Enterolab, making changes

[JaneG]

Received my Enterolab results earlier in the week and like others, received some surprises. Thank you to those who responded to so many others, it was super helpful to read back through the posts now that I have my own results. Have been gluten free for many years, and live in GF home. Have progressively modified my diet since my MC diagnosis more than a decade ago and thought I was avoiding most potential problem foods. Looks like I have more work to do as I was not aware I need to avoid dairy, eggs, soy, rice, oats, chicken and corn.

Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA      52 Units   

Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA      17 Units   

Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA      70 Units   

Fecal Anti-soy IgA      29 Units  

Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods      24 Units   

No reactivity: pork, white potato
Some reactivity 1+: rice,tuna
Moderate reactivity 2+: oat, chicken, beef, cashew, walnut
Most reactivity 3+: corn, almond

Here are my questions:

With my reaction to egg, should I also avoid egg yolks? I understand some above range people can tolerate the yolks but thinking with my unit number of 70, I should avoid.

Is there a chance that avoiding a food with lower reactivity might make me more reactive over time? Thinking about rice, and wondering if I should eat it occasionally as it is a GF staple.

If I react in my intestines to a food, is it certain that I will have an immune response to the same substance on my skin? For example, I put almond oil on my fingernails at night, and almonds are a 3 for me.

When my son was diagnosed with celiac disease 17 years ago, I did an Enterolab test for gluten only. I no longer have the test results, but the test indicated that while I did not have an autoimmune response to gluten, I was gluten sensitive. The test also said I do not have the genes for celiac. Based on those results, and because I did notice a response to gluten, I have not knowingly ingested gluten since. Any thoughts how how I could have gone from just gluten sensitive to well out of normal range on a gluten free diet? Is it possible the scales have changed? (Enterolab does not retain records past 10 years.)

Since removing all of the foods indicated by Enterolab as issues for just a couple of days, I have had dramatic results. As I mentioned, I already had removed many problem foods and drinks from my diet over time. Just a couple of months ago I figured out no more beef and nuts. My sugar and fiber intake have been low. I am hoping that the healing process had already begun, and that this quick response is not just beginner’s luck.

In any case, my recovery has for sure been hastened by this community and the information I learned here. Thank you!

Jane

[tex]

With my reaction to egg, should I also avoid egg yolks? I understand some above range people can tolerate the yolks but thinking with my unit number of 70, I should avoid.

That's a rather high score for this particular test, so in my opinion, yes, you should avoid the yolks, also. How can they be separated without getting traces of the albumin on them, anyway? if you want to experiment with that, I would try duck eggs. Some of us are able to eat duck eggs despite being sensitive to chicken eggs, but that doesn't work for all of us, especially those of us with elevated antibody levels.

Is there a chance that avoiding a food with lower reactivity might make me more reactive over time? Thinking about rice, and wondering if I should eat it occasionally as it is a GF staple.

I see your point, because if we avoid a food 100%, our small intestine eventually stops producing the enzymes needed to digest that food. Since rice was only classed as a one plus food sensitivity, you can probably eat rice occasionally without any major problems. When I was recovering, I had to completely avoid corn and all its derivatives, and I did so for a year or so. But after I reached remission and healed for while, I found that I was able to slowly reintroduce corn, and before long I could eat it every day without any problems. Probably, we can avoid a food for a few years, and still be able to successfully reintroduce it (as long as it's not a major food sensitivity), but I have no idea if there is a limit on that length of time,

If I react in my intestines to a food, is it certain that I will have an immune response to the same substance on my skin? For example, I put almond oil on my fingernails at night, and almonds are a 3 for me.

That's a tough question, because I suspect it may be an individual issue. The problem is certainly true for some of us. Before I had to retire, because I got so sick that I couldn't continue working, couldn't get a correct diagnosis, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, I had a seed processing plant. We primarily processed food corn for the chip and tortilla industry. Anyway, after I figured out what was wrong and changed my diet to avoid all my food sensitivities, I discovered that we could still clean wheat seed (and other seeds) for neighbors, and I could handle wheat (touching it with my hands and arms, with no problem, even though (like the rest of us) I have to avoid even the slightest traces of wheat gluten in my diet. But the location of the skin contact may matter, also. I wouldn't dare kiss any wheat, for example. LOL.

When my son was diagnosed with celiac disease 17 years ago, I did an Enterolab test for gluten only. I no longer have the test results, but the test indicated that while I did not have an autoimmune response to gluten, I was gluten sensitive. The test also said I do not have the genes for celiac. Based on those results, and because I did notice a response to gluten, I have not knowingly ingested gluten since. Any thoughts how how I could have gone from just gluten sensitive to well out of normal range on a gluten free diet? Is it possible the scales have changed? (Enterolab does not retain records past 10 years.)

This is just my opinion, but I think that gluten is so ubiquitous these days that tiny amounts show up almost everywhere. The US has such sloppy limits on what they define as "gluten-free" that I suspect that you'd be hard put to find any products on the shelves of any store that didn't contain traces of gluten. And if gluten traces are in most packaged foods, traces might also be found on fresh produce, or anything else, due to drift, and cross-contamination during handling, transporting, processing, etc. When those big combines harvest wheat fields, for example, the dust from those machines can drift for many miles to contaminate other crops, including fresh produce. Years ago, we used to raise blue corn and white corn for the chip and tortilla industry. Even though the fields were separated by miles, if the winds happened to be blowing in the right direction, at the right time (during pollination) there would always be many ears of white corn that had a few blue kernels scattered here and there.

The point is, if we're sensitive to gluten, it only takes a trace amount on a semi-regular basis to keep our antibody level elevated above the threshold level. I have a hunch that despite our best efforts, were all eating cross contaminated food, and if were not extremely careful, those levels can get out of hand.

Since removing all of the foods indicated by Enterolab as issues for just a couple of days, I have had dramatic results. As I mentioned, I already had removed many problem foods and drinks from my diet over time. Just a couple of months ago I figured out no more beef and nuts. My sugar and fiber intake have been low. I am hoping that the healing process had already begun, and that this quick response is not just beginner’s luck.

Although gluten antibodies (anti-gliadin antibodies) have a 120 day half-life, most other food sensitivities have only a five or six day half-life, and that's presumably why you're seeing such prompt results from your diet changes. You seem to be well on your way to remission, and I hope that success continues.

I hope this helps.

Tex

[JaneG]

Hi Tex,

It helps, so much. Have been thinking about these things all day. Very scary to think of wheat everywhere but it makes so much sense. My son was extremely sick before his celiac diagnosis, making him conscientious about his diet. Every now and then he would still get sick on a gluten free diet, and that continues to happen to him as an adult. Terrible to think gluten is almost inescapable.

Appreciate the direction. I will look for duck eggs, at some point. And start to work through my relationship with external products which may be inflammatory. After I seem to be in a good spot, I will start to have rice occasionally. Thanks so much for allowing me to learn from your experiences and your observations of the many who have shared their journeys.

You give me hope.

Jane

[tex]

You're very welcome. And the best of luck to you during your journey back to health.

Tex