Can gluten intolerance start in mid sixties?

I clicked on competitions by mistake. Meant ‘ask a gran’! Duh.

Big companies are constantly ‘improving’ their recipes, could there be a very slight change in a food you eat? Another thought is that many sugar free foods use chemical sweeteners which can have disastrous results for me!

(Maybe re-post on ask a gran?) I believe gluten intolerance can begin at any age. Your symptoms could be something else though.

There is a condition called 'Silent Celiac' where gluten damages your intestines but you have no classic symptoms - until the damage is extensive. Celiac tests aren't that reliable either.

It can start at any time as it is the condition of the microbiome of our gut that will affect how we react to foods.
A virus can upset the microbiome. Also Christmas. (so many foods)

eg I have always found cows dairy a bit "dodgy" so I avoid mostly But after a virus last year I became properly allergic.
The GP explained that I had developed an allergy to Dairy protein ie casein. rather than just a lactose intolerance.

Gluten is far more prevalent in foods than it used to be and seems to be causing a lot of digestive issues.

I found a lot of relief when I finally decided to avoid it completely.

Your GP may or may not be helpful. Mostly I found GP's not helpful re foods but my last GP was also trained in Nutrition and Health.

Your best bet is to avoid for 3 weeks and then eat something with gluten You will soon know if it is causing trouble.
Then you can take probiotics and other supplements to rebuild gut bacteria. That may help.

Thanks Hetty will do.

Thank you pinkquartz that does make sense. Like trial and error.

As we age our digestive system finds it harder to digest the food we happily ate with no ill effects when younger.

So it makes sense that gluten could come into that ‘intolerant’ category that, in my case means Brussel sprouts and mince pies if this last Christmas is anything to go by.

I have an intolerance to gluten since about my late 50's early 60's. My mum was a coeliac and as I have several auto immune conditions it was thought at first I had it also but it wasn't the case.

I find I can eat food that is low in gluten, certain bread for instance not sour dough. Pasta and pizzas are out of the question and so is weetabix. But I can eat cornflakes which has a small amount of gluten and most biscuits. If I get a really bad bout then I just give up gluten altogether for a week or two and then start again. The problem with bread is that todays bread flour is high in gluten.

So really what I am saying is stop eating gluten for a few weeks and then gradually introduce with low gluten food. You will soon find out what you can eat. Just a tip I can eat white tiger bread (so must be low gluten) but cannot eat Jacksons bread or high fibre bread. Also I find carrot cake out of the question.
You will soon find your ideal diet.

I had symptoms about 15 years ago (so 56years old ish) and stopped eating gluten as far as possible.

I became very ill in my mid sixties and was eventually admitted to hospital. I was in dreadful pain, couldn't stand or lie down and if I ate anything the pain intensified. Also my whole system has seized up and I hadn't been to the loo for nearly 3 weeks. Eventually, I was diagnosed as coeliac. Funnily enough my daughter had been diagnosed with the same a few years earlier.

We both suffer from several auto immune conditions of which coeliac is one. So to answer your question, yes it can strike at any age.

+Barmeyoldbat* Tesco's Free From Carrot cake is absolutely delicious.

Anything can start at anytime

Not sure I quite understand gluten being more prevalent in food nowadays. Gluten is the fundamental protein in wheat. My sister has been severely coeliac for over 20 years, my mother was diagnosed when she was in her 70’s. I seem to be ok but DD2 says she can’t overdo wheat as she becomes bloated.

I have been on a gluten free diet for five years and have never felt better. My symptoms were similar to IBS so the GP didn't take it very seriously. My mother had suffered with the same symptoms for years.

I contacted the coeliac society after watching a documentary where Caroline Quentin did the six week gluten eating regime in order to get a correct diagnosis. CS advised me to have a blood test then do the same. I decided against it because I'd already stopped eating gluten and all my symptoms had disappeared.

A few months later my teenage grandson, who had been ill for two years, was diagnosed with Coeliacs and we were told it obviously ran in the family. I wish I'd pushed for a diagnosis in my early sixties when my symptoms started to affect my life.

I have to be very vigilant. Accidentally eating gluten knocks me back for a long time. Fortunately there is far more awareness now with regard to food labelling and gluten free choices in restaurants.

I think it can as I've known a couple of people who say they developed it in their 50s and 60s.

The GP scoffed at me when I asked to be tested- you don't develop it at 70! Apparently.
DD was born with it, I now realise.

Wheat is in more and more food, glammagran I think.
We have developed wheats with higher protein levels hence more gluten.

If you go for a blood test, Urmstongran, don't avoid bread and other gluten products beforehand.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply.

I was ‘off’ (Christmas) then okayish. One good day then ‘off’ again (NY). Yesterday thought I was fine, today not. 2 weeks with an intermittent tummy bug just seems a long time so my mind is in overdrive.
?

Barmeyoldbat I am the same as you, intolerant of high gluten levels but not coeliac (apparently).

It may not be the gluten you have become intolerant to, but wheat. Wheat is high in fructans, which can result in tummy problems.
In recent years, I seem to have become intolerant to anything high in carbs, including wheat based foods, so generally try to avoid them and eat a low carb, high fat diet. I feel quite unwell if I eat anything high in sugar or carbs, and have been told by GP that it's probably 'IBS'.
As already said, we don't seem to digest foods so well as we age, which is definitely the case for me.

You may find that regular acidophilus bifidus (pro-biotics) help as they renew all the good bacteria needed in the gut, thus helping the digestion.

I began to be intolerant to wheat in my 50's, was able to manage it quite well by taking pro-bioitics and cutting down on wheat products.

Then decide to cut out wheat completely and was wheat-free for over 6 years and for 3 of them bought artisian gluten-free bread made locally.

Then, for some reason, that too began to affect me and I had to stop eating it, or buy shares in Immodium.

At my dil suggestion I went onto Paleo and that's OK but very firm and only suitable for toast.

Every now and then I try something very light, such as a croissant (wheat) and with the help of the pro-biotics, can manage that.

When I first became wheat-free I researched the effects and discovered it depletes the iron stocks in the body, as does tannin in tea. So if you are feeling unusually tired, it could be as a result of wheat and/or tea.

It also, in some people exacerbates arthritis, so cutting it out of your diet an help in many ways.

BTW, I blamed the additives in commerically made breads, so bought my own wheat, ground it and made my own bread. The negative effects were just as bad.

I agree there's a lot of rubbish added to supermarket bread (even the smell of it in the store turns my stomach) but it is also the wheat itself which can be the problem.

Thank you BradfordLass
I’m feeling more reassured too after what TrendyNanny said.

I developed gluten intolerance at 55. I have an autoimmune condition which can mean both gluten and dairy intolerance. Gluten makes me ill, was tested for Coeliac twice, long before I stopped eating gluten. Both times it came back that I was not coeliac. On an interesting note, I have one cousin, who isn't coeliac but like myself, gluten makes her ill. My other cousin is Coeliac. Both on my late mum's side. I was told you can develop an allergy/intolerance at ANY time in your life. Keep a food diary and eliminate certain items. Then after a period of time include them again. Thats how I discovered Gluten was making me ill.

The blood test for coeliac disease only works if you are eating gluten so I would see if your GP will do the test before you start experimenting with cutting it out of your diet. It is worth getting properly diagnosed as you will then get proper follow up and advice.

Saxifrage I had 2 tests and colonoscopy BEFORE I gave up gluten. All of those came back negative and I was still eating gluten then.

Fiachna - yes I agree that you can be gluten intolerant but not coeliac (ie no gut damage like coeliacs display). However if you cut gluten out of your diet before being tested you are much less likely to get a diagnosis. It sounds as if you had a long and weary road before working out how to help yourself. I am pretty sure I was coeliac and in pain for about 20 years before a doctor thought to test me. Now no gut problems at all.