Gluten free and gassy
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Gluten free and gassy
I have been gluten, dairy and egg free for about 2 weeks. I have done this in order to hopefully prevent another MC flare. I have noticed I am extremely gassy!!! Is this normal and what would be the cause?
Re: Gluten free and gassy
It's normal in some cases. Gluten antibodies (antigliadin antibodies) have a 120 day half-life, and if we've been reacting to gluten for a long time, our antibody level becomes very high. Consequently it may take a month or more for that level to decline below the threshold at which it doesn't continue to trigger a reaction, and it typically takes at least two or three years before the antibody level returns to a normal level. After we remove gluten from our diet our immune system becomes even more sensitive as it continues to search for that antigen to make sure that it's no longer trying to sneak into our diet, and that heightened sensitivity (ultrasensitivity) can last for years, depending upon the antigen that it's searching for. Gluten is such a dominant trigger for our immune system that the EnteroLab test can detect gluten sensitivity for at least two years after it has been removed from the diet. This is why vaccines are effective. They prompt the immune system to diligently search for a specific antigen by increasing the sensitivity of our immune system toward that particular antigen.
There is a possibility your diet may be cross contaminated with traces of gluten, because gluten is ubiquitous. Antibodies to most foods to which MC may cause a sensitivity have only about a five or six day half-life, So when we remove one of them from our diet, the antibody levels continue to decline fairly rapidly, but with a 120 day half-life, gluten antibodies (anti-gliadin antibodies) typically remain a problem for foughly a month or more after we remove it from our diet, for many of us, depending on how long we've been reacting to gluten.
Often, gluten dominates the immune system for 4 to 6 weeks, and after that we seem to reach remission. But then after a few days we begin to react again as our immune system begins to notice other food sensitivities in our diet. Anyway, my point is that yes, there may be a number of reasons why you are still bloated, because that's not uncommon as we work toward remission. I hope this helps.
Tex
There is a possibility your diet may be cross contaminated with traces of gluten, because gluten is ubiquitous. Antibodies to most foods to which MC may cause a sensitivity have only about a five or six day half-life, So when we remove one of them from our diet, the antibody levels continue to decline fairly rapidly, but with a 120 day half-life, gluten antibodies (anti-gliadin antibodies) typically remain a problem for foughly a month or more after we remove it from our diet, for many of us, depending on how long we've been reacting to gluten.
Often, gluten dominates the immune system for 4 to 6 weeks, and after that we seem to reach remission. But then after a few days we begin to react again as our immune system begins to notice other food sensitivities in our diet. Anyway, my point is that yes, there may be a number of reasons why you are still bloated, because that's not uncommon as we work toward remission. I hope this helps.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Re: Gluten free and gassy
Thank you for your reply. It's so helpful having this site. I appreciate your help. I will plod on and try to make safe food choices. We leave in 3 weeks for Portugal and Morocco. I hope there is plain rice offered since that will be my staple!