60+ Symptoms of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

This article discusses non-celiac gluten sensitivity symptoms and celiac disease symptoms and should not be construed as medical advice. If you suspect you have gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance, please consult your doctor. This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.

Most people think of non-celiac gluten sensitivity and celiac disease as disorders of the gut; however, what most people don’t 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 – also known as gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance – and celiac disease. I’ll share many of those symptoms in this article.

Specifically, I’ll share the following:

• The differences (and similarities) between non-celiac gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
• 60+ symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity
• Reliable diagnostic tools used to diagnose gluten disorders

Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity vs. Celiac Disease

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity means a person negatively reacts every time they eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats.

I will explain gluten intolerance in detail; however, I want to first make sure you’ve ruled out celiac disease first.

Individuals with celiac disease, a rare autoimmune disorder, also cannot tolerate gluten. When someone with celiac disease eats gluten, their immune system launches an attack on the otherwise healthy tissue surrounding their small intestine.

This attack damages the small intestine and impairs the digestion and absorption of nutrients throughout the body.

If you suspect you have celiac disease or need to rule it out completely before implementing a gluten-free diet, I highly suggest getting tested for celiac disease.

You can get a test from your doctor, or even better, take this reliable celiac disease at-home test.

Remember, you must be eating gluten in order for a blood test to be accurate, so don’t go gluten-free until you rule out celiac disease. Read more about this topic in my article, STOP! Don’t Go Gluten-Free Until You Read This Article.

If you’ve ruled out celiac disease but still suspect gluten is up to no good in your body, you’re not alone.

Eighteen million people in the U.S. are “gluten intolerance,” and this number continues to rise in the U.S. and worldwide every day.

Despite what many so-called “experts” and naysayers say, non-celiac gluten sensitivity is real, and a growing number of research suggest as much.

In fact, emerging research clearly shows that gluten intolerance, while not an autoimmune disorder, can still wreak havoc in the body and lead to a slew of symptoms similar to celiac disease symptoms.

One such study shows that gluten causes intestinal permeability in all humans, regardless if you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or neither disorder. Let that sink in for a minute. Everyone who eats gluten experiences some intestinal inflammation or leaky gut.

On top of that, researchers found high levels of zonulin, a hormone that regulates cell wall junctions, in people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, similar to levels found in those with celiac disease.

When zonulin levels are high, undigested bits of food “leak” out of the gut and into the bloodstream, wreaking havoc in your body and creating inflammation at weak links in your body (i.e., your weak link will be where you experience symptoms.)

Persistent inflammation in the gut is, no doubt, a precursor to all sorts of diseases, including but not limited to autoimmune disease, cancer, diabetes, and more.

Symptoms of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

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?

Below is a list of 60+ non-celiac gluten sensitivity symptoms, most of which are also symptoms of celiac disease too. (Symptoms 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 the 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. Hair loss
35. Headaches
36. Infertility
37. Irregular menstruation
38. Irritability
39. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
40. Joint pain
41. Keratosis pilaris (chicken skin)
42. Liver and biliary tract disorders
43. Low birth weight
44. Low energy
45. Migraines
46. Miscarriages
47. Muscle pain
48. Nausea
49. Numbness in the legs, arms, or fingers
50. Osteopenia
51. Osteoporosis
52. Pale skin
53. Psoriasis
54. Short stature
55. Shortness of breath
56. Thyroid disease
57. Type 1 diabetes
58. Viral infections
59. Vitamin B12 deficiency
60. Weakness
61. Weight loss

An estimated 60 percent of children and 41 percent of adults with celiac disease have no symptoms. This phenomenon is known as asymptomatic or silent celiac disease.

Diagnosing Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

Getting diagnosed with celiac disease isn’t as cut and dry as getting tested for celiac disease.

Most experts recommend that people who suspect gluten intolerance eliminate gluten from their diets for 4-6 weeks, then reintroduce gluten and see how they feel.

Other experts recommend other diagnostic measures. For example, Dr. Tom O’Bryan discusses the latest science behind how to get tested for wheat or gluten sensitivity in his best-selling book, The Autoimmune Fix.

He recommends the Wheat Zoomer test, which has a 97-99 percent sensitivity and a 98-100 percent specificity. He also recommends the Cyrex Array 3X test.

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

Be sure to do your research before committing to a test. Many experts recommend a good old-fashioned elimination diet, and that will save you a lot of money at the end of the day.

By the way, Dr. O’Bryan and I created the Gluten-Free Made Easy Course together. If you have gluten sensitivity, this course is something I highly recommend checking out!

Are You At Risk?

If you have any of these above 60+ symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity, talk to your doctor ASAP to get tested for both celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

And whatever you do, do not go on a gluten-free diet until you rule out celiac disease first. You must be eating gluten in order for these tests to be accurate. Read this article if you need more convincing.