With thanks to Abbott Global for providing a complimentary FreeStyle Libre, my sensor provided accuracy, and the full 10 days of sensor life that it promises to provide to those of us living with diabetes. The results have truly been remarkable. [Read more...]
Puberty in Girls Living with Type 1 Diabetes
March 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Puberty in girls can really shake things up, especially when living with type 1 diabetes. Laurie Perrin, MD a specialist in women’s health, obstetrics and gynecology in Flagstaff, Arizona graciously agreed to provide her professional wisdom on a few pertinent questions for She Sugar.
What ages do pubertal changes in girls typically occur?
I was curious about this question because we are seeing puberty in girls at much younger ages. We hear many suggestions about eating organic, hormone free, grass fed, free range, cage free, etc. Many place the blame of early pubertal changes on our diet and environment.
Dr. Perrin states to expect “pubertal changes to occur anywhere from 9-14 years of age.” [Read more...]
When Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes Test for Celiac Disease
March 15, 2013 By 1 Comment
When newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you will also hear a buzz about being tested for celiac disease. There is a strong correlation between both of these autoimmune diseases.
What is the prevalence of celiac disease in children?
According to the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, “the prevalence of celiac disease in children between 2.5 and 15 years of age in the general population is 3 to 13 per 1000 children, or approximately 1:300 to 1:80 children.”
Most interestingly, according to a study in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics, the age at onset of T1D is younger in patients with double disease (celiac disease and type 1 diabetes) than in those with single disease (only type 1 diabetes).
They cite diagnostic rates for children with type 1 diabetes between 4.4 and 11.1 percent versus .5 percent in the general population. Which falls in line with other studies citing diagnostic rates of celiac disease in this population as high as 1:10 children.
What is the connection between these two diseases?
HLA genotype DR3-DQ2 and DR4-DQ8 are strongly associated with type 1 diabetes. HLA genotype DR3-DQ2 are associated with celiac disease.
See She Sugar’s previous articles: “Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Share Genetic Link”
See She Sugar’s article “Blood Tests to Diagnose Celiac Disease”
“Numerous studies demonstrate that children with Celiac Disease frequently have gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as diarrhea with failure to thrive (FTT), abdominal pain,vomiting, constipation and abdominal distension…There is strong evidence for an increased occurrence of CD in children with dermatitis herpetiformis, dental enamel defects, type 1 diabetes, IgA deficiency, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Williams syndrome and first-degree relatives of patients with CD.”
~ According to the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, “Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Celiac Disease in Children: Recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition”
I had negative celiac labs in the past, does that mean I will never develop celiac disease?
“There is good evidence that in certain groups (type 1 diabetes, first-degree relatives of affected individuals and Down syndrome) some individuals who initially have a negative serological test may subsequently develop a positive test on repeat testing over a period of years and have biopsies compatible with CD.”
***”Therefore, it is recommended that asymptomatic individuals with negative serological tests who belong to groups at risk be considered for repeat testing at intervals.”***
~According to the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
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Celiac Disease: Test First, Eliminate Gluten Second
March 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Why must one be eating gluten to test positive for celiac disease? I know, what a completely backwards thought. Testing for celiac disease often puts people in a pickle and sometimes health care providers add to the intensity of this situation.
I must say, a pet peeve of mine is when people visit a practitioner and are told to stop eating gluten to see if it makes them feel better. You wouldn’t believe how often I hear this from people who then decide not ever to eat gluten again. The caveat here is that they never proceed forward with testing because they would need to go back onto a gluten laden diet – and feel sick for the sake of testing. However, the importance of knowing if you have celiac disease cannot be lost here. [Read more...]
Digest This- Medications for Celiac Disease
February 18, 2013 By 1 Comment
Given the opportunity to eat anything you wanted (along with a pill or vaccine) would you dare?
Those living with celiac disease would find it hard to even visualize visiting a bakery let alone selecting a special glutinous treat. How far fetched is this idea and would you ever entertain taking a pill or vaccine to manage your celiac disease?
This drug isn’t taking it that far- it must be taken in conjunction with a gluten free diet. It does open doors for eating out without complete lunacy. This drug may not be as far off as you think, it’s actually approaching a second phase 2 trial. [Read more...]
Narrowing Your Supplement Choices to One- a Multivitamin?
January 25, 2013 By 4 Comments
Feeling overwhelmed with recommendations on a supplement to take? Trust me, you aren’t alone.
Clogging your cabinets with products you aren’t taking does no favors for your health or your wallet. How did all of these products land in your medicine cabinet to begin with?… Attempting a purge, what is the most effective supplement to take regularly?
Let’s be realistic here, a multivitamin will not cure or stop all disease processes. If you are eating at McDonald’s everyday and think a multivitamin will soften the effects of your diet- think again. No supplement will take the place of a healthy well balanced diet. However, lets not overlook the heath benefits here. [Read more...]
Celiac Disease, Depression and Eating Disorders
November 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
With celiac disease food truly is medicine- as it should be for everyone. Unfortunately most of our mainstream foods are laced with gluten and other potentially irritating additives.
At present, the only available treatment for celiac disease is to maintain a strict gluten free diet. In our world of everything has gluten in it, this is a difficult standard to uphold. Even those with super “Type A” personalities are not exempt from getting glutened themselves.
“Women with celiac disease — an autoimmune disorder associated with a negative reaction to eating gluten — are more likely than the general population to report symptoms of depression and disordered eating, even when they adhere to a gluten-free diet” ~according to researchers at Penn State, Syracuse University and Drexel University. [Read more...]
The Gluten Free Autoimmune Disease Connection
July 18, 2012 By 6 Comments
Criticism has been aimed at the average citizen eliminating gluten from their diet – perhaps as an “en vogue” choice. However, it could be in the best interest of some individuals to eliminate gluten. Is there truly a gluten free autoimmune disease connection at work?
There appears to be a positive relationship of disease avoidance and symptom mitigation of autoimmune disease through dietary health. That may present in differing definitions for some; but many people report decreasing symptomatology through dietary modifications.
Results may vary depending on the autoimmune process at hand – better glucose control, decreased inflammation and a general sense of wellness prevail for many with diets aimed at eliminating offensive culprits such as gluten. [Read more...]
What is Your Tongue Telling You?
June 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The human tongue can be a rather mysterious looking muscle. Without our tongue we lose our ability to speak, eat and taste. If you look closely, it will also reveal details about the health of the body. [Read more...]
Is Celiac a Childhood Disease?
May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Can celiac disease strike at any age or is it a childhood disease? 
I was already tested once for celiac disease which was negative- do I need to check again?
I’m 65, I couldn’t possibly have celiac disease now could I?
In fact, celiac disease can be diagnosed at any age. Remember, people may be walking around with undiagnosed celiac disease for decades. The percentage of diagnosed children is definitely higher, but age isn’t a precluding factor.
According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA):
“Three million Americans have celiac disease, but only about 5 percent of them are accurately diagnosed”
There are more than 300 symptoms of celiac disease, which is stunning. One of the symptoms on the list is “symptomless celiac disease”. But don’t let that fool you, if you have celiac disease and no symptoms your body is suffering. Celiac disease can present in silent or crippling ways. Regardless of the severity, symptoms must not be ignored at any age. See the NFCA celiac disease symptomatology list.
There are not only celiac disease symptoms, but there are also associated diseases. See the list of associated diseases on the NFCA website.
Living with type 1 diabetes, you should be hearing about celiac disease from your Physician. We now know that approximately one in ten people who have type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease. Regular testing for this disease is important because our population does have such a high percentage of diagnoses. Knowing it can pop up at any time in your life after a stressful experience such as childbirth, or a viral/bacterial illness means repeated testing is important. A negative test doesn’t ensure you will never develop celiac disease later in life.
The stakes are high for a celiac disease misdiagnosis with type 1 diabetes. The first place most Physicians minds wander to with bowel complaints and type 1 diabetes is gastroparesis. Gastroparesis and celiac disease can share common traits to confuse a diagnostician even further. If you remember to ask for celiac testing, you may save yourself years of hammering on your body by this relentless autoimmune disease.
“Signs and symptoms, such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, malabsorption, weight loss, and abnormal liver function tests may also be seen and easily confused with poor glucose control of type 1 diabetes or gastroparesis – when the muscles in the wall of the stomach do not function normally. Untreated celiac disease may also contribute to irregular blood glucose swings. Unexplained hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can be a sign of malabsorption related to celiac disease and should be investigated, particularly in small children.”
Celiac disease is treated by removing all sources of gluten from the diet. Remember, to have accurate testing, you must be consuming gluten on a daily basis.
