Connection Between Gluten and MS

[kristen.gallegos]

Hi Everyone!

I'm reading a wellness book that mentions a connection between gluten and autoimmune disorders. Up until yesterday, I thought gluten-free diets were really only for those with Celiac Disease, but my book explained how gluten can cause a delayed intolerance which can appear as chronic illnesses rather than acute. Now I'm researching if gluten has a scientific connection to Multiple Sclerosis.

Have any of you tried a gluten-free diet or noticed any difference in symptoms or everyday life when eating gluten?

Any thoughts or feedback you can share is greatly appreciated!

Kristen

[teena marie]

Hi Kristen,

I've been gluten free for sometime now. I'm not as strict as I used to be and can tolerate a bit of pita and the occasional beer or two. When I go beyond this, I have increased stiffness. The only way to tell if it affects certain symptoms is to eliminate and see. Everyone is different and everyone's MS is different.

Take care,

Teena Marie

[kristen.gallegos]

Hi Teena Marie,

Thanks for the reply, and thanks for the reminder that everyone's MS is different. Being newly diagnosed, and completely blindsided by the diagnosis, I often wonder what caused it and how to manage it, but I need to remember that since everyone is different, my case is different as well. My fear is that I'm not taking immediate action on something that could make my case worse later in life. Which is why I asked the question about gluten. If I eat products with gluten, even if they're healthy, could I be harming myself 10+ years down the road?

It makes me want to avoid any food that has even the slightest bit of research backing a connection to MS (like gluten).

Thank you again!

[teena marie]

Hi again,

Being newly diagnosed can be pretty frightening and getting information can be circuit overload. Tune in to your body and really listen to any messages to help guide you.

This site has some good science based info on many aspects of healthy living for MS, particularly a low saturated fat diet. There is an excellent book as well. All by a doctor in Australia who has MS. I wish I had known about it in the early days.

http://www.overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org/

Once again, be easy on yourself, but do keep exercising!

Good luck,

Teena Marie

[sue w.]

I have been gluten free for over a year now. I was diagnosed with R/R in 2002 and I am now Secondary Progressive.
I eliminated gluten from my diet because I was experiencing stomach issues. There are *some* glutens I can still eat, for some reason (tortillas, for one thing) so I don't need to be extremely strict. But eliminating glutens really helped my stomach issues.
However, it did not help my MS at all - not one bit.
(By the way, I am also lactose intolerant...eliminating lactose also did not change my MS symptoms.)

[kko]

Gluten free experiment

Hi, I am sure your new diagnosis hit you like a ton of bricks. Even though I knew I had MS before I got the "official", hearing I was CPMS was overwhelming. It gets better, and staying active does help. A few years ago I went gluten free for about 8 months. I knew it wouldn't hurt me. The biggest impact seemed to be the recognition of how much gluten I ate! I'm mostly vegetarian, and always ate whole grains, but the amount of wheat I consumed was surprising. It made me look more closely at my diet and experiment with different whole grains that often have a better nutrition profile. I lost all of my craving for anything sweet, except fruit. No longer wanted to have that cookie. I also lost weight, which I did not need to do. After I started eating some gluten again, I didn't notice any difference in anything. I continue to eat other grains instead of wheat, except once in a while. I don't believe it had any effect on my MS. I am also lactose intolerant and don't eat any dairy. I tried it because I knew it wouldn't hurt me. KKO

[Francine]

Gluten connection

Hi Kristen,
Many/some do claim that going gluten-free helped lesson their MS symptoms. I don't think there are any official studies confirming the connection, but Terry Wahls' experience sure is compelling (see link below or google her). The paleo diet had dramatic effects for her. I've tried to cut out gluten and go more toward the paleo diet. I don't notice any significant changes, but I figure I'll keep trying. The one thing that has helped for sure is exercise. Good luck!
http://www.medicaldaily.com/multiple...t-alone-249419

[Bertabobbie]

I have been gluten free for a year and a half. I do not have Celiac disease but must be gluten intolerant. For decades I had terrible loose stools and many embarrassing incidents in public, not to mention all the messes I had to clean up at home. Since I have been gluten free I have had virtually no problems and my stools are solid. I'm no longer afraid to leave the house for fear of an accident. BTW, I am SP and have had MS for at least 15 years.

[mrsfitness4ever]

I've been gluten free for approximately 3 months and really only notice that my stomach doesn't kick in as much when I run as it used to. I thought it would help me just feel better overall but really haven't noticed too much of a difference. I did notice that the first couple weeks of elimating gluten I was constantly starving, but now that has gone away.