Recent PA diagnosis, should I look at diet changes to manage symptoms

[AllieBB]

Hello all,

I’m new to this forum as I have only recently been diagnosed with PA.

I have a wide range of symptoms but all are manageable. In my initial tests my B12 was very low so I had the 6 injections, but when I didn’t notice much change in how I felt I went back for further tests and it turns out I have PA.

I’m going back now for further injections but wondered if anyone has found a change in diet can help. I’ve heard cutting gluten out can help with autoimmune diseases, although thankfully at this point it seems I only have PA and not coeliac or thyroid issues.

Are the injections the only treatment, or is it worth looking into other diet changes etc...

Any advice would be appreciated.. I got the diagnosis over the phone from the GP, so have had no further guidance, other than come in for an injection!!??

[wedgewood]

I’ve had P.A, for 6 years now . No I didn’t need to change my diet . But I do try to include some fermented food as I had some gut problems, due to the fact that P,A. patients have low/no stomach acid ( Hypochlorhydria/ Achlorhydria. Fermented foods act as probiotics , which help the stomach flora which are badly affected by the low acid environment ..

You could read some books by our Chairman, Martyn Hooper on the subject of P.A. . ( Amazon or Waterstones)

[fbirder]

If you have PA then you have low stomach acid. That can cause some gastrointestinal problems. It can also cause problems absorbing iron, vitamin D and folate from food.

Have your iron levels checked, you may need supplements. The NHS advice everybody to take Vitamin D supplements over autumn and winter - so you definitely want them. You should also take folic acid (400 mcg a day) to make sure those levels stay up.

As for diet.

I went gluten-free for a month. It was terrible. I was so glad when my neurologist told me that my neuropathy wasn't caused by gluten and that gluten can not cause neuropathy.

[summersj]

I’ve been managing my PA fairly successfully for 15 years now, and as far as I know there are no dietary changes that will help the primary problem of low B12 - the condition is much more fundamental than that. There are accompanying symptoms that can be alleviated: as wedgewood said there can be gut problems due to achlorhydria, and after years of trial and error I have found some foods I have to avoid. At the top of the list is broccoli! But nothing I eat helps with the abdominal pain I often get except panadeine.