Gluten free or dairy free diets

[Marydoll589]

Has anyone found relief from going gluten free or dairy free or both?

[AirIsUnderrated]

Yes, both. Well almost dairy free, not quite. Completely wheat-free. I have a little gluten in rye.

[Marydoll589 in reply to AirIsUnderrated]

Does it help your asthma?

[AirIsUnderrated]

I had asthma as a child and it cleared up when I moved out of the family home where my father smoked. I stopped eating dairy at around the same time, gave up wheat 14 years ago. No asthma until 3 months ago when I had Covid or similar virus. My over all health is much better without either.

[Mogget]

I stopped eating gluten and dairy around 8 months ago, mainly to try and help address my thyroid autoimmune problems. I think it’s benefited my asthma too but I’m finding it hard to say as I also started a new asthma treatment 5 months ago. I had a takeaway last week that contained some dairy (I just thought hey why not. It was one of those days) and the next day I had horrible gastro problems. I don’t know if it was the dairy or not though.

Either way I’ve read that cutting out dairy and gluten can certainly be helpful for asthmatics, so perhaps give it a go and see if it works for you. I’ve also read it can take something like 6 months to see a change. You do lose out on the calcium you get with dairy, so perhaps look at making sure you replace that if you do decide to cut it out.

[Hidden]

Hi, I was diagnosed with a milk allergy by the respiratory specialist. She told me that a good number of asthmatics who don’t have an allergy, also find some relief from cutting out dairy. She also said that if cutting out dairy helps, it could also be beneficial to try cutting out soya and almond to see if it helps. It turns out I had a reaction to all of the above and cutting them out made a huge difference. I went from using my ventolin 20+ times a week, to using it less than once a month on average.

Gluten is a different kettle of fish. Unfortunately I’m coeliac and don’t have a choice. If I eat gluten my belly bloats and cramps, I feel absolutely terrible and I get the most horrendous mouth ulcers a day or so later. The reaction is very obvious. I haven’t seen any good science to suggest that gluten and asthma are related, but if you for instance get bloated from wheat, which many people do, this would put pressure on your diaphragm and of course that makes it just a little bit harder to breathe for those of us who already find it hard.

[ninelives]

My son has severe eczema and cut out all dairy some years ago-seeing the improvement he has has with his skin and asthma I went dairy free a year ago.

I have brittle asthma.

Have had less flare ups,less bone pain from an unrelated moderate sized bone lesion and feel better.

Due to almond allergy don't use almond milk.

Also stopped any type of cheese and increased fruit /vegetables

.Good luck.

[PaulRosedene]

I am both gluten and dairy free. This has not improved my asthma, but if I take gluten or dairy then my symptoms will worsen.

[twinkly29]

Please be careful cutting out wheat/gluten if you don't have a confirmed intolerance or allergy as it can actually cause problems. My sister in law's friend had some possible issues a few years ago and was advised by a doctor to cut it out completely - doing so meant that now, if she has any gluten at all, she becomes really ill and often ends up on a drop in hospital. Doctors have since said cutting it out when she probably didn't need to has caused her body to not be able to deal with it - something that, barring actual intolerances or allergies, our bodies do perfectly well.

[AirIsUnderrated in reply to twinkly29]

There is a school of thought that it isn’t necessarily the gluten, but the wheat itself that is the problem. Wheat has been mucked about with so much to get better crops, that what we are eating is nothing like the wheat that our grandparents ate. The human body doesn’t evolve that quickly. There is also the pesticide issue. It is possible that what we are reacting to is the chemicals rather than the actual wheat. But whatever the source is, if a body is made ill by eating it, listen to the body and don’t eat it. 😉

[twinkly29 in reply to AirIsUnderrated]

The point is the body's reaction to cutting it out, or rather its reintroduction after it had been cut out, was hugely worse than some mild possible issues in the first place. Not just oh I don't feel well but medical emergency type problems.

[hilary39]

This is a good question and one I think about often. I eat a lot of bread and pasta and cheese and would have a hard time cutting out those foods. At the same time, I've had many doctors tell me dairy is a huge trigger for people with allergies because the proteins resemble those in allergens like pollen and animal dander and dairy also causes mucus production which we asthmatics don't need more of!

I did an elimination diet a few years ago--I basically ate brown rice, chicken, and a few kinds of veggies (no nightshades) for a month. Then I slowly reintroduced eggs, dairy, gluten, soy etc. one at a time. I didn't notice any real improvement in my asthma and allergy symptoms but physically I felt great. I lost weight and my skin was clear and I had more stable energy (instead of sugar highs and lows from carbs).

I was going insane though, I just love food too much to stick to that restrictive of a diet. I also feel like I already limit my life so much by avoiding my breathing allergens, avoiding tons of food too feels tiring.

But your post is a good reminder that it would be a good idea to experiment with this again in the future to see if it helps. Maybe I could try cutting out just dairy for 1-2 months and see how it goes and then the same for gluten...

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to hilary39]

Hi Hilary (and Marydoll as OP) - the dairy causes mucus thing is a myth; they have actually shown that it doesn't increase mucus production and there's no reason to avoid as an asthmatic just for that. See (for example) bmj.com/company/newsroom/po...

adc.bmj.com/content/104/1/91

However, it might make you feel like there's more mucus as it can react with saliva to make things a bit thick/sticky which some people don't like.

Even with allergens - yes it is a potential allergen but not everyone is going to react to dairy even if they have allergies, just like not everyone has the same triggers for asthma. For example, some people are allergic to certain animals or foods but not to others, so while obviously there's potential there for an allergy and someone may develop one, it's not a given.

I can see the argument for trying to cut something out if you think there is a link eg if you notice every time you eat x you seem to get worse soon afterwards, then give it a go. But if there doesn't seem to be a link I don't think it's really worth it - and if you already tried cutting these foods out and noticed no difference with asthma or allergies, and it was hard to do, then it doesn't seem like it's going to help much. Plus as Twinkly29 said, it could actually be a bad idea with gluten if there's no reason to.

I have poorly controlled asthma so can understand the urge to try anything to help, but I just can't see any evidence that cutting out two food groups without a good reason to believe they're a problem for someone is necessary, or the best idea.

Again, for anyone who thinks they are a trigger, or has an intolerance/allergy even if not asthma-related, that's obviously different and may be worth a go, and worth discussing with dr etc to make sure calcium levels are maintained especially on pred.

[hilary39 in reply to Lysistrata]

These are all excellent points Lysistrata! I've definitely had doctors tell me about the mucus thing so it's v interesting to read this article. And calcium is important for us asthmatics on steroid controller inhalers + regular courses of pred so it's an important myth to investigate!

It's true that I'm desperate to try anything. Sometimes I notice I feel like my asthma flares a little after I have yogurt in the morning. I think I'd like to try cutting out just dairy for a few weeks just to be certain it doesn't help.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to hilary39]

Sadly doctors are not above believing, and passing on, things which are inaccurate and/or don't have a good evidence base! I try to keep an open mind, but definitely not to take what they say as gospel, especially after some of the stuff I've been told where I just sit there thinking they may as well be saying I have hysteria or am possessed by an evil spirit.

(I think the winner remains a respiratory consultant who told me 'You don't have severe asthma but even if you did, all asthma can be controlled'. Pretty sure there are a fair few on here who wish that were the case!)

I know about the desperation to try anything though! My asthma is not really allergic which I think is another factor to consider when I read people saying 'x is bad for asthma'. Given that asthma is a complex and varied disorder with many different underlying processes, and that while triggers are common, they're mostly not universal, I am always suspicious of anything that doesn't account for that variation and tries to make blanket claims.

[Poobah]

I gave up milk and replaced it with soya milk thinking it was a good thing. Unfortunately, it turned out I was allergic to soya and my asthma crashed. I couldn't have almond milk due to my sensitivity to aspirin. Had to return to cow's milk and everything was resolved.

Have you asked your doctor if they have a record of your blood test results in terms of allergy testing? That would help you target the foods that you have an intolerance to.

If you know you have a sensitivity to aspirin then there's a list of foods to avoid - easily found online.

Years ago I tried the Hay diet, not eating a combination of protein and carbs together. It was great for weight loss, my cholesterol and general health. However, once I started to eat protein and carbs together again I felt awful, but it didn't affect my asthma. It seems that the body adapts to new regimes and returning to normal may be difficult.

Strangely, veg and fruit are equally likely to be culprits than dairy and gluten. Always best to use accepted testing to establish any allergies and sensitivities if you have allergic asthma.

[Jjude1003]

Everyone is different. Wheat triggers a pretty dramatic tightness for me so I avoid it. I tried giving up dairy but not sure it made any difference. I also get very tight from soy so I avoid that. My suggestion would be to give each up (for at least a month) and then reintroduce it and see how you feel.

[westie22]

Hi, I definitely think that dairy-free (or almost) helped me. I simply stopped having milk, etc about 40 years ago (I'd always sicked it up as a child) and the improvement in my asthma and skin at the time was remarkable. Jjude1003 says, everyone is different and I think you'd have to avoid dairy products for some months to be sure. Do it one dairy product at a time. Maybe have a read of Giles Yeo's book "Gene Eating" which made some sense of the fact that I can occasionally enjoy a wee bit of very mature cheddar ... Good luck!

[twinkly29 in reply to westie22]

In a case like yours it does sound like you had had long standing issues with it and so cutting it out was a fair enough trial, which you then understandably continued. But for people who don't have symptoms of a dairy intolerance I honestly don't see the point. It would be a bit like me thinking well I'll just see if I'm intolerant to carrots even though I've had no problems with them!

[Marydoll589 in reply to twinkly29]

I wonder how accurate food intolerance tests are from the likes of York’s laboratories ? My asthma is definitely allergy affected. Didn’t develop till mid twenties and I’m now 61. Would love to know if there is a cause.

[Js706 in reply to Marydoll589]

I'd be very careful with any tests like that. They often look at IgG levels in response to foods but there's no evidence that this links up to food allergy or sensitivity in any way.

In fact IgG is often just produced in response to eating any food, so having a positive result may just actually mean that you've eaten that food before.

The best people to speak to about allergies or foods triggering symptoms are either an allergy specialist or a registered dietitian (not a nutritionist) as they have the best training to work out causes and suggest solutions

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