My wife has been eating gluten-free with me for the past 2 months, since I was discovered to be Celiac. Can a person who has a 'clean' system but is not celiac show symptoms of being glutened when it is accidentally ingested?
She had some severe gastro issues tonight after eating out (Applebee's chicken Caesar salad, no croutons), which hit about an hour after the meal.
She several times over the past 10 or so years dieted via the Atkins method, which is very low-carb--high protein and felt physically terrific. I don't know if everybody gets a clearer head when dropping carbohydrate from their system, but she clearly felt a difference in this 'symptom' during those dieting times.
There is no history of celiac or any gastro problems in her family line. I don't think I have yet seen anywhere on this board a similar question. Has anyone else experienced this?

There have been posts by people who felt unexpectedly better gluten free and unexpectedly awful when they ate gluten after being gluten free. Others have posted the same thing about family members. It is not at all strange or unheard of.

In your wife's case, this situation could have been Applebee's, or it could have been gluten, or it could have been both, as Applebee's is generally unsafe. Nevertheless, given her history with Atkins, it would seem she would benefit being gluten free.

Scientists have evidence that 33% of people have celiac disease, but also that possibly up to 70% of North Americans are gluten intolerant without their villi being affected.

So, I believe that most people would benefit from a gluten-free diet. Your wife apparently is one of them. It sounds like you two need to be gluten-free together.

Dear Netzel,

Has your wife been screened for Celiac Disease? Our youngest daughter, Rebecca (age 7), has Down syndrome. She had absolutely NO SYMPTOMS whatsoever. However, her pediatrician has a stepdaughter with DS, and when she was diagnosed with celiac disease last year, he started doing a lot of research on celiac disease and found that 1 out of every 8 people with DS has celiac disease. He took it upon himself to test all of his patients with DS for celiac disease. Thank goodness he did - her numbers were off the chart, and her intestinal damage was borderline Stage IV.

Because of Rebecca's diagnosis, I decided that our kitchen had to be gluten-free. After reading all of the information that I could get my hands on, I thought that I might have celiac disease, also. It does run in families. We all got tested, and 2 of our daughters and I were negative. My husband is still waiting on his results.

I found that once I went off of gluten I felt better than I did when I was a teenager. I also found that if I accidentally ingested gluten, I would start itching like crazy. So now I joke that I am Rebecca's "canary in the mine"! If something bothers me, I know that Rebecca got hold of gluten, too.

I also found out something odd today. I have been itching uncontrollably the past 2 days, and I KNOW that I haven't had any gluten, so I was at a loss as to what was causing it. I have had a couple of other itching spells in the past 2 months that we have been gluten free. The only thing that the items that I think caused these episodes had in common was that they all contained high concentrations of vinegar.

Now, vinegar is gluten-free, so I was stumped. I went out on the Internet and found out that some people who are allergic to mold have a severe allergic reaction to vinegar. I can honestly say that I NEVER would have made that connection! These same people may also be allergic to the Penicillin family of antibiotics. Who'da thunk it?

Chances are that your wife either has celiac disease or she may just be gluten-sensitive. Since she has been eating gluten-free with you, her tests may come back negative. I know there is a lab in Dallas that will test people's stool samples, and some people have had better luck with that. The test isn't covered by most insurance companies, though. You might have your wife ask her doctor what he/she thinks that she should do.

Good luck,
Teresa Koch
Fort Worth, Texas

It could be gluten or Applebees. A few years ago I got extremely sick (food poisoning) from Applebees. So bad, that I have never gone back. Gluten doesnt effect me that way, so I know it was bad food.

That is significantly different than the 1 in 133 figure commonly cited on this site. Do yo have a link to that study?

Have you ever heard about eating according to your blood type. As an O I should only consume sprouted wheat. I don't have any digestive issues with wheat but I feel better when I limit the amount I eat. In fact I have never really liked bread and unknowingly eaten pretty close to gluten-free all my life. I prefer rice noodles, corn tortillas and I absolutely hate bread. I started eating according to my blood type after seeing a nutritionist and I have never felt better.

Could it be the change from home cooked food compared to eating out. I am not allergic to gluten but my daughter is and I think it comes from her dad's side. I harldy ever eat out. I mostly eat homemade/gluten-free food. Yesterday I ate out at Carl's Jr. and my tummy hurt alot but I am sure it was from the coke I had b/c I only have one about once per month and my tummy couldn't handle it. I was a little shakey. It happens sometimes when I eat out. I can eat wheat and never have a problem. There is alot of chemicals, preservatives, food additives, germs, etc. in restaurant food. Could your wife have maybe a touch of food poisoning?? I am watching my whole families symptoms to be safe.

I just recently read that same percentage that Ursa mentioned... now I'm trying like heck to remember where. Will look at the most recent articles I've read again and see if I can find it.

I've read that 33% have one or more of the genes involved, but of course most don't actually have celiac disease.
There are even identical twins where one has celiac disease and the other doesn't.
And the genetics research has quite a ways to go, as there are biopsy-confirmed celiacs w/ none of the usual markers.

brief rant

Having the variant of a gene that predisposes you to a certain disease does not mean that you will get the disease. Finding out your genotype for Celiac or ANYTHING is merely interesting. It is not diagnostic, it is not suggestive, it does not define a course of treatment, it is only interesting, and probably only to you.

end of rant