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-   -   Whodathunkit? - Coffee Allergy (https://www.neurotalk.org/gluten-sensitivity-celiac-disease/13794-whodathunkit-coffee-allergy.html)

DogtorJ 02-19-2007 11:30 AM

Whodathunkit? - Coffee Allergy
 
Hi Everyone,

(I posted this on another thread and decided it might be helpful to have it as a thread.)

I attribute the success I have had to two things: Being strict and identifying as many other food issues I have as possible. I am also dairy and soy-free (very common issues) and limit my corn intake.

One of the surprises was my coffee allergy. I had a veterinary client who was suffering from serious migraines. She was self-employed and was spending over $700/month out-of-pocket for Imitrex. I encouraged her to do The Sage Systems ( www.foodallergytest.com ) test and eat accordingly. Her migraines vanished in about 2 weeks and have not returned as of 6 months now. BUT, the interesting thing was her coffee allergy.

Suddenly, I realized that the coffee had lost its punch and even made me sleepy sometimes. I had been having some occasional GI distress/heartburn, fatigue, and headaches that I couldn't figure out. It all disppeared when I went off coffee. I drink hot tea now and it doesn't bother me at all.

Of course, this makes perfectly good sense when I think about it. We know that secondary food allergies occur as the result of the damage done to the intestinal villi by the gluten (and/or casein, soy, corn). Celiacs pre-diagnosis often times drink A LOT of coffee to counteract the depression associated with our condition. I certainly did. So, it makes sense that coffee allergy could be a factor in us. I would imagine that there are a number of celiacs who feel like they have plateaued and it is the coffee that is doing to them. It kinda falls into the "Whodathunkit" category. :)

Hope this helps someone,

John

hathor 02-19-2007 01:03 PM

Is it the coffee itself or the caffeine that is the problem? Nonherbal tea has caffeine, but less. Decaf coffee lacks the caffeine.

I've given up caffeine altogether (except the little bit that comes with chocolate) :D

mistofviolets 02-19-2007 01:37 PM

Dh used to love coffee, but now he can't drink it. He doesn't want to talk about why :P Just that it bothers his stomach. It must be bad for him to give it up! Unfortunately...he needs the caffeine when he has a migraine.

I know it was bothering me, part of the IBS diagnosis (they call it a trigger food...not an allergy :rolleyes: ) and I tested IgG moderate even though I haven't had it in years.

On another board I read that coffee allergy can be related to other legume allergies. I'm not sure there was any evidence to back that up besides the food families chart.

hathor 02-19-2007 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mistofviolets (Post 72213)
Dh used to love coffee, but now he can't drink it. He doesn't want to talk about why :P Just that it bothers his stomach. It must be bad for him to give it up! Unfortunately...he needs the caffeine when he has a migraine.

Can he take a medication with caffeine in it, like Excedrin, or even a caffeine pill?

I was just reading on a Candida site about how coffee tends to kill off the friendly bacteria in one's gut. No studies cites or anything ... it was just thrown out there. I thought I'd mention it for what it was worth. I would think with gluten intolerance, we would want all the nice bacteria we could get.

mistofviolets 02-19-2007 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hathor (Post 72350)
Can he take a medication with caffeine in it, like Excedrin, or even a caffeine pill?

Yup, he takes excedrine migraine or drinks Mountain Dew :rolleyes: Or takes a penguin mint (caffinated candy).

jennyj 02-20-2007 01:30 AM

I actually had a headache for 2 months straight when I was drinking coffee everyday a number of years ago. When I stopped drinking the coffee, the headache went away.

I seem to have problems now with anything (chocolate, tea, etc.) that has caffeine in it. They all give me headaches.

hathor 02-20-2007 09:28 AM

Oh, a headache from chocolate :icon_cry:

DogtorJ 02-20-2007 04:29 PM

Yes, there does appear to be two different issues with coffee- the allergy to the coffee bean proteins and the sensitivity to caffeine. If you put "coffee allergy" in the search, you will find a fair amount about both.

I think that I am over my caffeine sensitivity now that I have been 7 years gluten and dairy free. According to what I have read, it can take a full year for all of the casomorphins and gliadomorphins from dairy and gluten, respectively, to leave your brain and for the neurons to return to normal once these foods have been eliminated from the diet. Now I guess I'm down to the coffee allergy, since the caffeine in tea or the rare cola does not bother me at all. Gotta love those casomorphins and gliadomorphins. :)

John

simbalou 03-01-2007 12:59 PM

I am not a coffee drinker however the few times that I have drank coffee. I feel awful. My stomach gets upset and I get a headache. I always wondered if I didn't have an allergy to it. Thank goodness it it not a drink that I crave and can't get through the day without

DogtorJ 03-03-2007 10:53 PM

I would bet that coffee allergy is much more prevalent than commonly thought. Knowing what the villous atrophy/"leaky gut syndrome" sets us up for, I could easily believe that large numbers of celiacs/casein intolerants are allergic to coffee. It is sad but encouraging to think that this may be a common thing holding people back from a more complete recovery.


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