Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

How Much Gluten Should I Be Eating Before Testing?

koolsharkz

Recommended Posts

koolsharkz Newbie
koolsharkz
Posted

Hello! After years of stomach problems, I decided to try and solve them by changing my diet. I lessened my gluten intake for a while, avoiding those foods because I felt lousy after eating them. About three or four weeks ago, I decided to go gluten-free (more or less... I didn't use exclusively certified gluten-free products, so I must have gotten some). I felt a lot better, but the problems weren't completely solved. Another super neat thing that happened was I felt significantly less depressed than I have in a long time... years, even! Now I'm finally seeking testing for gluten intolerance (so that I can prove to my college that the food they provide is damaging). I started eating gluteny products about four days ago, and feel a little bit worse but it's not awful yet.

My question is, to have an increased chance of an accurate blood test result (which I understand is sort of unlikely anyway), how much gluten do I need to be eating? I've been eating about one serving a day of wheat crackers. Which is not much. How much gluten should I be eating, and is it likely that I need to continue eating it for 3 months? My diet has been low on gluten (but not devoid of it) for a few months.

Another question I suppose... If I were gluten intolerant in some way, should I expect to feel dramatically worse after reintroducing gluten? Because I don't, at least not most of the time. It's just a slightly lousier feeling. Less energy, more gas, more discomfort, you know... all the fun things!! Sometimes I think that going gluten-free was just a placebo for me... I expected to get better, and so I did. And now that it's back, I expected to feel a little worse, and I do. I know you all know how it is, sick of guessing and waiting and feeling lousy, and just wanting a solid answer... that's where I'm at.

Thank you all so much for your help, reading all of these posts from people who are just as confused as I am is incredibly helpful for keeping hope alive :)

-Emily

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

To have the best chance of an accurate test you need to be eating at least 4 to 6 slices of bread a day for about 3 months. You may still have a false negative. Once testing is done then go strictly gluten free for a couple of months. Since gluten intolerance and celiac are autoimmune reactions you really need to totally eliminate it to stop the antibodies.

MsCurious Enthusiast
MsCurious
Posted

From Mayo Clinic: Open Original Shared Link

"Gluten-challenge testing requires adequate gluten intake for long enough to develop gut lesions. Four slices of whole wheat bread daily for 4 weeks usually suffices. However, it will make patients ill and they can become quite symptomatic. There are some patients who are delayed responders and if a patient has had no symptoms develop by 4 weeks, I will usually perform serology. If it becomes positive at that point, we

koolsharkz Newbie
koolsharkz
Posted
  • Author

Thank you both for your help!

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

My question is, to have an increased chance of an accurate blood test result (which I understand is sort of unlikely anyway), how much gluten do I need to be eating? I've been eating about one serving a day of wheat crackers. Which is not much. How much gluten should I be eating, and is it likely that I need to continue eating it for 3 months? My diet has been low on gluten (but not devoid of it) for a few months.

Another question I suppose... If I were gluten intolerant in some way, should I expect to feel dramatically worse after reintroducing gluten? Because I don't, at least not most of the time. It's just a slightly lousier feeling. Less energy, more gas, more discomfort, you know... all the fun things!! Sometimes I think that going gluten-free was just a placebo for me... I expected to get better, and so I did. And now that it's back, I expected to feel a little worse, and I do. I know you all know how it is, sick of guessing and waiting and feeling lousy, and just wanting a solid answer... that's where I'm at.

Thank you all so much for your help, reading all of these posts from people who are just as confused as I am is incredibly helpful for keeping hope alive :)

-Emily

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,138
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    kfkynett
    Newest Member
    kfkynett
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.2k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • sh00148
      Poo changes after 2 weeks

      By sh00148 · Posted

      Thank you. That’s all really helpful. I think it must have been something she ate as the poo colour has settled now.    Starting to see improvements in her tummy, slowly but surely!
    • Yaya
      Muscle Twitching

      By Yaya · Posted

      I take all vitamins and supplements.  My cardiologist has me taking B12 5,000 once per weeks.  He gives me complete blood work every 6 months.  He's still building my D levels which is now in 60s.  He wants them in low 80s.  I take 5,000 IU's daily.  With this dosage I've gone from 42 to 65 over a period of about 5 years.  It builds very slowly.   As far as iron, I take a double dose of gentle iron with C on an empty stomach on alternate nights.  Yes, iron is a component for many of us with RLS, but mostly "brain iron" that in some people may require iron transfusions.   
    • trents
      Help with results please. As I have a appt after the New Year.

      By trents · Posted

      The positive DGP-IGA indicates the possibility of celiac disease. It is typical for someone who does have celiac disease to have some antibody tests be negative and others positive. This is not unique to celiac disease diagnosis. It is why doctors typically run many tests when seeking diagnosis of a suspected disease.  The DGP-IgA test is considered to have high sensitivity and specificity. In general, the DGP-IgA test has been reported to have a sensitivity ranging from 75% to 95% and a specificity ranging from 90% to 100%. Overall, the DGP tests, including DGP-IgA and DGP-IgG, exhibit a sensitivity of approximately 85-95% and a specificity of about 95-98%. The above paragraph is taken from this article which gives an overview of the various tests that can be run for celiac disease and their reliability: What symptoms are you experiencing?
    • trents
      Allergy Meds

      By trents · Posted

      Check Costco's store brand.
    • trents
      Celiac Maybe a Possibility?

      By trents · Posted

      Yes, get serum antibody testing done for celiac disease. You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). NCGS shares many of the same symptoms of celiac disease but does not damage the lining of the small bowel as does celiac disease. There is no test for it. A diagnosis for NCGS depends on first ruling out celiac disease. It is 10x more common than celiac disease. Some experts feel it can be a precursor to the development of celiac disease. Eliminating gluten from your life is the antidote for both.
×
×
  • Create New...