Can I start eating gluten again?

[Sick-and-Tired]

Hi everyone!

I have thyroid antibodies and have been ill for many years.

After advice on this forum I gave up gluten. I've been 100% strict (following all the rules a coeliac would follow regarding cross contamination etc) for approaching 6 months and so far I don't feel any better at all.

While giving up gluten wouldn't feel like a sacrifice if it made me feel well again, I'm wondering whether I can reintroduce it soon? Not having to worry about it would certainly make some aspects of my life a little less stressful, but I obviously don't want to undo the last 6 months if there's still a possibility that it could help!

[Fruitandnutcase]

Why don’t you buy a home finger prick blood test and see if your antibody levels have gone down.That’s what I did.

I can’t say I noticed sudden massive changes in my body but the fact they kept coming down the longer I stayed on GF and that I still in remission after nearly six years is enough for me to want to stay GF.

I have noticed though that my IBS and bowel movements have improved a massive amount and I suspect but have no proof that that could be to do with being GF.

[Sick-and-Tired in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thanks! Unfortunately I can never get enough blood out with a finger prick test so I'll have to save up and get my blood drawn - but worth it to know what's going on in my body!

Thanks again!

[LMor]

Hi. I’ve been gluten free for two years and although I feel so much better regarding stomach issues, my antibodies have not dropped at all and one has even risen so going gluten free doesn’t reduce antibodies for everyone

[Sick-and-Tired in reply to LMor]

Thanks, that's really interesting. Strangely enough I'd say stomach issues have probably been worse for me, I think because I used to eat a lot of wholegrains so am struggling to get as much fibre as easily...?

Thanks again!

[Baobabs]

Firstly, you may have to wait longer to feel better on a gluten free diet. It is recommended for autoimmune diseases. Not sure what your condition is?

I don’t have gluten intolerance, have Hashi’s and didn’t really feel better until my vitamins/minerals, FT4 and FT3 were at optimum levels. After all I’ve read I would never eat gluten again. More experienced folk will intercept this shortly. Good luck!

[Sick-and-Tired in reply to Baobabs]

Hi!

I think I have hashimotos, although no doctor or endocrinologist will actually give me the diagnosis for some reason! I do have very elevated levels of both sets of thyroid antibodies. (I also have osteoarthritis and am being investigated for endometriosis.)

I have been so hopeful that the gluten free will actually help, and now all this time in with no (apparent) improvement whatsoever, it's just a little disheartening!

I'm currently taking vitamin D and iron supplements to try to get those to optimal levels. Fingers crossed it all helps soon and it'll all be worth it!

Thanks for your help!

[greygoose in reply to Sick-and-Tired]

If both sets of antibodies are high over-range, then you have Hashi's. You don't need a doctors approval. Just know it yourself.

Gluten-free may or may not reduce antibodies, but, you will still have Hashi's. It doesn't go away. It might calm down, or go into remission, for whatever reason, but it will always be there. However, if gluten-free makes people feel better, then it's a useful thing to do. It did nothing for me. And, when I started eating gluten again, it didn't make me feel worse. So, the only thing you can do is try eating it again, and see how you feel. If you don't feel any worse, then you're not gluten-sensitive. If you do feel worse, than go back to not eating it. It's all trial and error.

[Sick-and-Tired in reply to greygoose]

Fantastic, thank you!

Do you think it's not worth paying to get my antibodies re-tested in that case?

Also, do you think I've tried it for long enough?

I really appreciate your help, thank you!!

[greygoose in reply to Sick-and-Tired]

My personal opinion is that it's not worth paying for. Antibodies fluctuate all the time. So, if they have gone down, how do you know they're not going to go up again? They might even have gone up anyway.

Again, my personal opinion, if you haven't felt better in six months, then I doubt you will. So, yes, I think you've tried it for long enough.

[Sick-and-Tired in reply to greygoose]

Thank you so much! I'm not working at the moment for a number of reasons, so to save that money would be a relief!

I'll give a little bit of gluten a go soon and report back!

Thanks again!!!

[greygoose in reply to Sick-and-Tired]

You're welcome.

[Farrugia]

I went strictly gluten free for a year when I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto's. It didn't seem to help with my thyroid symptoms and my antibodies went up rather than down. I decided to reintroduce gluten very gradually in the form of small amount of sourdough bread made from good flour (ie not containing flour improvers etc). I feel ok doing this but if I eat supermarket bread with a long list of additives then I feel dreadful. I would say if you do start eating gluten again take it slowly and keep a record of how you feel. That way you can work out what agrees with you. I now try to stick to sourdough spelt and if I mainly keep to this I'm ok. Good luck.

[Sick-and-Tired in reply to Farrugia]

Oooh, great - thanks for the tip! I have been reading a bit about ancient grains and was wondering whether they would be a good thing to try.

I will give a bit of sourdough spelt a go and see how it goes.

Thanks again!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Many people find TPO antibodies slowly decrease on strictly gluten free diet. Sometimes that's the only improvement on gluten free diet

Ideally you would test antibodies before going strictly gluten free and again before reintroducing gluten

[Sick-and-Tired in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks so much. I've reintroduced gluten now (with no noticeable difference to my symptoms).

I think I will have a little breather and then try again, following your advice!