Vitamin B12 deficiency & celiacs

hbunting86

Hi

I got some blood test results back this morning and the nurse said I'm deficient in vitamin B12 and that I also have celiacs disease.

Does anyone have any B12 issues here and how do I improve this? I do have an appointment with the doctor to discuss results on Tuesday, but I'm just wondering what happens in terms of diet and metabolism with B12 and if it's related to the celiacs at all.

I'm a bit confused!

Thanks
Heather

bathsheba_c

I'm low in B12 due to sub-clinical hypothyroidism (translation: my metabolism is slower than average, but not so slow as to be worrisome). I don't know what exactly the relationship is, though celiac could be affecting your nutrient absorption. Most likely they'll put you on a B12 supplement, which isn't much different from other vitamins except that you stick it under your tongue instead of swallowing.

OliveRiver

I'm sorry I can't tell you anything about the Celiacs, but you can easily help the B12 deficiency by taking a multivitamin or a B12 supplement (both easily attainable at a general/grocery store).

Hope that helps some!

Flab2fitfi

coelics is an autoimmune disorder which cause the body to react to gluten and destroy the lining of your intestine. The only treatment is a long life gluten free diet. the lack of b12 vitamins is caused by the body not being able to absorb nutrients because of the damaged caused by the gluten.

I've been a coeliac for over 30 years and there is also a gluten free group on here.

jo_marnes

If you have just had a positive blood result for celiac then you need to have an endoscopy through a gastro specialist. This same thing happened to me 2 years ago.

You will need to eat a gluten free diet for the rest of your life.

The B12 deficiency is definitely related. Celiac affects the small intestine and causes malabsorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Once gluten free, your intestine will heal, and be able to reabsorb these nutrients.

Do some research, but ultimately, you need to see a specialist and get this confirmed. Not everyone is symptomatic of celiac (gut pain/ bloating/ vomiting/ diarrhoea) - I wasn't AT ALL.

Sorry this has happened to you - it sucks initially, but in the long run, a GF diet is actually really healthy and I have learnt to love it!

akaMrsmojo

I have Celiacs. What is happening is that your body is not absorbing vitamins appropriately due to the disease. When you eliminate all gluten from your diet and your small intestine heals, you will start absorbing properly vitamins. You may always need extra supplements. Be careful, many vitamins have gluten in them.

Friend me if you need any advise. I have been gluten free for over 3 years.

gatorginger

Hi

I got some blood test results back this morning and the nurse said I'm deficient in vitamin B12 and that I also have celiacs disease.

Does anyone have any B12 issues here and how do I improve this? I do have an appointment with the doctor to discuss results on Tuesday, but I'm just wondering what happens in terms of diet and metabolism with B12 and if it's related to the celiacs at all.

I'm a bit confused!

Thanks
Heather

I was diagnosed with B12 deficiency and so I get a monthly shot and then I take 1000 mg a day and I feel so much better since I started doing this. B12 shouldn't cause any problems with your diet don't know anything about celiacs disease . Feel free to add me as a friend if you have more questions

akaMrsmojo

One more thing, if you have to have anymore testing, do not quit gluten before hand. It can cause negative results in the testing. I refused the biopsy personally.

SierraJ86

I'm also Celiac and have low B12. I got diagnosed a year ago and I'm still trying to get my B12 in the normal range. I have to get shots and take a geriatric multivitamin and it's still slow coming back up. The way my doctor explained it is that when you have Celiac disease, your stomach doesn't absorb many of the vitamins and minerals it needs, so the multivitamin alone may not be enough to keep the levels in the normal range. Be sure to ask your doctor about B12 injections when you go to discuss treatment. Celiac disease is definitely a tough diagnosis. Try to see a nutritionist also because they will be able to tell you what you can and cannot eat. www.celiac.org is an excellent resource for learning about Celiac and the gluten free diet. I wish you the best of luck!

hbunting86

@Sierra - thanks I will do! I'm searching the net for information today. Yesterday was a bit of a blur with things - however I did get rid of all my gluten containing stuff and went shopping for GF things. I'm lucky in that I always cook from scratch, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle really. I will ask about the B12 injections when I go to the doctors on Tuesday morning. Will also look at getting a multivitamin into my diet - that may help some.

LOL the GF bread over here is like NZD $8 per loaf which is a bit extreme, but there we go I guess!

jo_marnes

And it will taste like crap! lol - I'm in Oz, I don't eat bread anymore

Here are my tips for easy GF eating...

Swap bread for rice cakes/ cruskits/ salads - but always check labels. It's GLUTEN not just wheat you need to avoid. This means no malt, barley, rye, oats etc - that's right, no beer, vegemite or cereals! Cross contamination is your nightmare... you can no longer use the same toaster etc and eating out is tricky

Soy sauce - check labels! Many brands are GF

Pasta - San Remo is the best. Or eat rice/ potatoes/ veggies instead

Cake - ok, this is tough. Some of the packet mixes are ok, but trial and error. I tend not to eat them anyway

Biscuits - loving Leda gingernuts right now - low cal too!

Chocolate - no Nestle allowed. Cadbury is ok, but not if it contains biscuit/ wafer etc

Peanut butter - many brands are ok

Cereal - buy GF or eat other things - I make my own brown rice porridge

Meat - all ok, but check marinades, no rotisserie chicken (stuffing not GF), check deli meats, check sausages. Nothing crumbed/ battered etc

Frozen things - veg ok, most other things awful! No pizza, pies, chips (some ok - check labels) etc

Yoghurt - most ok

Fruit and veg - all good

Remember that wheat glucose syrup is ok - it is so refined that no gluten remains.

Salad dressing - check. Stick to balsamic if unsure.... kraft mayo ok

Entertaining - dips - check! Yumi brand are fab. Crackers - mostly avoid.

Vege chips are v yummy! Tofu ok, but not marinated. Ice cream - often ok, but no more cones!

Maccas & Hungry Jacks - can only eat fries and sundaes and garden salad

Hope this helped a bit!

hbunting86

Wow thanks so much! It's great that I know these brands too, with you being so close in Aus!

Yeah I'm going to get a toaster when I get paid - but like you said the bread is all meant to be pretty rubbish and I'm not really much of a bread person anyway. I tend to take salads to work this time of year, and then soups in the winter. I guess I'll only miss having to dunk in the soup then haha.

Luckily I'm not much of a sweet person or really into the savoury pastries, so that won't hit too hard!

I guess instead of bread I can spread PB on an apple or banana or something.

How do you make brown rice porridge out of interest? I do quite like porridge so that'd be something I'd like to give a try.

I'll have to learn to scrutinize labels at first until I get a 'familiar' set of items I can regularly eat.

Thanks again for the help, very much appreciated!

Heather

sati18

I have pernacious anaemia which means i cannot absorb B12 through my gastric tract. I have to have injections every 3 months for the rest of my life. With Coelics becasue it also can cause absorption issues you may well need to have the injections. Usually what they do if give you some very high dose B12 tablets first and re-check your levels, if they've gone up then you can absorb through the gut and you can just supplament. If they don't go up then you need injections.

it's worth noting as well that your body starts with a store of B12 and that to get a low result your diet/absorbtion needs to be very low for a very long time (around 5 years i believe)/ You do not become B12 defficient overnight and the results of long term severe deficiency can be very serious- permanent neurological damage and even death. Take this very seriously and if you are still getting low results push the doctors to deal with it promptly as it's not soemthing you want to just put off and leave.

Make sure you get your levels retested as well.

hbunting86

I have pernacious anaemia which means i cannot absorb B12 through my gastric tract. I have to have injections every 3 months for the rest of my life. With Coelics becasue it also can cause absorption issues you may well need to have the injections. Usually what they do if give you some very high dose B12 tablets first and re-check your levels, if they've gone up then you can absorb through the gut and you can just supplament. If they don't go up then you need injections.

it's worth noting as well that your body starts with a store of B12 and that to get a low result your diet/absorbtion needs to be very low for a very long time (around 5 years i believe)/ You do not become B12 defficient overnight and the results of long term severe deficiency can be very serious- permanent neurological damage and even death. Take this very seriously and if you are still getting low results push the doctors to deal with it promptly as it's not soemthing you want to just put off and leave.

Make sure you get your levels retested as well.

Thanks - I will be sure to do that! I didn't know it could get that bad and takes a long time to develop. The doc is concerned there is something else going on in addition to celiacs - querying crohn's (I really really hope not). Oh well, I'm sure all will be revealed soon.

Thanks for the advice

H

jo_marnes

Brown rice porridge - 200g brown rice + 2 litres fluid (I use half skim milk, half water) into slow cooker (low) overnight. Makes 4 large serves. I add cinnamon and honey to taste. Often I substitute some of the rice for buckwheat and/ or TVP mince (soy - for protein). I also add psyllium for fibre!