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Dementia

DementiaWhat Is Dementia?

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]ementia is the term used to describe a group of symptoms that show significant deterioration of an individual’s intellectual and social abilities.

The deterioration in intellectual function is progressive and is characterized by memory and cognitive impairment involving deficits in reasoning, judgment, abstract thought, comprehension, learning, use of language, and task execution.

Some types of dementia can be reversed,  while most types of dementia are degenerative or nonreversible.

Q: What causes dementia?

A: There are  many differing causes of dementia.  Here are some causes according to nonreversible and reversible:

  • Nonreversible dementia may not be turned back due to these conditions:
  • Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of degenerative dementia caused by abnormal protein structures in certain areas of the brain. 
  • Lewy body disease is a leading cause of dementia in elderly adults.
  • Vascular dementia due to many small strokes.
  • Medical conditions: Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, infections that can affect the brain, such as HIV/AIDS and Lyme disease, Parkinson’s disease, Pick’s disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy.
  • Reversible dementia may be stopped or reversed if these conditions are found soon enough:
  • Brain injury.
  • Brain tumors.
  • Chronic alcohol abuse.
  • Changes in blood sugar, sodium, and calcium levels.
  • Changes that can occur with celiac disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, and other metabolic disorders.
  • Nutritional deficiencies.
  • Use of certain medications, including cimetadine and some cholesterol-lowering medications.1

What Is Dementia In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001748/ [↩]

Depression

Depression and glutenWhat Is Depression?

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]epression is a mood disorder characterized by absence of cheerfulness, dejection, and loss of interest or pleasure in living, making the person dysfunctional and unable to cope with or perform tasks of daily living.

More than a feeling, this negative psychological status can range from mild to profound and can involve other parts of the body, causing physical problems such as poor digestion, constipation, weight gain or weight loss, mentrual irregularities in females, and impotence in males.

Q: How is depression identified?

A: According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a psychic condition that lasts for more than a month and involves four or more of these symptoms:

  • Abnormal appetite.
  • Diminished ability to concentrate or think properly.
  • Feelings of worthlessness.
  • Low energy or fatigue.
  • Physical inactivity or hyperactivity.
  • Sleep disturbances.
  • Thoughts of death.

Grief or sadness at the loss of a loved one or a similar event or remorse for sin is normal. However, depression that is prolonged usually involves imbalances of nerve chemicals called neurotransmitters. Imbalances can result from health disorders such as hormonal imbalances, low blood sugar, stress, drug side effects, or nutrient deficiencies.

What Is Depression In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Headache (Emicrania)

headache gluten celiac disease symptomWhat Is Headache Or Emicrania?

[dropcap]E[/dropcap]micrania is a headache resulting from stimulation of, or traction of, or pressure on any of the pain sensitive structures of the head characterized by pain felt anywhere in the head.

In addition to gluten sensitivity and nutritional deficiencies, there are many causes of headache including cardiac, cerebral, vascular, psychiatric, metabolic, and neurologic diseases. Recent studies have highlighted that obesity is significantly associated with headache and disability in adults. This rule also applies to children.1

What Is Headache In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Laino D, Vitaliti G, Parisi P,   et. al. Headache, migraine and obesity: an overview on plausible links. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2016 Apr-Jun;30(2):333-8. [↩]

Chronic Fatigue / Lassitude / Tiredness

Chronic FatigueWhat Is Chronic Fatigue?

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hronic fatigue or lassitude is a state of weariness not relieved by rest and the inability to do normal physical or mental work.

Q: What are causes of chronic fatigue?

A: Chronic fatigue can be a feature of many disorders including nutritional problems like poor diet or malabsorption, sleep problems, systemic conditions like anemia or heart disease, respiratory disorders like COPD or asthma, infectious disease like tuberculosis, endocrine disorders like diabetes, autoimmune disease like thyroid disease, and cancer.

Fatigue greatly reduces quality of life in all aspects including the desire and ability to socialize and find fullfillment in new and interesting ways.

What Is Chronic Fatigue In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 

What Is Chronic Syndrome Fatigue? [dropcap]C[/dropcap]hronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating illness characterized by persistent or relapsing overwhelming and incapacitating fatigue not relieved by rest, having a definite onset and often accompanied by numerous symptoms… 

DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) Deficiency

Smoked Salmon...Brain Food that's Good for the Eyes!
Salmon…Brain Food That’s Good for Your Eyes, Heart, Blood Vessels, Blood Sugar, Liver, Muscles, and Fights Inflammation!

What Is DHA?

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]ocosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that is abundant in the brain, being crucial in brain structure. As such DHA is a key component of neuronal membranes together with arachidonic acid (a major opposing omega-6 fatty acid), making up 15-20% of the brain’s dry mass.

This polyunsaturated fatty acid is obtained from fish sources of food.

In healthy human volunteers, positron emission tomography (PET) has shown that the normal human brain consumes 4.6 mg/day of DHA.1

DHA is particularly concentrated in highly active membranes such as nerve synapses (junctions) and photoreceptors in the eye (retina).

Q: How much DHA is in the retina?

A: DHA makes up more than 30% of the retina.2

In other roles, DHA is an  important building material for the eicosanoids, a large group of highly bioactive hormone-like substances including prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and thromboxanes that are involved in blood clotting, inflammation, and vasoconstriction.

DHA has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity as opposed to the opposite problem of insulin resistance, to improve muscle mass, and protect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.3

Egert et al. in a study of people aged 19 to 43 years with normal cholesterol showed that DHA intake significantly increased serum HDL (good) cholesterol. Also, DHA significantly decreased fasting serum triglycerides.4

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

Sources:
  1. Rapoport SI. Brain arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid cascades are selectively altered by drugs, diet and disease. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2008 Sep-Nov;79(3-5):153-6. Epub 2008 Oct 29. [↩]
  2. Richardson AJ. The importance of omega-3 fatty acids for behavior, cognition, and mood. Scandinavian Journal of Nutrition. 2003;47(2):92-8 [↩]
  3. Espinosa A, Valenzuela R, González-Mañán D, D’Espessailles A, Guillermo Gormaz J, Barrera C, Tapia G. Prevention of liver steatosis through fish oil supplementation: correlation of oxidative stress with insulin resistance and liver fatty acid content. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2013 Mar;63(1):29-36. [↩]
  4. Egert S, Kannenberg F, Somoza V, et al. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid, EPA, and DHA have differential effects on LDL fatty acid composition but similar effects on serum lipid profiles in normolipidemic humans. J Nutr. 2009;139:861–868. doi: 10.3945/jn.108.103861 [↩]

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Deficiency

thiamin deficiency What Is Thiamin?

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hiamin, also called vitamin B1, is an essential vitamin that is required to convert foodstuffs into energy and for the health and proper functioning of the nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems.

In the bloodstream, 90% of active thiamin (TPP) is carried by red blood cells while 10% is transported in the bloodstream as free thiamin and thiamin monophosphate bound mostly to the protein albumin.

In the diet, animal food sources provide active thiamin while plant food sources provide free thiamin.1

Urinary excretion of thiamin cannot be detected when vitamin intake is below the required levels. On the other hand, when intake exceeds saturation in the body, thiamin and/or its metabolites are actively excreted into urine to prevent excessive toxicity of the vitamins.2

In patients who have thiamin deficiency, the most common conditions that bring them to a clinician include neuropathies, depression, myalgia, cardiomyopathies or takes diuretics and/or eat a high carbohydrate diet.3

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

Sources:
  1. Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump, ed. Krause’s Food, Nutrition & Diet Therapy, 10th Edition. Philadelphia, PA. USA: W.B. Saunders Company, 2000. [↩]
  2. Shibata K, Hirose J, Fukuwatari T. Relationship Between Urinary Concentrations of Nine Water-soluble Vitamins and their Vitamin Intakes in Japanese Adult Males. Nutr Metab Insights. 2014 Aug 5;7:61-75. doi: 10.4137/NMI.S17245. [↩]
  3. Spectracell Labs, Inc. [↩]

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Clams Are Chock Full of Vitamin B12.
Lovely Clams For Vitamin B12.

What Is Vitamin B12?

[dropcap]V[/dropcap]itamin B12, also called cobalamin, is a highly complex vitamin that functions in two coenzyme forms: adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin.

These forms of the vitamin play important roles in the physical and chemical processes by which amino acids become proprionate, proprionate that becomes acetate,  and single carbons.

Q: Why are these steps important?

A: These steps are essential for normal function in the workings of all cells, especially for those of the digestive tract, bone marrow and nervous tissue.

Vitamin B12 is mainly excreted through bile into the duodenum (first part of the small intestine) for excretion in stool.1 However, if vitamin B12 is needed, it is reabsorbed in the ileum (end of the small intestine) while excess is excreted in stool and very little in urine.2

The blood level of vitamin B12 in healthy people ranges between 140 and 750 pg/ml.

What Is Vitamin B12 Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Shibata K, Hirose J, Fukuwatari T. Relationship Between Urinary Concentrations of Nine Water-soluble Vitamins and their Vitamin Intakes in Japanese Adult Males. Nutr Metab Insights. 2014 Aug 5;7:61-75. doi: 10.4137/NMI.S17245. [↩]
  2. Shinton N K. Vitamin B 12 and folate metabolism. Br Med J. Feb 26, 1972; 1(5799): 556–559. [↩]

Multiple Sclerosis

Brain scan showing changes in multiple sclerosis over a month. Courtesy Wikimedia
Brain scan showing changes in multiple sclerosis by month over a year’s time. Courtesy Wikimedia

What Is Multiple Sclerosis?

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ultiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system characterized by patchy inflammation of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells that produces multiple and varied neurologic symptoms and signs due to demyelination.

Q: What does demyelination mean.

A: Demyelination means there is damage to the myelin sheath which is a fatty substance that surrounds and protects nerve cells much like a the covering of a lamp cord keeps the electricity flowing within it from the plug to the light bulb. This damage impairs transmission of nerve impulses between the brain and body.

In the process of demyelination, T-lymphocyte cells that are activated and potentially autoimmune cross the blood-brain barrier and produce inflammatory plaques and axonal tissue loss in the brain, spinal cord or optic (vision) nerves. The end result is the accumulation of gliosis (scarring) and demyelination of areas in the central nervous system.1

The course of multiple sclerosis is unpredictable and slowly progressive, usually with  exacerbations (worse symptoms) and remissions (relief of symptoms).

Multiple sclerosis affects about 1 ‰ of the population worldwide.

What Is Multiple Sclerosis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Rodrigo L, Hernández-Lahoz C, Fuentes D, Alvarez N, López-Vázquez A, González S. Prevalence of celiac disease in multiple sclerosis. BMC Neurol. 2011 Mar 7;11:31. doi: 10.1186/1471-2377-11-31. [↩]

Apathy

Apathy celiac disease symptomWhat Is Apathy?

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]pathy is an abnormal emotional state that is characterized by indifference to things which others find interesting, moving or exciting, and diminished motivation to perform regular daily activities.

The neural mechanisms of apathy are postulated to involve the brainstem and forebrain circuits that regulate goal-directed behavior.1

What Is Apathy In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Marin RS. Apathy: Concept, Syndrome, Neural Mechanisms, and Treatment. Semin Clin Neuropsychiatry. 1996 Oct; 1(4):304-314. [↩]