Gluten

[Padster60]

Since I started levo I also stopped eating products containing gluten as this was recommended. This was some 10 years ago. I have since read that this is not harmful. Can anyone tell me of the current recommendations regarding gluten??

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Many members, myself included, are not coeliac, but are gluten intolerant. Having trialled GF as a recommendation on this forum, I was so delighted that all my previous stomach issues (related to gastritis) disappeared, plus my thyroid antibodies reduced (although are still over range!) I for one wouldn’t touch gluten again!

[Shenow in reply to Buddy195]

I gave up gluten for a year to see if I felt better gluten free but it made no difference (apart from making life hard being a gluten free vegetarian). Had no issues going back to gluten (apart from a bit of weight gain!)

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Your other post a year ago

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Did you get full thyroid testing including thyroid antibodies?

[greygoose]

Gluten is not harmful in itself. It's usually recommended that Hashi's sufferers trial gluten-free because they're often gluten-sensitive, which causes uncomfortable symptoms. So, when they stop consuming gluten, they feel much better.

But that's not the case for everyone. Not every Hashi's hypo is gluten-sensitive, so if it doesn't make you feel better, there's really no point in continuing with a gluten-free diet. It did absolutely nothing for me, so after I three-month gluten-free trial, I went back to eating gluten and didn't feel any worse. It all depends on your symptoms.

[BumbleyM]

As mentioned above, gluten free helps some of us ( hypo Hashimotos ), but not everyone, and it can be inconvenient if you are someone who enjoys eating out . I did 4 months AIP ( auto immune protocol , which I found hard ), and then reintroduced a single food at a time, slowly - you find out really quickly which foods make you creak, ache, develop brain fog, etc . Worth doing if you're unable to get yourself back to feeling at least OK with levothyroxine/ Liothyronine.

[CoeliacMum1]

Depends on individual triggers for people but people often feel better when omit gluten when they have autoimmune conditions as gluten is often driving part of inflammation in us and causing leaky gut but not in all… Dairy is another many have problems with. Finding your trigger is going to improve things.

Although getting tested for anything gluten related eg coeliac test once gone gluten free is often pointless, unless you intend to digest a lot of gluten before testing which is advisable as antibodies for this test is possibly negatively due to your diet after omitting gluten for so long, if you’re not as strict eg re cross contamination and just stick to no gluten containing foods you could then actually be inadvertently ingesting some, but still be low.

Always advisable to take tests before omitting things in diets and replacing lost nutrients.

[Ruby1]

I have had autoimmune hypothyroidism for around 20 years and have never given up gluten - but I have mostly felt quite well with thyroxine, which many here aren’t. I think sugar, fat and alcohol were more likely to give me digestive issues.

I have recently started making sourdough bread - purely because I enjoyed the process and had heard it was healthier. I believe some people can tolerate sourdough bread who have issues with gluten, though plainly coeliac sufferers shouldn’t risk it.

The benefits are supposedly - easier to digest, lower glycemic index, lower gluten, and also less phytic acid (phytic acid is good and bad, but can stop you absorbing iron). Prior to today’s super efficient commercial yeast, the wild yeast is more natural and was historically used to leven bread. I am planning on using more ancient grains once I become more skilled. I think these are also lower in gluten.

Sorry for long post and I know you didn’t ask, but I am plainly quite obsessed with it 😂😂

[Margareta3]

I gave up gluten many years ago. At that time my antibodies were slightly over the range. After few years gluten free I introduced gluten back about 3 years ago. First organic rye products only, and then added organic (original not GMO) spelt products. There was no raise in the antibodies which both stay nicely within the "normal" range. From several sources I heard that the problem is not really gluten but glyphosate which is in all non organic wheat and plenty of other commercial foods.

[Ruby1 in reply to Margareta3]

Interesting!

[humanbean]

I stopped eating gluten some years ago, and I was absolutely ruthless about it. It did help reduce symptoms very noticeably, and I kept it up for five years.

Then I relapsed and have found that the symptoms I had before haven't returned.

Before I stopped eating gluten I did get a coeliac test and it came back negative, so I'm assuming that, at worst, I'm gluten intolerant and that five years off gluten has reduced my intolerance. But I honestly don't know for sure.