Gluten and anxiety?

[Cinammoncake]

GP told me to try stopping gluten for a bit (not coeliac from blood test, but suspected intolerance/IBS type symptoms) and I've done it for 2 weeks so far. It has sorted my stomach out thankfully but also I noticed yesterday that the background levels of high anxiety I'm used to living with seem to have gone down. Say it used to be 85 percent it now feels like 60. I'm quite surprised - is there a link or has anyone else experienced this?

This is interesting as I have IBS and also suffer from anxiety and depression, I have always put my mental health issues down to the fact that my digestive issues get me so down, it’s always been a bit of a chicken and egg thing for me. I’ve been dairy free for over 10 years and gave that up easily but I really struggle giving up gluten and grains in general, I’m almost hooked on them. Maybe I should try and give up grains although and see how I feel both physically and mentally?

I suffered with reactive anxiety a couple of years ago. I read online about the link between processed carbs and serotonin so cut out white bread, doughnuts that kind of thing and noticed a significant improvement in my anxiety levels within 48 hours.

I didn’t know, and didn’t mentally click, the gluten link now. I also have IBS type symptoms, and this has made me wonder if it’s a gluten thing with me too. My DB is currently having tests for coeliac... interesting!

This is so interesting. I have awful anxiety but no IBS symptoms. Could I still benefit from a gluten-free diet?

I cut out what and dairy a few years ago for some reason and I did notice I felt less anxious. But I love bread. I love it so much. And I don't get any IVS symptoms.

I’ve been so ill with these intolerances that on July 1 I gave up both dairy and gluten 100 per cent..as thankfully so did my husband..makes it so much easier with the pair of us on a special diet.

I had the gluten test at the Gp and came back negative. This was because I’d had no gluten for 2 months and like you pp I’m not prepared to put myself through eating that again.

I saw a medical Dowser, who himself has been df and gf for 30 years and he reckons once you’ve got these intolerances you can never go back..the body just works harder and faster to remove them.

I don’t have a depressive personality but my god I was starting to look forward to the end of my life as I’d be free from pain..so not me. There were lots of tears and sad moods. I felt bad for dh having to put up with it..so that made me feel more depressed.

I was about 90 per cent df and gf to begin with, so it wasn’t that hard. I didn’t realise that how that little bit was just reinflamming an already inflamed system.

I had another appointment with the MD last week and he said 6 months in the whole scheme of things wasn’t long at all but I’m now on the up.
He advised us on what supplements to take as gluten damages the production of vit B6 which is important in the production of seratonin the happiness substance. Well that was certainly true for me. We had to take bio care vitasorb b and zinc ascorbate. Then herbs. We started off with natures answer goldenseal . 12 drops twice a day.. moving onto other herbs with each session depending on what he finds.
I’ve had red clover. Prickly ash. Pau darco.
He reckons gluten and dairy inflammation are a breeding ground for pathogens.
He also goes after pathogens. I had some nasty ones.
I’m beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Yesterday I booked a trip to the lakes for next month and a music festival in the summer. I wouldn’t have dared do that last year.

My husband has found his sinuses much improved and doesn’t need to wear his hearing aids.

Interested about the Irish comment..I’ve a lot of Irish blood on both sides of my family..great grandparents.

Also my sil has been dairy free for a year and he’s been so much better.
He still has problems though.
We muscle tested him with gluten and he definitely needs to cut it out of his diet
My Gp said about 90 per cent of the population are gluten intolerant.

@RhodaCamel & @Dowser - Try the FODMAP diet.

I would love it if the whole of MN could go gluten free for a week and report their anxiety levels. That would be a massive sample size!

How wonderful if this idea's true, so many people could benefit so easily.

differentnameforthis Over the last 5 years I have tried the low fodmap diet twice under a hospital dietician and unfortunately (apparently) I am one of the 25% of people it doesn’t help. I was gutted tbh as I had such high hopes for it.

@SummerPavillion that would be so amazing! And such a great sample size. They'd have to measure their anxiety levels for a bit before and rate it on a scale out of 10 and then they could compare.

And if I wasn't so busy I would absolutely write that book

I think everyone would need to do it for a month. My Gp used to say that it took 5-7 days to get anything out of the body..so a week wouldn’t be long enough.

I would just muscle test the foods on the fodmap diet.
I am so much better just with df and gf
Good elimination is essential

Interesting about the link to Irish ancestry.

English people have been eating grains for far, far longer than Irish people.

Even as recently as the Tudor times bread was the main staple for English people (no potatoes) and potatoes were the main staple for Irish people.

Dowser - can anyone muscle test or do you need to go to a professional?

I have a lot of Irish blood, IBS symptoms and horrible anxiety.

Now I'm thinking of perhaps trying GF after this week...

I'll find it hard though as most of my diet has gluten in (I eat loads of pasta, pizza, bread, scotch pancakes, biscuits)

It is quite a big change to go gf, I did it in 2005 when there were barely any gf replacements. Though I'm much better off all grains anyway.

Slightly off topic, but I heard there's a higher rate of arthritis in Ireland and it's been linked to potato intake. I forget the mechanism that was meant to explain it unfortunately, something about inflammation of course.

Please do try it wheresmymojio I seriously believe your mojo will return!

If anyone on here is a doctor or researcher with a particular interest in this area, could they message me? I don't want to say exactly what I do on here but I'm interested in taking this subject further.

Just to let those who are worried about the biopsy testing that you can get a DNA test for coeliac's

My husband and 3 son's are diagnosed, DS10 and husband had normal blood test and both had it then confirmed through DNA blood test

DS12 and DS8 both negative in the blood test (apparently false negatives are VERY common due to you needing to eat a whole load of gluten to trigger the response!) but confirmed in the DNA test (which you don't have to be eating gluten for)

Due to this only my husband had to have the biopsy and that was just to check his gut health as he was 42 years old, he was told he has IBS for over 25 years!!

None of my boys had any further testing all happy and symptom free on the gluten free diet, its been a life changer.

How did you get a dna test please give? Doesn't sound like something our local gp would do.

I'm far more anxious than before my coealic diagnosis due to constantly having to check ingredients, wondering if there'll be anywhere to eat if we go away, quizzing waiting staff on fryer usage etc etc

That's interesting about the DNA check givemebooks I'd never heard of that

wheresmymojo if you are considering giving it up, you can get a blood test via your GP first (as you have to be eating gluten when you have the blood test) that's what I did

That sounds like worrying rather than anxiety Virtual. I think the anxiety people are talking about is the sensation of panic, churning stomach, tight chest, heart palpitations, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, cold sweats, ocd, irritation, nervousness, bad dreams, over thinking, ruminating, irrational fear etc

Apologies if that's what you mean too.

Agree that the sinking feeling when you realise the chef/staff have said something is gluten free when it isn't, and you've just eaten some, is an anxious feeling though. Having an illness is also anxiety inducing in itself. Think it's a slightly different type of anxiety that going without can improve. Might be wrong.

@RhodaCamel Bugger, that's unfortunate!

Hello again! The DNA test was via the consultant at the hospital.

Our hospital do DNA testing for children no matter what as its less traumatic for the children than having the biopsy so we were very lucky in that respect.

Its also interesting to see which marker you have all my boys and DH have the HLA DQ2 there is also a HLA DQ8 gene

Which one you have is more interesting in relation to the research and the trials going on for the treatment of coeliacs most of the trials at the moment involve the DQ2 section.

You can of course pay for testing via online companies if the GP or Hospital refuse.

For adults just been diagnosed I would recommend having the biopsy just for peace of mind and to know your gut health, my husbands was so bad they thought he had a pre cancerous condition! Thank god it was not, it was just his gut was so so damaged from 42 years of gluten!

6 weeks later the improvement at the second testing was amazing!

givemebooks so if someone has already had a gastroscope and biopsies confirming no Coeliac there would be no need for DNA testing? I’ve had IBS for 22 years and been under a gastroenterologist on and off for years, had a clear colonoscopy and gastroscope last year. Gastroenterologist never once mentioned dna testing. Is this a new thing hospitals are doing to avoid unnecessary invasive tests I wonder?