Weight Loss and Weight Gain Associated with Celiac Disease EP020
04/21/17 • 23 min
Forget everything you thought you knew about obesity.
68% of the population of the US is overweight, and we know that there are a number of health risks associated with the issue. But did you know that people are overweight because their bodies are actually starving?
Today the Gluten Free RN is challenging your assumptions about weight gain and celiac disease, revealing the surprising way your body compensates for malnourishment, the necessity of fat in nutrient absorption, and the healing power of a whole food gluten-free diet.
Listen and learn why more people are overweight when diagnosed with celiac disease than underweight, more have constipation than diarrhea, and more have neurological disorders than gastrointestinal issues. Nadine is prepared to shake up your idea of what it means to have celiac disease and offer guidance regarding the food we should be eating in order to heal, and lose – or gain – weight in the process!
What’s Discussed:The classic symptoms of celiac disease
- Used to be identified by weight loss and chronic diarrhea
- We now know there are well over 300 signs and symptoms
The obesity epidemic in the US
- 68% of the population is overweight
- Obesity increases morbidity and mortality
- The majority of celiac patients are overweight
Why celiac patients are overweight
- Damage to intestines prevents absorption of nutrients
- Body is starving, so it compensates by storing fat as cheap energy
The health risks associated with obesity
The failings of fast food
- Little to no nutritional value
- ‘Bad’ fat
- Little use as energy
The whole food diet Nadine recommends for celiac and gluten sensitive patients
The rapid weight loss of overweight celiac patients once they adopt a gluten-free diet
Why wounds may not heal appropriately in celiac patients
- Body is malnourished and cannot absorb nutrients
- Nutrients are necessary to heal tissue
How to heal your body with food
- Choose fermented foods
- Regenerate villi in intestines
- Build diverse microbiome
Nadine’s patient with tunneling wound in sacral area
- Wound would not heal, required daily dressing changes
- Patient was HLA-DQ2 gene carrier
- Wound healed after 10 days on a gluten-free diet
How a gluten-free diet affects underweight celiac patients
- Muscle and tissue build appropriately
- Weight increases as nutrients are absorbed
The necessity of a high-fat diet for celiac patients
- Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble
- The brain is made of fat
‘Good’ fats that Nadine recommends incorporating into your diet
- Listen in for the full list!!
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
Forget everything you thought you knew about obesity.
68% of the population of the US is overweight, and we know that there are a number of health risks associated with the issue. But did you know that people are overweight because their bodies are actually starving?
Today the Gluten Free RN is challenging your assumptions about weight gain and celiac disease, revealing the surprising way your body compensates for malnourishment, the necessity of fat in nutrient absorption, and the healing power of a whole food gluten-free diet.
Listen and learn why more people are overweight when diagnosed with celiac disease than underweight, more have constipation than diarrhea, and more have neurological disorders than gastrointestinal issues. Nadine is prepared to shake up your idea of what it means to have celiac disease and offer guidance regarding the food we should be eating in order to heal, and lose – or gain – weight in the process!
What’s Discussed:The classic symptoms of celiac disease
- Used to be identified by weight loss and chronic diarrhea
- We now know there are well over 300 signs and symptoms
The obesity epidemic in the US
- 68% of the population is overweight
- Obesity increases morbidity and mortality
- The majority of celiac patients are overweight
Why celiac patients are overweight
- Damage to intestines prevents absorption of nutrients
- Body is starving, so it compensates by storing fat as cheap energy
The health risks associated with obesity
The failings of fast food
- Little to no nutritional value
- ‘Bad’ fat
- Little use as energy
The whole food diet Nadine recommends for celiac and gluten sensitive patients
The rapid weight loss of overweight celiac patients once they adopt a gluten-free diet
Why wounds may not heal appropriately in celiac patients
- Body is malnourished and cannot absorb nutrients
- Nutrients are necessary to heal tissue
How to heal your body with food
- Choose fermented foods
- Regenerate villi in intestines
- Build diverse microbiome
Nadine’s patient with tunneling wound in sacral area
- Wound would not heal, required daily dressing changes
- Patient was HLA-DQ2 gene carrier
- Wound healed after 10 days on a gluten-free diet
How a gluten-free diet affects underweight celiac patients
- Muscle and tissue build appropriately
- Weight increases as nutrients are absorbed
The necessity of a high-fat diet for celiac patients
- Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble
- The brain is made of fat
‘Good’ fats that Nadine recommends incorporating into your diet
- Listen in for the full list!!
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
Previous Episode
Legal Issues Surrounding Celiac Disease EP019
In Italy, it takes only two to three weeks to get diagnosed with celiac disease. In the United States, however, it typically takes nine to 15 years. Why is there such a huge discrepancy? And what are the legal ramifications for practitioners who overlook celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, causing patients unnecessary pain and suffering?
On this episode, Nadine explores the legal issues surrounding celiac disease as well as the potential reasons for delayed diagnosis in the US. She also explains the differences between universal healthcare and the for-profit system and how each appears to influence celiac diagnosis.
Listen and learn what medical practitioners need to know about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity in order to avoid being sued for malpractice, the value of standardization in celiac testing and follow-up care, and how you can get involved in advocating for universal coverage.
What’s Discussed:How the US health insurance system works
- Usually purchased through employer
- Loss of job often means loss of coverage
- ACA provides coverage for many who were uninsured
- For-profit system
Why Nadine is an advocate for a single-payer system
- People treated in ER with or without insurance (we pay regardless)
- US healthcare is very expensive, yet outcomes poor
Celiac disease diagnoses around the world
- Italy: 2-3 weeks; standardized follow-up care
- US: 9-15 years; patients endure numerous other tests, misdiagnoses, unnecessary medications
- Canada: effective early diagnosis, but follow-up care lacking
The excuses practitioners use to avoid diagnosing celiac disease
- Don’t believe in it, despite research and documentation
- Don’t want to learn about another illness
- Gluten-free diet is too difficult for patients
Symptoms Nadine encountered as an ER nurse that may have signaled celiac disease
- Migraine headaches
- Abdominal pain
- Neurological disorders (headaches, difficulty with balance)
- Fever
Why practitioners should be concerned about malpractice suits if celiac disease goes undiagnosed
- Ignorance is not a defense
- Michael Marsh contends that failure to do appropriate screening signals liability
- Avoid by learning the basics of celiac disease, how to diagnose and follow-up
Why celiac disease needs to be part of differential diagnosis for every patient
Indicators of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity
- HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 gene denotes predisposition for celiac proper
- AGA antibody suggests gluten sensitivity
Maladies suffered by patients whose celiac disease went undiagnosed
- Mental health issues
- Neurological disorders
- Seizures
- Balance issues
- Abdominal pain
- Incorrect diagnosis of Crohn’s or colitis
- Hemorrhoids
- GERD
- High blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Cancer
Why standardization of testing and follow-up care is a necessity
- Screenings are often misinterpreted
- Celiac patients who follow a gluten-free diet are often told that they have been cured or that the initial test was a false positive when follow-up shows antibodies in normal range
The story of Nadine’s 70-year-old celiac patient
- Diagnosed with celiac disease by biopsy, but received no follow-up care
- Suffered from significant neurological issues (e.g.: gluten ataxia, falling)
- Nadine recommended standard lab tests
- Primary care doctor refused
- Patient returned to Nadine in distress
- Doctor culpable for patient’s neurological damage
Why celiac patients should consider advocating for universal coverage
The differences between celiac diagnoses under universal vs. for-profit insurance systems
- Financial benefit to early diagnosis under universal system (i.e.: UK, Canada, Italy)
- No benefit to early diagnosis for insurers under for-profit structure
Physicians for a National Health Program
Additional Resources:Next Episode
The Potential Connection Between Parkinson’s and Celiac Disease EP021
A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is devastating, and the associated symptoms – difficulty walking, tremors, memory issues – are debilitating. But what if those symptoms aren’t necessarily indicative of Parkinson’s after all? What if a simple diet change could improve or even eliminate those symptoms?
Today Nadine explores anecdotal evidence suggesting that the symptoms of Parkinson’s and other demyelination syndromes might be actually be caused by celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. She argues that as Parkinson’s diagnoses become more and more common, it is imperative that we explore the potential connection between Parkinson’s and celiac disease.
Listen in to understand how gluten can affect the neurological system, why Parkinson’s patients should be tested for celiac disease, and how a gluten-free diet can heal neurological damage.
What’s Discussed:Nadine’s Parkinson’s patient
- Diagnosed with celiac disease as a child in the 1940’s
- Recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s
- Symptoms included difficulty walking, falling, stooped gait, masked appearance, tremors, memory issues and confusion
- Discovered unintentional gluten exposure in the home
- Moved to adult foster home to ensure gluten-free diet
- Many symptoms went away
- Working with neurologist to wean off Parkinson’s meds
Why patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s, ALS and MS should get test for celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
- Every nerve in the body is insulated with myelin
- Myelin is made of fat
- Gluten prevents the absorption of fats
- Parkinson’s, ALS and MS are all demyelination syndromes
The need for research regarding the potential connection between Parkinson’s and celiac disease
- The University of Chicago asserts there is ‘no published evidence of a connection between Parkinson’s and celiac disease’
- Nadine argues that enough anecdotal evidence exists to suggest that a connection should be investigated
Nadine’s recommendation for a comprehensive celiac lab test
- Cyrex Labs tests for 25 of the gluten intolerant antibodies, including tTG-2, tTG-3 and tTG-6
- Ask for a total IgA and IgG in addition to the Cyrex Array 3
- Insurance should cover the tests
- Can be ordered by any practitioner
Celiac diagnoses in patients over 60
- 30% of newly diagnosed celiac patients are over 60
- Many have neurological issues
- Neuropathy
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Seizure disorders
- Difficulty walking
- Falling
- Balance issues
- MS
- Nadine’s patients improve on a Paleo diet
The Stanford idiopathic familial narcolepsy study
- Entire family diagnosed with narcolepsy
- Found that family members had celiac disease
- Adopting a gluten-free diet eliminated the narcolepsy
- Family now runs organic farm
The increasing number of Parkinson’s diagnoses
- More and more common
- UK neurological expert routinely tests for celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity
How your body heals neurological damage in the absence of gluten
- Heal intestines
- Eliminate inflammation
- Repair immune system
- Replete nutrient deficiencies
Vitamin D
- Cancer preventative
- Level should be between 60-80
- Indicator of all fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K)
- ‘Sunshine’ vitamin synthesized through skin
- Must also be taken in dietarily
- Little chance of overdosing on D3
What your nails can tell you about your health
- Look for white spots, cracked nails, hangnails
- May indicate lack of zinc, D3, or B vitamins
Dr. Terry Wahls’ MS misdiagnosis
- Diagnosed with MS and required wheelchair
- Healed with a gluten-free diet
- Can ride her bike and walk without a cane
Nadine’s story
- At 40, her symptoms suggested MS
- Issues with clumsiness (falling, dragging feet, dropping things, difficulty with balance)
- Problems went away on a gluten-free diet
- Nutrient deficiencies were causing neurological issues
Celiac cerebellar ataxia
- Caused by lesions on or inflammation of the brain
- Results in inability to walk straight
- Tissue can be healed on a gluten free diet
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