I just found this interesting article which suggests that coffee cross-reacts with gluten antibodies and can make symptoms of any gluten sensitivity worse. Makes a lot of sense.
http://drclark.typepad.com/dr_david_clark/2011/09/coffee-and-gluten-sensitivity-surprising-news.html - for some reason I have been unable to copy and paste this as an actual link. There is a video on the page too.
I love coffee and if this is correct then this could explain a lot of my problems - so interesting.
Ahh it did come up as a link :)
I was sent this info back in September and gave up coffee immediately and within 3 days I was feeling amazingly better,,,my joint pain just stopped, the withdrawals for the next two weeks were terrible but now I feel great, I finally found something that gives me the coffee fix, I use make tea using loose Chai tea leaves (gluten free of course) with stevia and gluten free almond milk, it has the caffeine boost but does not give me a reaction, Oh and I have to say I had tried Chai tea before but not with the stevia and almond milk and hated it (the person that made this for me made it as a latte). It is definitely worth trying people and if you think you will miss the caffeine try the tea, it has more caffeine in it than coffee, I get mine from David's Tea but I am sure you can buy it anywhere!
I thought caffeine was unhealthy. It would certainly help with my fatigue.
Patsy
My fatigue has been dreadful and was there long before any other symptoms. Caffeine has been the only thing that has kept me functioning in the absence of any diagnosis. When I saw the Neuro she said I have to give up all caffeine and explained that although initially it can help it can also have reverse and more adverse effects if you experience silent migraine - didn't say anything about it being related to gluten though. She told me to plan for a week in bed when I do the withdrawal and I will try different herbal teas because I know I am going to miss the habit and comfort of having a coffee. Elle do you have any other tips on getting through that withdrawal period?
Hi Ladeejane, unfortunately I experienced terrible headaches and "spacyness" during this and nothing I took really helped but I only found the Chia tea about two months later and find that helps with fatigue so possibly this may have helped a lot when I gave up the coffee if I had known this, I drank tea after I had given up coffee but all of them were caffeine free, I think with what I know now I would have replaced the coffee with a caffeinated tea but just made sure it was gluten free, then wouldn't have had the caffeine withdrawls at the same time so that I could have noticed that I was feeling better instead of feeling better but feeling worse from the withdrawal :)
ladeejane said:
My fatigue has been dreadful and was there long before any other symptoms. Caffeine has been the only thing that has kept me functioning in the absence of any diagnosis. When I saw the Neuro she said I have to give up all caffeine and explained that although initially it can help it can also have reverse and more adverse effects if you experience silent migraine - didn't say anything about it being related to gluten though. She told me to plan for a week in bed when I do the withdrawal and I will try different herbal teas because I know I am going to miss the habit and comfort of having a coffee. Elle do you have any other tips on getting through that withdrawal period?
Hi Ladyjane-I found this very educational and sought out a chiro-friend-of-friend to see if he knew of any neuro-chiros…never heard of them before the Vertigo “article”…http://doctordavidclark.com/vertigo-dizziness-balance-problems/#
Thanks Elle :) I guess I just need to plan a week or two to do it and get it over and done with.
Thanks for the link. Actually makes sense. During my last "episode" I completely lost my desire to have coffee (weird, isn't it?) I've been substituting an Earl Grey, but I think I might go the Chai route instead. Thanks again for the info and the tips.
Lisa
I am a coffee nut! I have read much conflicting information about coffee. I am gluten free and thankfully have no problem with it. I read today that it is neuroprotective, can be useful for many things. For those of us in wheelchairs, especially,there is increased risk of osteoporosis. The caffeine, in excess, can leech calcium from the bones. Since coffee is acidic, doctors recommend either adding almond or soymilk to the coffee or eating a non- acidic snack with to minimize the impact on the bones.
Hi Liz,
Apparently it is only 10% of the people with Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivities that have this cross-reaction...you are one of the lucky ones!
Sometimes when I am out and smell it I could just tackle the person :o)
Liz Weeks said:
I am a coffee nut! I have read much conflicting information about coffee. I am gluten free and thankfully have no problem with it. I read today that it is neuroprotective, can be useful for many things. For those of us in wheelchairs, especially,there is increased risk of osteoporosis. The caffeine, in excess, can leech calcium from the bones. Since coffee is acidic, doctors recommend either adding almond or soymilk to the coffee or eating a non- acidic snack with to minimize the impact on the bones.
HaHaHa! I know the feeling with another thing! I am so glad Im ok with it!!!
Elle said:
Hi Liz,
Apparently it is only 10% of the people with Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivities that have this cross-reaction...you are one of the lucky ones!
Sometimes when I am out and smell it I could just tackle the person :o)
Liz Weeks said:I am a coffee nut! I have read much conflicting information about coffee. I am gluten free and thankfully have no problem with it. I read today that it is neuroprotective, can be useful for many things. For those of us in wheelchairs, especially,there is increased risk of osteoporosis. The caffeine, in excess, can leech calcium from the bones. Since coffee is acidic, doctors recommend either adding almond or soymilk to the coffee or eating a non- acidic snack with to minimize the impact on the bones.
That article explains a lot. My symptoms have been terrible the last few days despite no gluten. I had been drinking a cup of coffee a day though. I presume Decaf would have the same effect?
Does anyone know, if coffee causes cross reactivity, does it do the same damage to nerves as gluten does? I have allergies to other foods on the list and had been trying to find out whether they cause 'gluten' damage for sometime.
Hi Poppy, I gave up Decaf also, to me it seemed since it is the protein in coffee, decaf would contain it as well, all I can tell you is my joint pain went away in a few days and the nerve pain is steadily getting better. I quit on September 4th and the nerve pain is sporadic now...only a few times a day and I am noticing if can just sit and completely focus on relaxing my body it helps the nerve pain also. Oh and I was only a 1 coffee a day girl too, of course it was extra large, but just one first thing in the morning.
Poppy said:
That article explains a lot. My symptoms have been terrible the last few days despite no gluten. I had been drinking a cup of coffee a day though. I presume Decaf would have the same effect?
Does anyone know, if coffee causes cross reactivity, does it do the same damage to nerves as gluten does? I have allergies to other foods on the list and had been trying to find out whether they cause 'gluten' damage for sometime.