gluten free diet - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Message Board

lilchippy · 01-27-2007, 08:21 AM

Hello all

I know alot of people on here found out that they are gluten intolerant. I have been dealing with IBS for years (not too severe) but i keep trying to see if there are any food allergies that i have along with it. I have found out i am lactose intolerant and have taken that out of my diet. I am not sure if i am gluten intolerant (i have not made it to an allergist yet) but i thought if i just cut it out of my diet i could get a better feel if i am, right?? So what i have been doing is supplementing anything i can for gluten free....

So my questions are.....
1.) Does anyone know if you go on a 1/2 gluten free diet is there any consequences? Does that affect the IBS in a negative way.

2.) is doing a gluten free diet an accurate way to see if i am gluten intolerant or should i go to the allergist.

3.) if i do choose to go gluten free how long should i do it for

4.) what is the difference between gluten free and wheat free should i cut them both out

sorry about all the questions but thanks so much for your help.

elmhar · 01-27-2007, 08:16 PM

Hi Lil Chippy,

There are 3 categories of gluten intolerance:
1) Allergy to wheat & other gluten grains
2) Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disease that destroys the lining of the gut
3) Non-allergic, non-CD gluten intolerance.

Not all docs believe that the 3rd group exists. The first 2, wheat allergy & CD, there are med. tests for. The allergist can run tests for wheat allergy, but a gastroenterologist is usually the doc who tests for CD. For either test to be accurate, you need to be eating gluten.

A half-way gluten free diet shouldn't have any bad side effects, if you get enough carbs from GF sources. However, it ALSO isn't likely to tell you much about whether or not gluten is your problem.

I recommend the book, Gluten Free Living for Dummies, by Danna Korn. There is a fair bit of detail involved in a gluten-free lifestyle, and Danna does a great job of explaining it all.

Best wishes.