What Does Lactose Intolerance Have To Do With Gluten Anyway?!

When people find out that I am gluten and dairy free, one of the most common questions I get is 'are the two related?'  The short answer: they are separate conditions, that can be related but are not necessarily.  They do show up together quite a bit though, which begs the question why restaurants that have 'gluten free menus' have loaded those meals with dairy?  But that's a rabbit trail, perhaps to be followed in a later blog.  In my specific case, the two conditions are related.  Now, my doctor has diagnosed my lactose intolerance as a symptom of my gluten sensitivity, which is how I can be certain.  If you think you may be in the same boat, before you self diagnose, you should check with your doctor.  If you are though, here's how the two are related...

First, here's a short rundown on what lactose intolerance, is as published by lactaid.com (one of my favorites for recipes and tips):

"You may have heard of lactose intolerance, but you might not know what it really is. In a few seconds you will. Lactose intolerance is characterized by the symptoms that occur when your body does not make enough of a digestive enzyme called lactase to digest a sugar called lactose, which is found mainly in milk and other dairy products.Normally, our body produces lactase, which breaks down lactose into two simple sugars, glucose and galactose. These two sugars can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. People whose bodies don’t make enough lactase can’t fully digest lactose, causing mild to uncomfortable side effects.Some people have a higher chance of being lactose intolerant, including people of Hispanic, African-American, Asian and Jewish descent. It also affects adults more than children, since the body produces less lactase enzyme as people age."

http://www.laktoseintoleranz-hilfe.de/symptoms.html?L=1

Secondly, here's a short rundown on what a gluten allergy/sensitivity is, as published by webmd.com:

"Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which a person can’t tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten shows up in bread and pasta, but may also hide in many other foods, such as cold cuts, salad dressings, beer, and even licorice.
If a person with celiac disease eats gluten, the lining of their small intestine becomes inflamed and damaged. That hampers the absorption of nutrients and can lead to malnutrition and weight loss.
In a study published this year in BMC Medicine, researchers described gluten sensitivity as a disorder distinct from celiac disease, in part because the intestine doesn’t appear damaged. About 1% of the population has celiac disease, the authors wrote, but celiac might be the “tip of the iceberg” for an “emerging problem…of a group of gluten-reactive patients, accounting for roughly 10% of the general population.”

"Traditionally, gluten is defined as a cohesive, elastic protein that is left behind after starch is washed away from a wheat flour dough. Gluten is actually made up of many different proteins." celiac.com
Photo credit: http://www.nuts.com/gluten-free/

Now, with those two facts in mind, here's how lactose intolerance relates to gluten sensitivity according to celiac.com (also a favorite website of mine):

"Lactose intolerance is frequently a side effect of celiac disease. Celiacs who eat gluten become lactose intolerant after the villi and microvilli in their small intestine become damaged, and are no longer capable of catching and breaking down the lactose molecule. The problem usually disappears when celiacs remove gluten from their diet, which allows the damaged villi and microvilli to grow back. Lactose intolerance symptoms can continue for a long time after a celiac has gone on a 100% gluten-free diet. In some cases the villi and microvilli damage can take up to two years to heal completely, but in most cases it takes between six months and a year. Most people who are lactose intolerant can usually eat goat and sheep (feta) cheeses without any problems."

So these two things can be related and in my case, as I stated before, I essentially lost my ability to break down lactose.  My doctor has told me that I may get my ability to digest dairy back, but that the only way to tell is the four letter word that I hate so much: time.  I've been gdf for almost a year (on February 8), and so far I still can't tolerate dairy, but maybe one day.  Either way though, I won't return to gluten.  After all of my research and my personal experience, gluten is permanently off of the menu!