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Chromium Deficiency

Broccoli is a Good Source of Natural Chromium.
Broccoli is a Good Source of Natural Chromium.

What Is Chromium?

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hromium is a mineral that the body absolutely requires in trace amounts for normal metabolism, meaning the physical and chemical processes by which energy is produced and used.

Chromium is especially involved in the use of glucose sugar and lipids such as cholesterol and the effectiveness of insulin hormone.

Q: How is chromium involved in the use of glucose?

A: Very small amounts of chromium are required to enable insulin to move glucose from the bloodstream into cells for use as energy.

Insulin is a hormone that controls the use and storage of glucose in two ways: 1) lowers a rise of glucose in blood after meals by moving it out of the bloodstream into body cells, especially muscle cells and 2) limits the release of glucose from the liver between meals. Insulin is produced by beta cells on the surface of the pancreas.

To date, the molecular mechanism by which chromium affects glucose and lipid metabolism is still unclear.1

What Is Chromium Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Lewicki S, Zdanowski R, Krzyżowska M, Lewicka A, Dębski B, Niemcewicz M, Goniewicz M. The role of Chromium III in the organism and its possible use in diabetes and obesity treatment. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2014 Jun 10;21(2):331-335. [↩]

Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus)

Muscle pain in celiac disease and gluten sensitivityWhat Is Chronic Muscle Pain And Tenderness?

[dropcap]M uscle pain and tenderness, also called myalgia, is a disorder of muscle tissue.

Muscle pain that is ongoing or chronic can result from a variety of disorders, infections, overuse, injury, as an unwanted effect of certain medications, toxic substances, celiac disease, and certain nutritional deficiencies.

What Is Muscle Pain and Tenderness In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Diabetic Instability 

Vertebrae. Courtesy FreePik.com
Vertebrae. Courtesy FreePik.com

What Is Elevated Bone Alkaline Phosphatase?

[dropcap]E levated bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) is a laboratory result that indicates an abnormal blood level of this bone enzyme.

A bone alkaline phosphatase blood level is one of the most frequently used biochemical markers of bone formation.

Q: Why is the purpose of  bone alkaline phosphatase?

A: Bone alkaline phosphatase is produced by bone cells called osteoclasts in normal bone maintenance for the purpose of breaking down old or damaged bone so that other bone cells called osteoblasts can fill in the excavated areas with new bone. This process keeps bone stong and healthy.

Elevated bone alkaline phosphatase shows that more bone is being broken down than is being replaced. It can be caused by hyperparathyroidism, bone tumors from cancer, and malnutrition.

What Is Elevated Bone Alkaline Phosphatase (BALP) In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Gastrointestinal Complications Of Type I Diabetes Mellitus

Model of cholesterol molecule.
Model of cholesterol molecule.

What Is Low Cholesterol?

[dropcap]L ow cholesterol found in blood indicates an abnormal blood level of this essential lipid (fat) that is characterized by decreased production of steroid hormones and bile.

Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like substance found in the bloodstream and is an essential structural component in all body cells. It is required for membrane fluidity and permeability of cells. Within the cell membrane, cholesterol also functions in intracellular transport, cell signaling and nerve conduction.

Cholesterol is required for these essential body processes:

  1. Cholesterol is converted to bile by the liver and stored in the gallbladder until needed for digestion of fats in the small intestine.  
  2. Cholesterol is used by the adrenal glands to produce the steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone.
  3. Cholesterol is used by the sex glands to make progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone and their derivatives.
  4. Cholesterol is needed for the production of vitamin D.

Q: What makes cholesterol bad for you?

A: There are different forms of cholesterol that can be bad or good depending on the level. In blood vessels, low-density lipoprotein (LDL or ‘bad’) cholesterol can abnormally join with fats and other substances to build up in the inner walls of arteries. The arteries can become clogged and narrow, and blood flow is reduced. This is atherosclerosis which can lead to stroke, heart attack and thrombosis.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL or ‘good’) carries harmful cholesterol away from the arteries and helps protect from heart attack and stroke.1

What Is Low Cholesterol In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. http://watchlearnlive.heart.org/CVML_Player.php?moduleSelect=hdlldl [↩]

Pancreatic Insufficiency

Model of coagulation factors found in blood.
Model of coagulation factors found in blood.

What Are Low Coagulation Factors?

[dropcap]C oagulation factors II, VII, IX, X found in blood are essential for normal blood clotting.  Low coagulation factors on blood assay indicate an altered secondary coagulation disorder that is characterized by impaired clot formation.

Each coagulation factor must be present in sufficient quantity in order for normal clotting to occur, but the level required is different for each factor. Results are frequently reported as a percentage with 100% being normal. For example, a factor VIII that is 30% would be considered abnormally low.1

The production of the coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X requires vitamin K without which the factors will be low.

Q: What happens when coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X are low?

A: When any of the blood clotting factors are lacking or not working properly, the blood tests prothrombin (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) will be abnormally prolonged. Prothrombin and partial thromboplastin time measure the time it takes for blood to clot.  When you bleed, the body launches a series of activities that help the blood clot. This is called the coagulation cascade. There are three pathways to this event. These tests looks at coagulation factors, found in two of these pathways.2

What Are Low Coagulation Factors In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/coagulation-factors/tab/test [↩]
  2. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003653.htm [↩]

Steatorrhea

A 3-D model of homocysteine.
A 3-D model of homocysteine.

What Is Elevated Homocysteine?

[dropcap]E levated homocysteine in blood, called hyperhomocysteinemia, indicates an abnormal blood level of this transient amino acid.

Q: How does the level of homocysteine become abnormal?

A: In metabolism, homocysteine is briefly formed in the breakdown of the amino acid methionine. It is normally converted to cystathione and then to the amino acid cysteine by means of an enzyme that requires vitamin B6.

In the reverse, conversion of homocysteine to methionine requires an enzyme dependent on adequate folic acid and vitamin B12 levels.

Insufficient methionine levels and/or inefficiency in this process results in elevated homocysteine plasma levels that are toxic to blood vessels.

Folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 are involved in the metabolic removal of homocysteine, but folic acid deficit occurs the most often.1

What Is Elevated Homocysteine In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Lim PO, Tzemos N, Farquharson CA, et al. Reversible hypertension following coeliac disease treatment: the role of moderate hyperhomocysteinaemia and vascular endothelial dysfunction. Journal of Human Hypertension. Jun 2002;16(6):411-5. [↩]

Diabetes Mellitus, Type I

Image depicts tissue transglutaminase (tTg).
Image Depicts Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG).

What Are Anti-tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies?

[dropcap]A nti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (anti-tTG) are connective tissue autoantibodies and can be detected in blood samples from affected persons who are reacting to gluten in the diet.

Autoantibodies are abnormal because they attack the body’s own tissue, which in the case of these antibodies is tissue transglutaminase 2 (TG2).

Q: What is tissue transglutaminase 2 (TG2)?

A: Tissue transglutaminase 2 (TG2) is an enzyme that appears in many cell locations and is particularly abundant in endothelial cells that line the small intestine. It has been implicated in a variety of cellular processes, such as differentiation, cell death, inflammation, cell migration and wound healing.

The cell appears to adapt the dynamics of this enzyme to meet specific sub-cellular needs or to respond to stress or other stimuli. Substantial evidence indicates that the location of TG2 within cells is critical for the regulation of its various biochemical activities, which subsequently trigger diverse downstream events,1

Although initially studied as an enzyme within cells, TG2 is now known to be secreted also into the extracellular space (between cells) or onto the cell surface.1

Abnormal activation of TG2 or deregulation of its function(s) is involved in a variety of human diseases, such as celiac disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. A role in inflammatory disorders and septic shock has also been shown. Moreover, multiple studies have revealed elevated TG2 expression in many types of cancer cells.1

What Are Anti-tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Piacentini M, D’Eletto M, Farrace MG, Rodolfo C, Del Nonno F, Ippolito G, Falasca L. Characterization of distinct sub-cellular location of transglutaminase type II: changes in intracellular distribution in physiological and pathological states. Cell Tissue Res. 2014 Dec;358(3):793-805. doi: 10.1007/s00441-014-1990-x. [↩] [↩] [↩]

Macroamylasemia: definition

An enzyme disorder characterized by altered pancreatic amylase bound with blood proteins, commonly IgA and/or IgA antibodies,  producing an abnormally large complex called macroamylase that builds up in the blood because the kidneys cannot excrete…