is it necessarry to be on a gluten free diet with collagenous collitis and negative celiac disease?

Question

I am newly diagnosed. No symptoms now except occassional abdominal tenderness. Found out about doing the gluten free diet on the internet. Doctor did not suggest it.

Answer 1

No, you only need to do the gluten free diet if you have Celiac disease. They say that with your type of colitis you should get checked out to see if you have celiac disease because it might be the cause. But if you had the blood test done to check for the antibodies and it was negative, or if you have an endoscopy performed and the doc checked out your small intestine for signs of Celiac and you didn't have any, then you definitely don't have to go on the gluten free diet. If you're having problems with your colitis and the medicine your doc prescribes isn't working for you, I'd recommend trying acupuncture or energy work. Those two methods are more effective in treating my colitis than the medicine. Good luck!

Answer 2

Think o0f the collagenous colitis as your colon lining having some inflammation, and the layers of your colon have an extra thick layer of collagen in them. This means that your colon is not very good at absorbing the excess moisture from the liquid stool that comes from your small bowel. This means you are more likely to have a runny stool. For many people, this would be a good thing, as I see more people trying to treat their constipation, or hard stools, and less complaining about their softer or liquid stool. It is not going to be helped by a celiac diet, but does work well with a diet that includes more fiber, like in Citrucel, Metamucil and other fibers.

Answer 3

As a healtcare provider I'd say if you are negative for celiac disease this diet will not give you any particular advantage or help.