| Against the Grain | | | | of your life, once you do it you'll never want to go |
| What if you ate and ate - but kept losing weight. | | | | back. |
| Imagine suffering from abdominal bloating, muscle | | | | One Last Thing ... |
| cramps, diarrhea, night blindness, brittle bones, fatigue | | | | Even if your tests come back negative for celiac |
| and dehydration. Then picture doctors telling you it | | | | disease, it's possible that you have an allergy to |
| was all in your head. This is what my friend Nancy | | | | wheat or other foods. So the next logical step is to |
| went through for years before finally learning that | | | | rule out food allergies with a simple blood test that |
| she had celiac disease. | | | | can pinpoint problematic foods. |
| Celiac is an inherited autoimmune disorder marked by | | | | If you truly do suffer from celiac, eliminating gluten |
| severe gluten intolerance that damages the small | | | | from your diet can be the basis for healing. But, |
| intestine. Once thought to be rare, a landmark study | | | | because damaged villi can lead to bacterial |
| in the Archives of Internal Medicine has found that | | | | overgrowth, it is critical that you take probiotics to |
| celiac is actually quite common. In fact, one in 133 | | | | recolonize your intestine with good bacteria. Look for |
| Americans suffer from this disorder - and many of | | | | a probiotic supplement that contains several strains |
| them, like Nancy, are women. | | | | of live bacteria from various Lactobacillus, Acidophilus |
| Solving the Mystery | | | | and especially Bifidobacteria species. Essential for |
| Nearly half of celiac patients suffer from | | | | intestinal health, these beneficial bugs are especially |
| gastrointestinal distress, including chronic or | | | | helpful for those with gluten issues. |
| intermittent diarrhea, constipation, bloating and | | | | This Just in ... |
| cramps. Strangely, however, the other half of those | | | | When it comes to the myriad of risk factors for |
| with celiac don't have any gastrointestinal problems. | | | | heart disease, most doctors focus primarily on LDL |
| Instead, they experience a wide range of seemingly | | | | (bad) cholesterol. Meanwhile, triglycerides are often all |
| unrelated symptoms including fatigue, weight-loss, | | | | but ignored. |
| asthma, migraines, depression and anemia. | | | | Triglycerides are the body's preferred form of |
| Unfortunately, it isn't unusual for these folks to spend | | | | energy storage and usually come from the foods we |
| years going from doctor to doctor, trying to find out | | | | eat. The calories that aren't immediately used by the |
| what's behind their "mystery" condition. | | | | tissues are converted to triglycerides and transported |
| The problem with this scenario is that unrecognized | | | | to fat cells to be stored. Hormones regulate the |
| celiac symptoms can lead to compromised immunity | | | | release of triglycerides from fat tissue so they meet |
| and misdiagnoses. The most common misdiagnosis is | | | | the body's needs for energy between meals. But high |
| irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - up to 20 percent of | | | | levels of plasma triglycerides damage the arteries and |
| those diagnosed with IBS actually have celiac. | | | | increase your risk of atherosclerosis. Left unchecked, |
| Years of nutrient malabsorption can cause nutritional | | | | they sometimes can result in acute pancreatitis, a |
| fallout and numerous immune-related side effects at | | | | life-threatening inflammatory condition. |
| any age. Fortunately, healing starts by simply cutting | | | | National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines |
| out dietary gluten - an easier prospect than ever | | | | state that triglyceride levels should remain below 150 |
| before, thanks to a variety of new gluten-free | | | | milligrams per deciliter. Levels between 200 and 500 |
| products showing up in stores. | | | | are considered high, and any number over 500 is a |
| Get Tested | | | | cause of immediate concern. In those cases, most |
| Since most doctors rarely think of celiac disease | | | | doctors opt for either statins or fibrates to try to |
| when confronted with symptoms, it's up to you to | | | | lower the numbers. |
| bring it up. Tell your doctor that you want a blood | | | | But you don't need to wait until your triglycerides |
| test to check for antigliadin antibody (IgG and IgA), | | | | skyrocket. If your triglyceride levels are upwardly |
| tissue transglutaminase (tTG IgA), and total serum | | | | mobile, adopt some smart lifestyle changes to rein |
| IgA. | | | | them in. Exercise and weight-loss will give you the |
| Because celiac disease is hereditary, if you do test | | | | most satisfying decline in triglycerides. |
| positive, it's important that other family members get | | | | Diet, of course, is also crucial. Avoid refined |
| tested too, since undiagnosed celiac triggers an | | | | carbohydrates, saturated fats and hydrogenated oil. |
| autoimmune response that causes the body to | | | | Swap these unhealthy foods for fresh vegetables, |
| attack itself and destroy normal tissue, especially the | | | | fruit and nuts. It's also wise to consume omega-3 |
| villi in the small intestine. Normally, these tiny, hair-like | | | | fatty acids by taking fish oil supplements and adding |
| fingers absorb nutrients from food. But when the villi | | | | fish to your diet frequently. |
| malfunction, the digestive system goes haywire. | | | | Taking supplemental niacin can also help. If your |
| Long-term, damaged villi can lead to unhealthy | | | | triglyceride levels just won't budge, ask you doctor |
| weight-loss and serious malnutrition. | | | | about a prescription form of niacin called Niaspan that |
| Go Gluten-Free | | | | also gives your HDL levels a boost. |
| If you are diagnosed with celiac, the first - and most | | | | It's also important to keep a lid on stress levels. |
| important - step is to rid your kitchen of any and all | | | | According to a study of 35 women by researchers |
| foods that contain gluten. This means obvious foods | | | | at Ohio State University, stress slows the body's |
| like bread, cookies, cake mixes, pasta, cereal and | | | | ability to clear triglycerides from the blood. And the |
| crackers, and not-so-obvious foods like soups, soy | | | | longer these unhealthy fats circulate in your body, |
| sauce, battered foods and even beer. | | | | the more negative impact they have on your heart. |
| The initial celiac diet should be based on healthy, | | | | Here's another bonus of taming your stress levels: A |
| simple foods, like meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, | | | | Duke University study of 94 men with heart disease |
| legumes, fruits, vegetables and rice. It's a good idea | | | | found that those who learned relaxation techniques |
| to get a few gluten-free cookbooks to help expand | | | | had fewer heart attacks, less cardiac surgery and |
| your diet. You might even want to meet with a | | | | lower medical costs than those who didn't learn how |
| dietitian specializing in the disorder for dietary | | | | to manage their stress. So do yourself and your |
| guidance. | | | | heart a favor and try meditation or yoga to soothe |
| The challenge of gluten-free living is magnified by | | | | away tension. No time? Find a quiet corner where |
| gluten's ubiquity. It's the second most common | | | | you won't be disturbed. Take a couple of deep |
| ingredient in all the foods you eat. New food-labeling | | | | breaths and let your body flop for a minute or two. |
| laws make gluten identification easier, but some | | | | Slowly come up into an erect position. Practicing this |
| products, including medications, may still contain grain | | | | exercise each day has a cumulative effect on your |
| derivatives. Red-flag words include starch, stabilizer, | | | | stress levels and can prevent them from escalating. |
| flavoring, hydrolyzed plant protein (unless it's made | | | | References: |
| from corn or soy), and emulsifier. | | | | Fasano A, Berti I, Gerarduzzi T, et al. "Prevalence of |
| Becoming a label sleuth can help you avoid gluten. But | | | | Celiac Disease in At-Risk and Not-At-Risk Groups in |
| even if the front of the package claims that a | | | | the United States." Archives of Internal Medicine. |
| product is gluten-free, check the ingredient label to | | | | 2003;163: 286-292. |
| be sure. While it's no piece of cake to cut gluten out | | | | |