60 Symptoms of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

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This post discusses non-celiac gluten sensitivity symptoms and celiac disease symptoms and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult your doctor if you suspect you have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. Please read my disclosures.

Most people think of non-celiac gluten sensitivity and celiac disease as disorders of the gut, however, what most people may not realize is that symptoms of these disorders go well beyond bloating and gas.

In fact, there are hundreds of symptoms associated with non-celiac gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, and I’ll share many of them here today.

In this article, we’ll talk about the following:

• The differences (and similarities) between non-celiac gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
• 60 symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
• Diagnostic tools used by doctors to officially diagnose both disorders

Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity vs. Celiac Disease

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (or more aptly called non-celiac wheat sensitivity) means a person has a physical reaction after consuming gluten. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Someone who has a sensitivity to gluten cannot tolerate wheat.

Related Reading: What is Gluten?

People with celiac disease also cannot tolerate gluten, however, when they eat gluten, their immune system launches an attack on the otherwise healthy tissue surrounding their small intestine. This autoimmune attack damages the small intestine and impairs the digestion and absorption of nutrients throughout the body.

Studies have shown that gluten causes intestinal permeability in everyone who eats it. Compound that with a legitimate sensitivity to wheat or full-blown celiac disease, and Houston, we have a problem!

Related Reading: What Is Celiac Disease?

We are not programmed, as humans, to eat wheat for breakfast (cereal), wheat for lunch (sandwich) and wheat for dinner (dinner rolls, pasta, pizza, etc.). Yet, most Americans eat wheat at every meal, causing persistent damage to the gut lining. The assault can be relentless and one day, boom!, it breaks. Suddenly, the intestinal lining doesn’t restore itself and undigested food particles wind up in your bloodstream and wreak havoc at what Dr. Tom O’Bryan says is the “weakest link in your chain.”

Related Reading: Gluten Sensitivity vs. Celiac Disease

While someone with non-celiac gluten sensitivity does not make antibodies to gluten, nor experience the same level of intestinal damage prevalent with those with celiac disease, they do experience similar symptoms. These symptoms can be very painful and impair a person’s ability to function optimally. Persistent inflammation is a precursor to disease – including but not limited to autoimmune disease, cancer, diabetes and more.

Symptoms of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease

An estimated 18 million people in the U.S. suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity, six times the number of people afflicted with celiac disease (about six million people have celiac disease). Could you be one of them?

(Non-celiac gluten sensitivity symptoms and celiac disease symptoms are listed in alphabetical order.)

1. Abdominal pain
2. Acid reflux
3. ADHD
4. Alopecia areata
5. Anemia (iron-deficiency)
6. Anxiety
7. Arthritis
8. Autism
9. Autoimmune diseases
10. Behavior issues
11. Bloating
12. Bone loss
13. Brain fog
14. Canker sores
15. Chronic urticaria
16. Cold sores
17. Constipation
18. Delayed puberty
19. Dental issues
20. Depression
21. Dermatitis herpetiformis (blisters on skin)
22. Diarrhea
23. Discomfort after eating
24. Dizziness
25. Eczema
26. Enamel defects
27. Excessive cavities
28. Failure to thrive (children)
29. Fatigue
30. Fibromyalgia
31. Foul smelling stool
32. Gas
33. Geographic tongue
34. Headaches
35. Infertility
36. Irregular menstruation
37. Irritability
38. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
39. Joint pain
40. Keratosis pilaris (chicken skin)
41. Liver and biliary tract disorders
42. Low birth weight
43. Low energy
44. Migraines
45. Miscarriages
46. Muscle pain
47. Nausea
48. Numbness in the legs, arms or fingers
49. Osteopenia
50. Osteoporosis
51. Pale skin
52. Psoriasis
53. Short stature
54. Shortness of breath
55. Thyroid disease
56. Type 1 diabetes
57. Viral infections
58. Vitamin B12 deficiency
59. Weakness
60. Weight loss

Also, an estimated 60 percent of children and 41 percent of adults with celiac disease have no symptoms at all, according to this article. In other words, even if you don’t have any celiac-related symptoms, you can still have silent celiac disease.

Diagnosing Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease

Getting diagnosed with celiac disease requires a simple blood test, and may be followed up with additional diagnostic measures depending on your doctor’s assessment.

Related Reading: How to Tested for Celiac Disease

You can also take an at-home blood test to discreetly test yourself for celiac disease without a doctor’s request. Get the test here.

Getting tested for non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a bit more tricky, as there is not one widely accepted diagnostic tool yet known.

That said, Dr. O’Bryan discusses the latest science behind how to get tested for a wheat or gluten sensitivity in this book. He recommends the Wheat Zoomer test, which has a 97-99 percent sensitivity and a 98-100 percent specificity.

Related Reading: How Do I Know if I’m Gluten Intolerant?

Most gluten sensitivity tests offered by your doctors are only checking for a sensitivity to one peptide in gluten (gliadin), but the tests Dr. O’Bryan recommends test for potential sensitivity to multiple peptides, giving you a more accurate picture of what might be going on inside of you.

Are You at Risk?

If you have any of these above symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, get yourself over to your doctor’s office ASAP to get tested for both.

If you have a first or second degree relative with celiac disease, you are at higher risk for having the disease as there is a genetic component to celiac.

Related Reading: Is There a Higher Risk for Celiac Disease in Immediate Family?

P.S. Do not go gluten-free until you get tested, as you must be eating gluten in order for these tests to be accurate. Read this article if you need more convincing.