Graceful Women: The gluten-free diet and osteoporosis
As we age, it becomes more important than ever to take responsibility for our own health and welfare. And sometimes this means a long and frustrating search to find out what is going on in our body.
Davina Haisell suffered for years with a misdiagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Still not feeling any healthier, she kept searching until she discovered she had non-celiac gluten-intolerance. The first sentence in her story says it all about how she felt at the end of this health journey.
Davina can be found at Shades of Crimson, and this is her story:
Gluten-free me
I hung up the phone and danced into the hallway grinning. “The test result was positive. I’m gluten-intolerant.” I said.
My coworker looked puzzled, until I explained my strange response to the phone call.
For years I’d suffered from digestive problems that doctors labeled as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I’d tried everything; digestive enzymes, probiotics, food combining, colonics, juice cleanses, dairy-free, sugar-free and wheat-free. Nothing helped.
My tummy looked swollen most of the time and I had other intestinal symptoms that I won’t discuss. I’d accepted that this was normal and tried to make the best of it.
Non-celiac gluten-intolerance
In my late 30s my dentist suggested I be tested for thyroid problems as my teeth were shrinking! This led me to have the blood test done for celiac disease; the result was negative.
Two years later I went to a seminar on the topic of non-celiac gluten-intolerance. The naturopath explained that a person can be sensitive to gluten, but not have the full-blown symptoms of celiac disease.
When a person who has celiac disease eats wheat or gluten-containing grains such as barley, rye, kamut and spelt, the continued immune response leads to a flattening of the intestinal villi.
Absorption of vitamins and minerals is reduced and a myriad of possible conditions can result: arthritis, crohn’s disease, diabetes mellitus, depression, asthma, thyroid disorders, eczema, infertility, anemia and osteoporosis, to name a few.
It is possible for a person to have an allergy to gluten but not have intestinal damage. It is also possible that antibodies are not prevalent in blood tests of people who have not yet developed full-blown celiac disease. There is still however, an immune response that occurs when gluten is ingested.
Saliva testing diagnosis
This naturopath was testing for gluten-intolerance using a saliva test. Apparently the antibodies can show up in the saliva and not the blood. I was hopeful that this might be the answer and I was right. The test was positive. Though I was not pleased to start the gluten-free diet, I was relieved to finally know what the problem was and what I could do about it.
My doctor ordered a bone density scan. The results showed that at the age of 40 I had the bone density of a 60-year-old (osteopenia), and was in the early stages of developing osteoporosis.
Two years after being on the gluten-free diet, a follow-up bone density scan showed an increase in bone density of 11%. I was thrilled, knowing I was on the right track.
The gluten-free diet
The gluten-free diet is not easy, but has become second nature after more than six years. There are a lot of gluten-free products on the shelves these days, including beer. Most are quite expensive and lacking in nutrition; but they’ll do in a pinch.
My recommendation is to stick with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, yogurt, meat, and grains such as quinoa, millet and rice. Staying away from packaged food is the safest bet, but reading food labels has also become second nature.
Wheat-free doesn’t mean gluten-free; rye, barley, spelt, kamut and oats (depending on processing) all contain gluten. Gluten is also found in soy sauce, barley malt that is in many chocolates, some corn chips, and licorice. These are just a few of the hidden sources of gluten.
Eating out means asking a lot of questions, though I continue to be surprised at how many restaurants have knowledge of the gluten-free diet these days.
For more information visit the Canadian Celiac Association at www.celiac.ca or Celiac Spru Association www.csaceliacs.org
Suggested reading:
Dangerous Grains by James Braly and Ron Hoggan
Wheat-Free, Worry-Free by Danna Korn
Both books are available for purchase through Amazon by clicking the Silver & Grace book recommendations.
Hi Eliza.
How long did it take to clip out the background in the photo? I should have asked for a complete makeover.
Thanks for the chance to share this story. A lot of people are misdiagnosed because doctors pass this condition off as IBS. As was the case with me, most aren’t diagnosed until they’re well into their forties. I hope that this post is found by those who are searching for an answer like I was.
Anyone who suspects they could have Celiac disease or a gluten allergy should check with their doctor or naturopath to have the necessary testing done. I’m not making any claims here; this is how things happened in my particular case.
For anyone reading this who is on the gluten-free diet, I have to share about a new product I found: Hamburger buns produced by O’Doughs. They are the closest thing to the real thing I’ve found yet. I’ve been eating burgers like crazy!
Isn’t it great to have the relief of *knowing* instead of having the med. drs. guessing?
I’ve run into more and more people who are going gluten-free for many reasons. I’m glad more products are out there to help. Happy hamburger time!
I love quinoa! Have a great recipe if you want it.
Good post Davina and thank you Eliza for drawing attention.
My mother became wheat gluten intolerant in her 80s…when we removed wheat from her diet the osteoporosis stopped and the arthritis. She grew up in the wheat full prairies of Canada.
My partner and 2 birth children have full Celiac Disease and until some kits came out, I spent 24 years of my life making bread and those hamburger buns and grinding my own grains. Some days my cooking was a disaster that took 10-12 hours to create. Celiac Disease is genetically modifying so it is 98% passable to children. But knowing that one can modify parenting and foods early on and folks can live a very healthy life takes away the worry.
We also have to limit dairy intake to cut mucus production during allergy/hay fever season.
We think that the genetic change happened from the Radiation release in the 50s at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and also my husband’s grand father was diagnosed with depression which might have better been diagnosed as Celiac caused by the use of chemicals in the logging industry. Numerous folks were released from Canadian Mental Care Hospitals after the relationship to depression, MS and schizophrenia and Celiac Disease was discovered.
@Patricia – it’s interesting looking into the origins of diseases. Especially ones that recently have become fairly common. And yes, it is becoming easier to eat gluten-free now. It still takes a lot of planning and researching, but at least there are grocery aisles dedicated to this type of product.
@Lori – I know I feel a lot better when I restrict the amount of wheat products I eat. More energy, no bloating, for example. I still find I need something everyday though, so now I just have 1 or 2 very small slices of whole grain breads. Still have gluten, but they satisfy me without having the adverse affects.
@Davina – awhile to take out the background, but I saw it as a challenge. And I wasn’t worried, because if I totally screwed up I was just going to send it to my graphic artist son (who likely would have taken all of 30 seconds). And thank you for sharing this information, already from the comments it looks like gluten intolerance is quite prevalent.
Hi Davina – Having been recently diagnosed with osteoporosis (full-blown), I was intrigued to see your trend reversal with the changes in your diet. Patricia’s information about North American environmental triggers was interesting, too. My scan showed areas where I have the density of an 80 year old at age 55. I’m told that my bone loss will reverse and then stabilize at an acceptable density level within two years thanks to chemical and vitamin/calcium intervention. It is believed that a form of lactose intolerance, as well as a Vitamin D deficiency was a contributor to a condition to which I was genetically predisposed. These issues are fairly common in individuals of Northern European descent who live in climates that are light deficient for large parts of the year, too. Thanks for an informative glimpse of the challenges you faced and the remedies that worked, and thanks to Eliza for the forum.
@Betsy – lactose intolerance and Vitamin D definciency is a bit of a Catch 22, since enriched milk is our main source of that vitamin. At my last physical, my doctor advised me to start taking a Vitamin D supplement. I love milk, and drink lots of it, but said that still wasn’t likely enough to get all the Vitamin D I need. Again, it’s interesting how these deficiencies are becoming prevalent.