Non-food Gluten Exposure
As much as I've been reading about gluten and gluten exposure, I learned through watching the gluten episode of the Dr. OZ show with Elisabeth Hasselbeck that gluten is used in some health and beauty products and they can also be a possible method of exposure.
As if I didn't have to read enough labels already! But ok, so off to the medicine cabinet I went to see if anything I use had hidden gluten.
Looking at health and beauty product labels was even more confusing that food labels. I had to go back to the Internet to see if I could find what I should be looking for to determine if my products were safe. I found some great info on a site called Gluten Free & Fibro a resource for people living GF who have Fibromyalgia. There, in response to an inquiry, Nivea brand listed ingredients found in some health and beauty products that are wheat, rye, barely or oat derived that may contain gluten.
TRITICUM VULGARE (wheat bran)
SECALE CEREALE (rye seed extract)
HORDEUM VULGARE (barley)
AVENA SATIVA (oat bran)
And, back to the medicine cabinet I went. Sure enough the Aveeno lotions I have are made with, as the name implies, Avena Sativa.
According to Celiac.com, oats (the source of Avena Sativa) contain gluten through cross contamination and aren't a problem for most people with GSDs if they are certified GF. However, they also state that there may be a small percentage of people with Celiac that may have a sensitivity to Avenin which is naturally occurring in oats. More confusion... So, what to do with my Aveeno products that have oat products that may or may not have gluten?!
I never thought I would be quoting Elisabeth Hasselbeck but she gave good advice on the Dr. Oz show; contact the manufacturer. As with the Nivea example above often someone already has so a simple web search will save you the trouble of emailing or calling and waiting for a reply. Sure enough on Celiacforums.com there is a list of Aveno products that are gluten free. And guess what? The Aveeno lotion I use is not on that list and therefore most likely contains some amount of gluten.
I am a little dubious of the notion of gluten exposure through a topical lotion. I can see being concerned if the gluten is in a lip balm or toothpaste where there is a likelihood of ingestion, but even so, why risk it? So, bye bye Aveeno Daily Mosturizing Lotion.
The moral of this story is that living GF does take work. You have to read a lot of labels, do a lot of research, and be very proactive to avoid hidden sources of gluten exposure. Food labels are getting much better about listing ingredients, hopefully health and beauty products will improve on that front. Be diligent and do your homework.
Dr. Oz and Diagnosis
Though I thought this episode was informative about gluten particularly for those who have little or no experience with GSDs I do have a critique for the Dr. First I have to make clear that I am not a health professional. That said, I was surprised that Dr. Oz recommended going on a gluten free diet without first consulting your primary care provider.
The main reason a person should consult with their PCP first is to get an accurate diagnosis. Celiac Disease specifically can be diagnosed through a simple blood test. The test looks for specific antigens produced by the body that demonstrate an autoimmune response to attempting to digest gluten. If a person goes gluten-free for a period of time before getting the blood test they may not get an accurate result. Having the most accurate information about your diagnosis and specific health issues can only help you to live better.
I saw this Dr Oz show also. To recommend that people go gluten-free just because of fatigue doesn't seem to be sound medicine to me. I agree that a specific diagnosis should be obtained before attempting to go gluten-free. As a celiac, diagnosed by biopsy, I would never advocate anyone go on this diet unless you absolutely need to. It is difficult to eliminate all gluten and the gf diet eliminates many very healthy foods. It is also expensive. And two weeks gf did not improve how I felt after I went GF. It took about 3 months or more to feel better. If you think you may be a celiac or gluten intolerant, see your doctor as advised above.
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