teresakoch
I have been overweight since I was a young adult. When I was young, I had problems keeping weight on. I could never figure out why I was gaining weight, as I didn't think that I was eating all that much! I have a wonderful husband and 4 beautiful daughters. Our youngest daughter, Rebecca, has Down syndrome.
I tell people that "A kid with Down syndrome saved my life", and it's true. You see, in April 2008, Rebecca was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. CD is an auto-immune malabsorptive condition that is caused from a reaction to gluten (which is found in wheat, barley, and rye). Because of Rebecca's diagnosis, I knew that I needed to get as much information as possible about this disease. I also had to make our kitchen Gluten-Free.
In the course of my research, I discovered that up to 40% of people with CD are overweight, with 30% of that number being morbidly obese. This flies in the face of everything that medical professionals have been taught in medical school! I also found out that between 30-70% of the general population has Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS), which causes the intestinal lining to become permeable, resulting in malabsorption of nutrients as well.
I was blown away by the number of posts on CD forums which told of people who had lost 100+ pounds simply by eliminating gluten from their diet. In the 10 months that I have been eating gluten-free, however, I have found their experiences to be true - I have lost 37 pounds, and I KNOW that I will be able to lose all of the excess weight that I have put on over the past 30 years. The best part about a GF "Diet" is that I have been able to eat all of the foods that I love - I haven't felt deprived - and my bloodwork numbers have all dramatically improved. The arthritis in my knee went away, my skin glows, I sleep like a baby, and I have more energy than I had when I was a teenager!
I would encourage anyone who may be reading this to go to www.celiac.com for more information. This site was started by a young man who was diagnosed with CD several years ago, and it is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to know more about this subject.
It has become apparent to me that before anyone undergoes Weight Loss Surgery of any kind whatsoever, they should INSIST on having a Celiac Screen Panel done by their PCP. If someone has Celiac Disease, it is imperative that they NOT have WLS - they will be compounding one malabsorptive condition (CD) with another malabsorptive condition (WLS), and the results can be disastrous. While the effects of CD can be reversed with strict adherence to a GF diet, if someone with CD also has WLS, they will NEVER be able to reverse the effects of the malabsorption. One look at the complications that can occur as a result of untreated / undiagnosed CD (see the aforementioned website) should be enough to make someone be sure that they are tested for CD before undergoing WLS.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I am more than happy to pass along all of the information that I have found in the course of my personal research.
Teresa Koch
Fort Worth, Texas
