supplements

[angelias]

Do you think that anyone affected by coeliac disease should take supplements every day… for the rest of their life? I’m thinking about calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, iron, for example.

[Ejcl]

I’m not coeliac but had to go gf after becoming anaemic last summer. After a lot of tests I learnt it was gluten causing the issues.

I’m now back to normal levels after courses of iron tablets and folic acid, I’m going to be taking multivitamins which incl iron and folic acid long term to stay healthy and maintain my levels.

I don’t know if my experience is standard but it makes sense to take supplements if they provide the nutrients I’m not otherwise getting. I have read that iron deficiency and folate are common with coeliacs and you’re also missing out on the vitamins added to bread etc.

[jointpain]

The test for celiac is renowned for only being 50% accurate. Gluten can damage the villi in the ileum which are responsible for extracting B12 from digesting food, and the villi produce lactase? Which is necessary for digesting lactose, and possibly many other processes. After being severely deficient in B12, unable to digest milk and milk products, or meat, and testing negative for celiac. I took charge of my own health, stopping gluten, injections of B12 and within two years I reckon my villi recovered sufficiently to allow me to digest most foods. I still get quite ill if I accidentally consume gluten, but on the whole I'm much better now than I've been in the years between age 20 and 61

[angelias in reply to jointpain]

Where can you get B12 injections? I’ve had to have iron infusions several times, but I didn’t know about B12 injections.

[jointpain in reply to angelias]

Firstly go to your GP and ask if they have a record of any B12 blood serum tests done on you , if not ask if they will do it for you. Then ask about injections.