I had someone contact me last week on behalf of a woman who had just been diagnosed with coeliac (wheat/gluten intolerance) on top of having Type 1. Boooo hiss. Totally not fair. I remember being at kids camp a couple of years ago and there were several kids there who had the two. Camp were brilliantly prepared, often with two different queues for kids with “just” T1 and those with coeliac as well. I also remember Elissa Renouf at DYNZ conference last year saying that a couple of her kids have both and they have to have special gluten free jellybeans for hypos – gah!
Apart from “they’re both auto-immune conditions”, I know nothing about the connection between the two so I thought I’d do a bit of googling on the topic. I read several articles, but this one was the easiest to digest.
Essentially:
- Research has found that coeliac disease is five to 10 times more common in people with type 1 diabetes than in the general population
- “The overlapping genetic variants occurred on regions of chromosomes (parts of cells that carry genetic code) that are believed to regulate the gut’s immune system” – that is, some of the genes which affect how the gut works are different (to regular genes) in both T1 and coeliac patients
- This has raised the question of whether eating wheat/gluten in those pre-disposed to diabetes might actually trigger the onset of T1.
I did a little bit more searching and it appears that studies on non-diabetic mice have concluded that -
a) Non-diabetic mice fed a gluten-free diet were less likely to develop T1 diabetes.
b) Those on a gluten-free diet who did develop T1 did so later in life.
Hmmmm – all interesting stuff – but as yet obviously not proven widely enough to be an absolute fact.
What are your personal experiences and thoughts on this, people?
Posted in Food, Science & Research
Tagged as coeliac
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Dee wrote
If they were using NOD (Non Obese Diabetic) mice, I don’t really trust the mouse studies – if what was true on NOD mice was true for humans we’d be cured.
A little bit of background on the NOD mice – they are a very in bred population, and that makes them prone to a number of auto-immune disorders. For more info – there is the Wiki page, that from memory, looks pretty accurate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOD_mice
That said, I know there is likely to be something interesting going on – my niece (my sisters daughter) has non celiacs gluten intolerance – it’s a good thing that they are in Chch as she was refered to Dr Rodney Ford and he got her sorted out very quickly.
Chris M wrote
I’m aware of families who have ‘ stalled’ a diagnosis of Type 1 in kids with positive antibodies by going GF but not preventing its eventual diagnosis. However, if that means you stall sticking needles in a 2 year old then that has to be a bonus doesn’t it?
I have 9 people ( adults and kids) going to the DYNZ conference who have asked for GF catering. I will see what I can do about getting this ’sub group’ to have a get together during the conference to swap suggestions, contact details etc.
All kids are now checked for coeliacs in annual blood tests with between 5 and 10% of them being positive .Kelly had a few positive antibody tests several years ago but has been negative since. The doctors response was that ‘ medicine isn’t an exact science’…aka ‘I really don’t understand how that could happen’.
ineke wrote
My endo checks me once a year for celiac as she says that people with T1 have a bigger chance in getting this.
Ryan wrote
Nic
I am T1 (25years) and Coeliac (officially 5yrs). Its definitely harder to manage T1 with Coeliac but in some respects if you look for the silver lining also easier – less or no carbohydrate intake if you remove cereals, pasta & bread & cakes/biscuits & baking (wheat oats barley & rye).
I was diagnosed with T1 at 18 years but suspect that I have had undiagnosed coeliac since I was about 7years old (bad stomach cramps/alternating constipation and occasional diarrhea when I was younger and in my teens was always attributed to ‘grumbling appendix’).
Since developing Coeliac 4-5 years ago it has been harder to control my BS and as I have now had Diabetes 25years and am becoming insulin resistant with loss of symptoms of lows I am feedup and kind of over the now depressive episodes that are associated with my prolonged low BS.
Frankly I am over modern medicine trying to manage our BG by pumping us full of insulin – which is what will eventually will kill us – not diabetes per se – excess INSULIN. I am at a stage where I have lots faith in both BIG food and BIG pharmacy poisoning the general population for the benefit of their shareholders
I am going natural so have been researching alternatives
Some sites/books that I have found inspiring …
Primal Blueprint – Mark Sisson for a healthy spoonful of commonsense re lifestyle (also Google PaleoDiet)
http://www.primalblueprint.com
Read Take Charge of your Diabetes – Sarfraz Zaidi, MD for a dose of realism
You Tube Search
Simply Raw – 30Days and then check out Gabriel Cousens, MD
http://www.treeoflife.nu
for a glimmer of hope
The only thing I can see modern medicine producing that even holds a candle to this stuff (above) in term of longevity and ongoing quality of life is POSSIBLY stem cell transplants BUT they still have to figure out what causes the inflammation of the Beta cells (suspect lipids) before that works properly for any prolonged period.
If I was a betting man I would be putting my money on excess refined foods, WHEAT, SALT and SUGAR in the modern diet and the overuse use of modern chemical based drugs to fix the resulting now epidemic symptoms in the global population – back to BIG food & BIG pharmacy and surprise surprise good old fashioned human greed
Ryan wrote
Dee the original study Nic discusses and the article in the New England Journal of Medicine used HUMANS! not mice … but then there’s no convincing BIG pharmacy when it looks like it might affect their bottom line. Imagine lossing all those insulin using consumers and that ever expanding niche market demand
Kiri wrote
I am T1 and was just diagnosed with coeliacs last year, aswell as acquiring Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Addison’s DIsease and Vitiligo forming on my body argggghhhhhh……all obviously Auto Immune Conditions. I also have PCOS (for you males thats Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which is also AI, and now am pregnant with my first child through IVF. They think my infertility was to do with having undiagnosed Coeliacs Disease since I was a teenager (now 27yrs). So if anyone wants to know about these conditions and having T1 aswell….feel free to email me
WOW what a wonderfully positive email haha
helana wrote
I was digionsed with type 1 at 22 and then got digionised with ceoliacs a year later! Kiri, you make me feel good!! I have three auto immune conditions and I sometimes think that’s rough but it is always does me good to be reminded that other have it worse!! Good luck with your baby, they told me that I had proberly had the ceoliacs all my life, just never new it.
Chris M I like the sound of your idea it would be good to meet others and chat about how they find living with the two!!
Karen L wrote
My daughter has been on a wheat free diet all her life due to my history of asthma, skin conditions & hayfever (annoying conditions I wanted to avoid if possible). When she was 1 year old I had her tested through my naturopath and she came up wheat intollerant. She has only had wheat once when she was 15mths – I gave her half a hot cross bun and she got a severe rash within a day all over her body (in her hair, spots under her nails etc), It got infected around her nappy and anywhere her clothes rubbed. I felt so mean and she’s never had it since. All my kids are intollerant. She was diagnosed T1 at 3yrs 8mths so it didn’t stop her getting it!
And congratulations Kiri. Thats so exciting for you;-)
Michelle wrote
I have been T1 for 23 years and just over 2 years ago was getting symptoms of tiredness, so my GP did some bloods for coeliacs which all came back fine, he kept an eye on these and I had one random low B12, then raised coaelic marker and then the next was higher so he then referred me to the general surgeons. I had a gastroscopy last year which showed evidence of mild coeliacs but was inconclusive. As I also have von willebrands which is a form of bleeding disorder they were reluctant to repeat the gastroscopy so he told me to treat myself as coeliac which I have done. The up side to it is it has helped me to loose weight. It is very difficult to manage diet as everything is very “white” and what I call high GI foods, finding alternatives has been difficult as I don’t know any other people with TI and coaeliac but do know a few coeliac people who I have got some good ideas from.
Congrats Kiri and all the best for your pending arrival
Nic wrote
Thanks to Erin for the below information re Wellington:
Healthy Food Guide are putting on a show ” Gluten Free Food & Allergy Show ” . To be held at the TSB Bank Arena Queens Wharf Saturday – Sunday 28 – 29 August 2010 10am to 5pm Entry Fee is $10.00