The body is then deprived of essential vitamins and minerals, which can lead to malnutrition and, in children, impaired growth and development.
Gluten sensitivity, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, refers to hypersensitivity to gluten or other cereal components. It causes similar symptoms but does not cause an autoimmune response and no detectable changes in the intestinal lining.
»The way to health leads through the kitchen,
not the pharmacy.«
Sebastian Kneipp (German catholic priest, naturopath and hydrotherapist)
Complaints related to gluten intolerance
The symptoms of gluten intolerance vary from person to person and can be very non-specific. In addition, symptoms often do not appear immediately after eating gluten, but days later. They can last from a few hours to several weeks and can become chronic. Many people experience a variety of symptoms but are unaware of their intolerance.
We have listed the six most common signs of gluten intolerance. If you experience one or more of the following symptoms frequently or persistently, you may want to see your doctor to be tested for gluten intolerance and celiac disease.
1) Digestive problems
Digestive problems such as flatulence, bloating, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and constipation are the most common symptoms of gluten intolerance. People with celiac disease may experience fatty stools (steatorrhoea) due to impaired fat digestion. The stools are slimy, greasy, pale in colour and have an unpleasant odour.
2) Neurological Disorders
Our gut has an autonomic nervous system that is directly connected to the central nervous system and has the same nerve cells as our brain. This is why the gut is also known as the gut brain or second brain.
It is therefore not surprising that gluten ingestion can cause neurological disorders in people with gluten intolerance. (1) These can manifest in a variety of ways:
- Headaches or migraines
- Low blood pressure and dizziness
- Impaired balance
- Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system
- Numbness and tingling in the arms and legs (neuropathy)
- Muscle and joint pain (fibromyalgia)
- Depression and anxiety
3) Autoimmune diseases
Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity can cause other autoimmune diseases or make existing conditions worse. These include rheumatoid arthritis and the chronic thyroid condition Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
4) Skin changes
Dermatitis herpetiformis Duhring (DHD) is caused by the ingestion of gluten, which is why it is also known as ‘celiac disease of the skin’. This chronic, blistering skin condition is accompanied by severe itching. Other skin conditions may also improve with a gluten-free diet.
5) Fatigue & exhaustion
Do you suddenly feel very tired after eating, especially after eating gluten-containing foods, and do you also repeatedly feel listless and exhausted? If your daily life is severely restricted by constant fatigue, you may have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This could be a sign of gluten intolerance.
6) Unexplained nutrient deficiencies
Nutrient deficiencies, especially iron, vitamin A, B12 and B6, in spite of a well-balanced diet may indicate gluten intolerance. Iron deficiency in particular is a common symptom of celiac disease in both adults and children.
»Good sense starts in the kitchen.«
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (German philosopher and classical philologist)
Healthy and Gluten-Free: The Ketogenic Diet
As gluten intolerance is not considered to be curable, lifelong avoidance of gluten-containing foods is usually the only treatment, especially in the case of coeliac disease. The ketogenic diet, which is virtually gluten-free due to the absence of carbohydrates, is a wonderful alternative.
The protein-rich diet, plenty of low-carbohydrate vegetables, sufficient ‘good’ fats and plenty of water allow your gut and body to regenerate optimally.
Read more in the book „Healthy, slim and fit with the ketogenic diet“ from Dr. Heinz Reinwald
Vital Products for Your Intestinal Health from dr.reinwald vital
You don’t want to go off gluten for good, but you still want to enjoy good bread or pasta from time to time?
Then we recommend ProZYM plus with the natural proteolytic enzyme prolyl oligopeptidase. This enzyme specialises in breaking down proteins, particularly the highly resistant proline compounds found in the gut, tissues and blood. Proline is found as ‘gluten’ in cereal gluten. The addition of milk thistle is said to stimulate the liver and thus promote the body’s own breakdown and excretion processes. ProZYM plus is therefore our essential product of choice for the prevention of celiac disease and other gluten-sensitive conditions.
You want to build and support your microbiome?
Our ActiveBRAVO for the preparation of probiotic BRAVO yoghurt with colostrum and more than 100 active probiotic cultures supports biodiversity and thus the maintenance of the health of your physiological intestinal flora.
MyREGULATE, the probiotic ferment concentrate with vitamin C feeds your microbiome with live lactic acid bacteria and thus gently supports your digestion.
