plumbago

On 10/31/2023 at 2:03 PM, Scott Adams said:

Many people are not routinely given a total IGA blood test when doing a blood screening, which can lead to false negative interpretations if the patient has low IGA.

I was rather surprised to go back and look at my blood test results because none of them included a total IgA. But then, looking at the lab results from my original celiac disease diagnosis over 10 years ago, I see the reason for that. Part of the standard verbiage in that report says: "Between 2-3% of Celiac patients have selective IgA deficiency. If the tTG IgA result is negative but celiac disease is still suspected, total IgA should be measured to identify possible selective IgA deficiency and to rule out a false negative." In my particular case, my tTG IgA was high, so no total IgA was needed. This was verbiage spit out routinely, so really, the doctor didn't need to know this, since it's flagged for them right there on the report.

But, in any event, I'm now learning about IgA deficiency and how it's tied to a few conditions, a couple of which I suffer from like frequent sinus infections, and two Covid infections less than 5 months apart. For better or worse, my parents decided to remove my tonsils and adenoids when I was a child, so maybe that has something to do with some upper respiratory struggles, who knows.

My question is - given that over 10 years ago, I didn't have selective IgA deficiency, is it likely that I still don't? (My last celiac disease panel was about 6 years ago, and everything was normal. Total IgA was not run.)

Plumbago

I had to get revaccinated after hep b labs drawn showed no immunity.

Plumbago

Thanks Scott. I was a little confused about what's going on in the EU. It does seem like they're gonna be revisiting some part of that in the Fall, but then it says they've renewed it 10 years. I think we probably need someone close to the situation to clarify that.

Is food science babe any better? I see that many Jovial products claim they're organic. Is having glyphosate still ok if a product is to be called organic?

It's too bad that MAA has an anti-vax somewhat conspiratorial nature background. This makes me think twice. However, if you look at the study, it does break down the amount of glycophate found in the foods and compares them with foods that had none or little.

I google-news'ed the two brands and found nothing. Good to hear there's a lawsuit. About the FDA and whether or not they know, I went to the web site of Moms Across America and found this:

"Moms Across America has reported these violations to the FDA and we will report back on the steps that will be taken."

There are other causes of a positive test, including diabetes, heart failure, Crohn’s and others.

2 hours ago, Celiac-chick57 said:

They taste much better than traditional Oreos to me👍

That's not good!

If a hospital has coke machines/fountains or the cafeteria has a ton of processed carbohydrates, you can be fairly certain they don't care about nutrition. I would be satisfied if they first started to cut down on the amount of nutrition-poor food, and then moved on to gluten.

Maybe someone can help me out here. The above article states,

Quote

Furthermore, the study identified a distinct population of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) in the small intestine. This population was reduced in people with celiac disease,

But my understanding is that "the density of intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IELS), which are white blood cells found in the immune system. More than 25 IELS per 100 epithelial cells is significant. Epithelial cells line your intestines and act as a barrier between the inside and the outside of your body."
 https://celiac.org/celiac-disease/understanding-celiac-disease-2/diagnosing-celiac-disease/diagnosis/#FyATli0dIywx2Fpr.99

So are IELS reduced or elevated??

FYI, I hear Grindstone Bakery (Calif) is opening back up / staying open.

https://mailchi.mp/grindstonebakery/meet-the-new-owners?e=981f5db34a

With smoking it was (and still is) a massive publicly funded education campaign; regulation; withholding of federal funds to the states unless they enacted restrictions. It was massive federal involvement (including lawsuits) and it is working. You do not need to be wealthy to eat healthy. No. But it helps. And having a little bit more helps. Many came to the conclusion that it was not healthy precisely because of the efforts made by federal and state governments. The comparison to smoking is a good one, I think, and the sooner we can get the government involved to enact requirements on limitations on the amount of HFCS and fructose in general the better off we will all be. Of course, I work with sick people, often very sick people. But all you have to do is make a little bit of effort to find out the amount of metabolic disease among the American public and we are number one without a doubt. Individual education is a drop in the bucket. Give it a try some time, and you will see.

Those who 1. have the time to learn about 2. the education to understand and 3. the time and energy to enact positive changes are indeed usually on the upper income scale and are a small minority of the overall American population.

Again, I ask that you just look into the metabolic disease rates among American adults AND children.

Of course I meant what I said: food deserts; 'deserts,' as in the Sahara. The spelling is correct 😀

What I mean is - and I'm not sure, but we may be talking about two different groups of people (those dx with Celiac, as in the participants here, and those suffering from metabolic diseases, the people I work with who are primarily on public health insurance) -  I liken sugar consumption with smoking. The US government came in big time on smoking and it has had a major impact. In that instance, like the one I'm referring to here (primarily ultra processed carbohydrates), individuals were smoking and individuals were buying the (bad) product in question. But the government intervened and impact was made. Leaving it up to individuals only (like with drug use, smoking, energy consumption, pollution) will not get us far. It may get those on higher end of income level far, but that's a tiny minority of the overall population and the overall numbers are what we need, to get that needle to shift. I work with it and am up to my elbows with it every day. At best, as I said, it's a mix.

You cannot categorically say that with any accuracy, @trents

I work day in and day out with people with metabolic disease. I've done education on this. There are truly things like food deserts. And there are things like government regulation.

The celiac community is compared to the people I work with, very wealthy. People who have economic means are without question healthier and able in every single way to make better food choices than those without.

The highly processed food industry is out of control. Yes, individuals can and absolutely should try as hard as they can to make good food choices.

50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists To Point Blame At Fat

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat

Hopefully the above link makes it into this comment.

It behooves us not to speak categorically, I should think.

8 minutes ago, Guest Kate said:

We have an incredible food industry in the US that is ever so happy to meet those unhealthy demands but it's the individuals who create that demand. 

I'm actually not so sure I buy that last part. We are marinating in a soup of highly processed carbohydrates. They're plentiful and they're cheap and often the only thing people can afford. It's a mix, at best. But not all countries allow their food industries to get away with what we in the US allow ours to get away with.

29 minutes ago, Russ314 said:

They have a hereditary component in the sense that foot width and shape is hereditary. Bunions are rare in people who habitually go barefoot. Women get bunions more often than men because they wear narrow shoes. It is largely a mechanical cause.

I think the tendency to develop bunions is strongly hereditary.

@Deb DuttonI suppose anything is possible.

I have celiac disease and bunions. My understanding is that bunions have an extremely strong hereditary component, and are often driven by poor mechanics (posture issues) and to some extent shoe choice (though this has been overemphasized in my opinion). For me, bunions and the problems they are bringing, is a constant struggle. I started to develop them maybe in my 20s, definitely by my 30s, which seems too young.

Again, anything may be possible. It could be that there is an issue with vitamin D/calcium absorption that has a role to play, but that's a guess on my part. It's a good question to bring up, though.

1 hour ago, Liz Barnard said:

I am 79, have never been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease  but know that I am gluten intolerant as are my siblings. 3 years ago I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and am on a cocktail of immunosuppressant drugs but keep relapsing so may have to be on them for life! 
I also have high blood pressure and have horrible side effects to the meds. Could both these illnesses be connected to gluten? I read, recently that there’s a connection between gluten and high BP.  Do you know something about this? Doctors here in the UK know nothing about this, not even the consultant rheumatologist on whose advice I have stopped excluding gluten from my diet. I have also developed a sensitivity to milk protein (casein?). Are these all connected?

Welcome Liz. To me, it sounds a bit of a stretch to link hypertension with gluten, but use any advice you receive here just as food for thought. Looking in my book, Recognizing Celiac Disease, there is some mention of mineral deficiencies like magnesium and potassium, associated with elevated blood pressure, but again to me that seems unlikely - there is an overemphasis on vitamin and mineral deficiencies oftentimes, on boards and in forums like these, IMO. The other thing the book mentions is hyperthyroidism. And with that, yes, there is a more plausible link to high blood pressure.

Seeing you are on some immunosuppressants, have you thought about those as the culprit? I know certain corticosteroids can raise blood pressure, especially when taken long term. The mechanism is fluid retention. (Steroids can also increase blood sugar.)

You also ask if your autoimmune condition can be caused by gluten, but didn't mention what that autoimmune condition is. Personally, I do think that diet can lead or trigger autoimmune conditions, and though I am not an expert, I suspect gluten can be included in that.

Anyway, I hope others will weigh in. Good luck.

Plumbago

20 minutes ago, Guest Jess said:

I am heterozygous H63D for hemochromatosis.

Are you homozygous C282Y?

In any case, a complicated picture - good luck sorting it out. It may take some time, as you no doubt already know. If you have celiac, consider joining the forum and posting your questions as a member. Best wishes.

Just now, Guest Laura said:

The gliadin in wheat is reported to be addictive.  Perhaps that is why people, especially females, are so markedly overweight now.  Women do crave carbohydrates. In the fifties/sixties people were mostly thin and ladies were motivated by thin models e.g. Twiggy.  Most people today appear overweight. Perhaps this is a topic of interest or concern to others.

I love to watch old movies, and what I've noticed in my years and years of looking at them and going through old magazines and photographs is that in the 1950s, people in general were a bit plumper than they were in the 1940s and 1930s. In the 1960s, people, especially women, were much thinner than they were in the 1950s (or just...thinner). The trend kind of continued through the early to mid 70s and by the late 1970s we were trending slightly bigger, but just a touch. That all changed and exploded in the 1980s of course. It may be the wheat, but as always, my money's on the sugar - by a mile.

On 6/5/2020 at 6:28 PM, Guest Dru said:

If you, yourself want that gold standard diagnosis, and don't mind the extra harm that will be inflicted on your body,

What is the "extra harm?"

On 3/5/2020 at 12:46 PM, Awol cast iron stomach said:

I have half moons appearing on my thumbs only. My right thumb half moon is better than my left

Same.

On 3/5/2020 at 12:46 PM, Awol cast iron stomach said:

do wonder in time if I'll get half moons on the other fingernails.

No. Well, for me, the answer is no. I've been gluten free for 10 plus years.

The main issue is that I actually do have half moons, but most of the time they can't be seen as they're covered by my encroaching cuticles. (Looking now at my left middle finger, I see the top of a half moon and on my left ring finger.)

I work with patients and am very interested in nail assessment, but I think in this case, lack of a half moon is not very determanative of anything, unless it is paired with something like obvious malnutrition and the person says they used to have them. Not sure.

2 hours ago, Guest Roberto said:

This is an excellent video from a top medical researcher, Michael Greger MD on this very study mention above.
 

 

Are you sure? The study he cites (at least at the beginning) is one that associates increased bone mineral density with a vegan diet. Maybe he later refers to the one mentioned on the article we are both commenting on, but at one hour plus, I won't be watching it to find out!

20 minutes ago, Guest Colleen said:

However, many people have never heard of microscopic colitis.

I have heard of it for sure Colleen! I know someone who has it. For a while, she went on the low FODMAPS plan/diet.

A while back, I posted something on this forum about a conversation I had with someone at the farmers' market about cows eating wheat and then me eating the meat of that cow, and how she said technically that meat is not gluten free. I was corrected on here. At the time of the conversation at the FM, it struck me as odd and not quite right. It still doesn't seem right, so I don't worry about it.