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HI, I have the LC, and have just ordered the test from Enterolab to see my situation. I have been diagnosed in the past with various food intollerances like yeast, mushrooms, nickel and ASA. I do not suffer from frequent D, but rather have problems with lower abdomen pain (which tends to spill down to the testicles), gas and bloating.
My question is: in order to achieve remission, is it necesary to avoid all the foods that I am intollerant to, or is it sufficient to concentrate on the most "suspect" groups, like e.g. gluten, casein, yeast and soy? Would it make sense, for example, to make the exclusion food test right away, or is it necesary to be on a strict avoidance of all intolerance causing foods till remission of the symptoms occurs?
Also, given that intollerance to ASA means that I should avoid fruit, while intollerance to nickel means I should avoid most vegetables and nuts, if I also remove gluten, basically I would be left with a menu of rice and meat/fish, but no foods that contain vitamins or minerals, so what would be the best way to supplement my diet?
The doctor who found my intollerances a few years ago was in favour of a "rotation" diet, where you initially stop all the intollerance inducing foods, and then slowly reintroduce them, but on an on/off basis, so that there would be always one or two days a week, that would make your organism "rest". Has anybody come across this strategy, and would it make sense in the case of LC ?
Finally, if a long term diet can heal the LC condition, what comes next - a gradual return to normal eating, or permanent exclusion of all or certain groups of foods?
LC and food intolerances - are all equally important?
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi,
For the purpose of treating LC, CC, MC, UC, and Crohn's disease, by means of diet modification, there three basic types of food "issues":
1. Food allergies, which cause life-threatening anaphylactic symptoms.
2. True food intolerances, which cause autoimmune issues, (such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease).
3. Various other digestive issues that are frequently referred to by medical professionals as "intolerances", but which are simply the result of an enzyme deficiency, (such as lactose intolerance, or fructose intolerance, etc.) - these problems usually occur because a patient is either born with, or develops a condition which leads to insufficient production of enzymes needed to facilitate the digestive process of certain sugars. Anytime we have enteritis, (inflammation of the intestines), our ability to produce certain enzymes, especially lactose, will be limited. Even the flu, can cause enteritis, resulting in the inability to properly digest lactose, (the primary sugar in dairy products). With the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, (IBDs), the long-term inflammation can result in the eventual shutting down of the production of almost all of the enzymes needed to digest all of the sugars, (complex carbohydrates). Therefore, this provides a secondary avenue for additional digestive system issues, in additional to the primary problem of intolerance to certain proteins.
4. Other food "irritants", such as fiber, artificial sweetenters, etc. When the gut is inflamed, it is hypersensitive to any form of irritation, and all sources of fiber, (especially insoluble fiber), will become very irritating, and can prolong a reaction. Artificial sweeteners fall into the category of chemical irritants to the gut, and should be avoided by anyone with an IBD.
All food allergies resulting in an anaphylactic response, are triggered by a food protein, (protein found in peanuts, shellfish, soy, etc.). All true food intolerances are due to autoimmune system responses to specific amino acid chains, (or peptides), in certain partially-digested proteins, (for example, the alpha gliadin found in wheat gluten). It is not possible to have an autoimmune response to a carbohydrate, (sugar). Thus, what the doctors refer to as lactose "intolerance", is merely due to the inability of the digestive system to produce sufficient lactase enzyme, to digest all of the lactose that has been ingested. When that happens, the lactose passes undigested, into the colon, where it is digested by fermentation, resulting in gas, cramps, diarrhea, etc., but it does not result in an autoimmune reaction, so it does not result in inflammation of the mucosa of the colon. IOW, there is no residual damage to the intestines, caused by the inability to digest lactose.
A true food intolerance, on the other hand, does result in inflammation of the mucosa of the intestines, which causes residual damage to the intestines, which must be allowed to heal, before the symptoms will be resolved.
I have no idea what ASA refers to , but unless it is a food protein, there is no need to be concerned about it, with regard to your LC. Nickel is not an issue with LC, either. You may have been "diagnosed" with those intolerances with either a skin or blood test, but they should not be a significant factor in the treatment of your LC.
Your Enterolab test results will tell you which foods you need to avoid, due to a protein intolerance. In order to avoid risking a relapse, you will have to avoid those foods forever, because the intolerance is permanent, (unless something changes your genes). You will also need to avoid, (or at least minimize), all of the "irritating" foods, (such as fiber, and sugars that you cannot presently digest), for a while. However, after your gut heals, (one or two years, in most cases), you should be able to slowly reintroduce those foods back into your diet again, because you are only reacting to them now, due to the fact that your gut is inflamed. Be aware that if you eat any of the foods to which you are truly intolerant, though, at any time in the future, your gut will become inflamed again, and your symptoms will return, if you continue to eat them.
Some people are able to "get by" with a "rotation diet", but actually what this does is to maintain a state of "limited inflammation" in the gut. IOW, the inflammation will never completely go away, but it will usually stay below the threshold that will trigger a flare of symptoms.
I hope this addresses your questions. If I didn't explain some part of it so that my answer was clear, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
Tex
For the purpose of treating LC, CC, MC, UC, and Crohn's disease, by means of diet modification, there three basic types of food "issues":
1. Food allergies, which cause life-threatening anaphylactic symptoms.
2. True food intolerances, which cause autoimmune issues, (such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease).
3. Various other digestive issues that are frequently referred to by medical professionals as "intolerances", but which are simply the result of an enzyme deficiency, (such as lactose intolerance, or fructose intolerance, etc.) - these problems usually occur because a patient is either born with, or develops a condition which leads to insufficient production of enzymes needed to facilitate the digestive process of certain sugars. Anytime we have enteritis, (inflammation of the intestines), our ability to produce certain enzymes, especially lactose, will be limited. Even the flu, can cause enteritis, resulting in the inability to properly digest lactose, (the primary sugar in dairy products). With the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, (IBDs), the long-term inflammation can result in the eventual shutting down of the production of almost all of the enzymes needed to digest all of the sugars, (complex carbohydrates). Therefore, this provides a secondary avenue for additional digestive system issues, in additional to the primary problem of intolerance to certain proteins.
4. Other food "irritants", such as fiber, artificial sweetenters, etc. When the gut is inflamed, it is hypersensitive to any form of irritation, and all sources of fiber, (especially insoluble fiber), will become very irritating, and can prolong a reaction. Artificial sweeteners fall into the category of chemical irritants to the gut, and should be avoided by anyone with an IBD.
All food allergies resulting in an anaphylactic response, are triggered by a food protein, (protein found in peanuts, shellfish, soy, etc.). All true food intolerances are due to autoimmune system responses to specific amino acid chains, (or peptides), in certain partially-digested proteins, (for example, the alpha gliadin found in wheat gluten). It is not possible to have an autoimmune response to a carbohydrate, (sugar). Thus, what the doctors refer to as lactose "intolerance", is merely due to the inability of the digestive system to produce sufficient lactase enzyme, to digest all of the lactose that has been ingested. When that happens, the lactose passes undigested, into the colon, where it is digested by fermentation, resulting in gas, cramps, diarrhea, etc., but it does not result in an autoimmune reaction, so it does not result in inflammation of the mucosa of the colon. IOW, there is no residual damage to the intestines, caused by the inability to digest lactose.
A true food intolerance, on the other hand, does result in inflammation of the mucosa of the intestines, which causes residual damage to the intestines, which must be allowed to heal, before the symptoms will be resolved.
I have no idea what ASA refers to , but unless it is a food protein, there is no need to be concerned about it, with regard to your LC. Nickel is not an issue with LC, either. You may have been "diagnosed" with those intolerances with either a skin or blood test, but they should not be a significant factor in the treatment of your LC.
Your Enterolab test results will tell you which foods you need to avoid, due to a protein intolerance. In order to avoid risking a relapse, you will have to avoid those foods forever, because the intolerance is permanent, (unless something changes your genes). You will also need to avoid, (or at least minimize), all of the "irritating" foods, (such as fiber, and sugars that you cannot presently digest), for a while. However, after your gut heals, (one or two years, in most cases), you should be able to slowly reintroduce those foods back into your diet again, because you are only reacting to them now, due to the fact that your gut is inflamed. Be aware that if you eat any of the foods to which you are truly intolerant, though, at any time in the future, your gut will become inflamed again, and your symptoms will return, if you continue to eat them.
Some people are able to "get by" with a "rotation diet", but actually what this does is to maintain a state of "limited inflammation" in the gut. IOW, the inflammation will never completely go away, but it will usually stay below the threshold that will trigger a flare of symptoms.
I hope this addresses your questions. If I didn't explain some part of it so that my answer was clear, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thank you Tex, the ASA I was referring to, is acetisalicilic acid , to which I am both allergic (aspirine, etc) and intollerant. However, as you have correctly pointed out, these probably work at another level in the body, for example if I eat too many oranges (ASA), I get swollen lips or eyelids, if I eat chocolate or pepper, (nickel) I get eczema, but if I eat lots of bread, cheese, mushrooms and drink wine, I normally get some D and unsettled digestion, so these are probably linked directly to my present problem.
If I have read correctly on the forum, the use of integrating vitamins is ok as long as they do not contain any offending substances and do not cause D, are there any other useful "integrators" in case of a strict diet?
If I have read correctly on the forum, the use of integrating vitamins is ok as long as they do not contain any offending substances and do not cause D, are there any other useful "integrators" in case of a strict diet?
I apologize, because now I remember that you mentioned the connection with acetylsalicylic acid, previously. My bad. 
Actually, there are numerous chemicals, (drugs), that can trigger MC - not only NSAIDs, but PPIs, SSRIs, and probably a few other meds, that have not yet been identified. I too, had trouble with the citric acid in citrus fruits, and ascorbic acid, (vitamin C - which is made from corn, in the U. S.), before my gut healed, but it mostly gave me D.
Yes, "safe" vitamins are a good idea, to keep our vitamin levels up while we are healing. In additional to the multivitamins, many of us are short of vitamin D, and B-12, and we need much larger amounts than the multivitamins supply, so we take them, in addition to the multivitamins. If you soak up a lot of sunshine, though, you may not need the vitamin D supplement.
Tex
Actually, there are numerous chemicals, (drugs), that can trigger MC - not only NSAIDs, but PPIs, SSRIs, and probably a few other meds, that have not yet been identified. I too, had trouble with the citric acid in citrus fruits, and ascorbic acid, (vitamin C - which is made from corn, in the U. S.), before my gut healed, but it mostly gave me D.
Yes, "safe" vitamins are a good idea, to keep our vitamin levels up while we are healing. In additional to the multivitamins, many of us are short of vitamin D, and B-12, and we need much larger amounts than the multivitamins supply, so we take them, in addition to the multivitamins. If you soak up a lot of sunshine, though, you may not need the vitamin D supplement.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thank you again Tex.
I am getting the grasp of the concept finally. If I understand correctly, in order to heal the infllammated intestine, it is absolutely necessary to avoid all foods to which I am " immunologically intolerant " (citation from Enterolab). Hence this should be why it makes sense to order the tests, because these foods not only give me the current symptoms, but are the long term cause of my disease.
On the other hand, foods which may give me similar symptoms currently, and among these some that I may be generically "intollerant" to, would be best eliminated in the first stage of tretment, simply in order to speed up the return to normal GI functioning, but might/should be reintroduced once the healing process completes.
I am sorry, if this has been asked many times already, but apart from Gluten, Casein, Soy and Yeast, are there any other food groups that can cause the "immunological intollerance" ? I often see mention of corn on these pages, but I have just bought some GF pasta, and it is made of corn or mixture of rice and corn... so would this be better avoided too?
I am getting the grasp of the concept finally. If I understand correctly, in order to heal the infllammated intestine, it is absolutely necessary to avoid all foods to which I am " immunologically intolerant " (citation from Enterolab). Hence this should be why it makes sense to order the tests, because these foods not only give me the current symptoms, but are the long term cause of my disease.
On the other hand, foods which may give me similar symptoms currently, and among these some that I may be generically "intollerant" to, would be best eliminated in the first stage of tretment, simply in order to speed up the return to normal GI functioning, but might/should be reintroduced once the healing process completes.
I am sorry, if this has been asked many times already, but apart from Gluten, Casein, Soy and Yeast, are there any other food groups that can cause the "immunological intollerance" ? I often see mention of corn on these pages, but I have just bought some GF pasta, and it is made of corn or mixture of rice and corn... so would this be better avoided too?
Those foods may not have been the original cause of the disease, but once those genes are triggered, then they will cause a reaction anytime you eat them in the future, yes. Everything else should be safe to reintroduce back into your diet, after you have been in remission for a while.takef586 wrote:but are the long term cause of my disease
In order of importance, (listed in order, according to my opinion), the most common intolerances are gluten, casein, soy, egg, yeast, corn, beef, and carrageenan, (and, of course, other intolerances are possible, though rare). Not everyone here has all of these intolerances, though. A few have only gluten-sensitivity, most people here are sensitive to dairy, about half of us are sensitive to soy, and only a few have other intolerances. Corn is probably the most difficult food to totally avoid, because it is in almost everything, in the form of corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, food starch, modified food starch, ascorbic acid, (vitamin C), etc.
The safest is to avoid all grains, of course, but very, very few people are sensitive to rice.
You're very welcome,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8367
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Hi there
welcome to the family. my official aussie gday mate greeting normally has the aussie emoticons. but strangely enough i am in your territory! i am down the road in Marseille. I am here for work purposes.
Firstly, dont worry about how many questions you ask, getting information and good understanding of how to manage this demon is very important.
re your statement about inflammation and trigger food.
i have worked really hard for the past 7 months (since diagnosis) to eat a diet of bland well cooked food, to allow the gut to heal and get my energy levels back up. and to ensure that i can work full time. my next step (post this trip) is to start trying more ingredients and see how i react.
some other advice..there are no short cuts or free pass to the finishing point, it takes time to figure out what works for you, we all share what has worked, what hasnt, what works for one person may not work another,
good luck with your investigations and sorting out what works for you
take care
Gabes
welcome to the family. my official aussie gday mate greeting normally has the aussie emoticons. but strangely enough i am in your territory! i am down the road in Marseille. I am here for work purposes.
Firstly, dont worry about how many questions you ask, getting information and good understanding of how to manage this demon is very important.
re your statement about inflammation and trigger food.
i have worked really hard for the past 7 months (since diagnosis) to eat a diet of bland well cooked food, to allow the gut to heal and get my energy levels back up. and to ensure that i can work full time. my next step (post this trip) is to start trying more ingredients and see how i react.
some other advice..there are no short cuts or free pass to the finishing point, it takes time to figure out what works for you, we all share what has worked, what hasnt, what works for one person may not work another,
good luck with your investigations and sorting out what works for you
take care
Gabes
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama