What is known about the connection between multiple sclerosis and gluten intolerance? My girlfriend was diagnosed with MS two years ago. Her doctors and consultants suggested she go on a gluten free (and dairy- and legume- free too!) diet as there is apparently some decent evidence (not backed up by a clinical trial however, as apparently there is not enough incentive for anybody to fund one) that this diet helps to reduce the number of myelin-damaging attacks that she has. A few months ago, however, he mother was diagnosed with gluten intolerance by a doctor, after having suspected it for decades, and in fact my girlfriend had suspected she may also be gluten intolerant too before being diagnosed with MS.
This got me thinking: is there any known connection between the two conditions?
The connection seems to be that gluten intolerant people who eat gluten suffer higher rates of autoimmune diseases. MS is one of those autoimmune diseases.
When a gluten intolerant person eats gluten, it may trigger the production of certain immune cells. This activation of the immune system could possibly lead it to attack the myelin anew.
Or the destruction of the lining of the intestine caused by the more severe cases of gluten intolerance may cause an immune response which turns into an autoimmune attack.
Or any one of myriad other proposed mechanisms that are all unproven at this point.
I’m not sure if you’re fluent in medicalese, but there’s an excellent article here on the connections between celiac/gluten intolerance and autoimmune disease. It’s not particularly well written for the layperson, though. For layperson information and advice, I’d send you to www.celiac.com
My advice is to try going gluten free and see how she feels. Keep an actual logbook of what she eats when and of her symptoms and severity. See what you come up with. Going gluten free seems overwhelmingly hard at first, but it’s surprising how quickly you get the hang of it. Classic gluten free eating means you eat a lot more lean meats and fruits and vegetables, anyhow, so it makes for the healthier diet most of us are supposed to be eating. Modern gluten free, using specially designed gluten free “flours” and products which mimic classic wheat based baked goods, makes it easier for emotionally and socially, but is purely optional.
Yes, thank you for that basic science lesson. I’d almost forgot what science was, despite being a research scientist at the number one ranked university in the world.
As for what degrees the doctor(s) have: one of them was a consultant neuroendocrinologist, my girlfriend herself is an academic neuroendocrinologist with a PhD in the subject, and the other doctor was the consultant physician in charge of the current clinical trial that my girlfriend is on in Scotland. Are they all suitably qualified for you?
WhyNot, thanks for actually answering the question. My girlfriend has been gluten free for over a year now. It was hard at first, but now having found alternatives and working out good gluten free recipes / bread mixes etc. it is easing. After eating any gluten by mistake she gets strong stomach pains.
So it’s not fair to say there’s no one studying this. There are people studying this, they just aren’t done yet.
That’s fairly good evidence that eating gluten isn’t a great idea for her, regardless of what it may or may not be for large populations, I think. I’m a great fan of treating the patient in front of me, not the statistical average.
Really, no one needs gluten. It’s not an essential nutrient, and people who don’t eat gluten still tend to eat a wide variety of foods and not suffer malnutrition from it - if anything, as I said before, their diet tends to improve. So I really bristle when people get abrasive about trying gluten free. Is it going to save the world? No. Do I think bazillions of people are secretly gluten intolerant and the wheat industry is out to destroy us all? No, not really. Do I think it’s worth a shot if you have belly upset, autoimmune disease or other symptoms of gluten intolerance like frequent infections or failure to thrive? Sure do.
