What is Gluten Sensitivity?

What is gluten sensitivity, anyway? 

This was the first question I had for my doctor, and the first question I usually get asked when I reveal my aversion to gluten.

Let’s begin with what gluten sensitivity, also called gluten intolerance, is NOT. Gluten intolerance is NOT Celiac disease or Crohn’s Disease. Those diagnosed with gluten intolerance do not have to take medication or schedule frequent visits to the doctor’s office. Above all, gluten intolerance does not mean your life is over!

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(http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB1000142405274870489360457620039352245663)

While Celiac Disease only affects 1% of Americans, gluten sensitivity affects a whopping 6%. Gluten sensitivity is something that 18 million Americans live with, and these numbers are growing. The most common symptoms of gluten sensitivity are abdominal pain, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, and skin rash. Unlike Celiac Disease, gluten sensitivity does not have the same severe effects on the intestinal lining. While Celiac Disease can result in future health issues like infertility and osteoporosis, gluten sensitivity is not known to have such effects.

Importantly, we still do not have a fully developed definition of gluten sensitivity, so stay tuned for updates!

My doctor called my condition non-celiac gluten sensitivity. 

How did he know this?

Well, Celiac Disease is diagnosed by a simple blood test. The test I underwent was called the tTG-IgA blood test, which looked at tissue transglutaminase antiboties. This sounds a lot scarier than it was. Essentially, this test takes a small sample of the patient’s blood and looks for abnormally high levels of the anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies. These heightened levels will indicate the small intestine’s inability to break down and digest the proteins found in gluten-containing products such as barley, rye, and wheat .

My blood test showed a slightly high level of these antibodies, but the numbers were not significant enough to denote Celiac Disease. So now what? My doctor gave me a thick packet that outlined the foods that are most prone to give me stomach problems. He wanted to be sure I did not have something more serious, such as a stomach tumor, so he suggested I schedule additional testing, namely, an endoscopy and colonoscopy that very week.

I know what you are thinking, “Devin, gross, we did not need to know that.” Guess what…illnesses are gross! In order to stay healthy sometimes we have to swallow our pride, and do what the doctor says.

So, I did it. I had a few samples that looked a bit odd and needed to be biopsied, but these tests came back normal as well.

“Gluten Sensitivity,” my doctor explained, “cannot yet be diagnosed through a test. Eliminate gluten from your diet, and see if that works. If you do not start to feel better, we will go through a process of elimination with foods. Don’t worry, we will find a diet that works for you.”

Luckily, the gluten-free diet worked for me! I work hard every day to ensure my diet reflects my healthy lifestyle, and I have never felt better.  As you will learn in this blog, I still treat myself every now and then and indulge in the wicked wheat!