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How long should I eat gluten before doing the antibody and IgA serum tests?

Posted , 10 users are following.

kristal9
kristal9

I did some experimenting with diet on my own, and it confirmed my suspicion that I have some gluten sensitivity, at the least.

I have been almost totally gluten free for two weeks, and after a week I started getting some wonderful changes in my mood, clarity of thought and energy level. I still have some anxiety and depression symptoms, but the difference is dramatic. They greatly lessened.

Today I got in to see my GP, and I asked to do the three blood tests that point to celiac. I know that I must be eating gluten every day to get accurate results on these.

I have only been gluten free for two weeks, but I was reducing it and testing what happened when I ate it after not eating it for a day or two. I wanted to see if I could track a good correlation, and I did.

So, have I been off gluten long enough to get false results on these tests? If so, for how many days should I eat gluten before having them done?

I asked my doc these questions, but she did not know, unfortunately sad So I am hoping to get some helpful info here.

I want to find out what is going on with my tummy and my anxiety and my terrible fatigue. So I want some accurate clinical info. Then maybe I can do something about it.

I appreciate your help smile

2 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • kristal9
    kristal9

    Posted

    I should clarify this: "I have only been gluten free for two weeks, but I was reducing it and testing what happened when I ate it after not eating it for a day or two. I wanted to see if I could track a good correlation, and I did. "

    What I should have said is that I have been gluten free for about two weeks, but I was experimenting with reducing it for almost three weeks before that. I would eat less of it and watch what happened, and in the last week and a half I would go gluten free for a day or two and then eat some pasta. I wanted to see if there was an obvious relationship between diet, digestive problems and mood and energy level, and there was. That was when I decided to go off it for a while to see what happened. In a week my fatigue greatly lessened, and so did my GAD and depression symptoms. My digestive problems have been improving more gradually but still very noticeably over the last two weeks, too.

  • christine86556
    christine86556

    Posted

    I'm in a similar position to you at the moment, however I have been lucky enough to be referred to a dietician. She has recommended that I reintroduce gluten for 6 weeks and get tested after that. Three days in with only small amounts of gluten in my diet, and I'm feeling rather cack. All in a good cause I suppose, but I fear it's going to be a long 6 weeks...
  • perplexed
    perplexed

    Posted

    The advice from Coeliac UK is that you need to be eating gluten for a minimum of six weeks before tests. And the equivalent of at least four slices of bread.
  • pinkpegasus
    pinkpegasus kristal9

    Posted

    Dear Kristal, and others who may be in a similar situation:

    According to an article I just read, you don't need to eat gluten if it has been less than six months since you went gluten free. This is because it takes between 6-18 months for your IgG-gliadin antibody levels to go down after you stop eating gluten.

    You can read the whole article here: http://drrodneyford.com/faq/bloods-tests/gluten-blood-tests.html

    • texman
      texman pinkpegasus

      Posted

      pingpegasus - the section you are quoting from drrodneyford is for IgG-gliadin testing which is not used for coeliac detection but for gluten sensitivity (aka food intolerance testing).

      The OP is referring to coeliac tests (EMA, tTG)  which require you to eat gluten for 6 weeks or so.

  • pinkpegasus
    pinkpegasus kristal9

    Posted

    I just read another article, and this one was an actual study where they took people with confirmed celiac disease, had them go gluten free, and tested their serum levels 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after going gluten free. Their antibodies fell sharply after only one month, and continued to decline.

    Conclusion: The longer you have been gluten free, the greater the chance that a blood test could give a false negative. After 1 month gluten free, it seems the chances of a false negative are 25-50%. On a positive note, this is really good news, because it means that you may begin to experience relief from your symptoms after a relatively short time.

  • linchris
    linchris kristal9

    Posted

    hi im having the same dilema i went on a gluten free diet for 3 weeks and became a new woman now have had the test and awaiting the results,i wondered how long i had to eat gluten to get a true reading ,but dont want to go back feeling so ill
    • amanda76947
      amanda76947 linchris

      Posted

      Hi.. IV had the same with my 3 year old son. Took him of gluten for near 2 weeks and doc told me to start flute for a week before his blood tests. We only managed 3 1/2 days and had to get blood tests done early because he was constantly throwing up for these days. The lady that did the test said that he should be ok the antibodys don't dissapear immidiatly after going gluten free they would have reduced slightly but not gone. Good luck with your results x
  • FA54321
    FA54321 kristal9

    Posted

    Hi Kristal,

    You need to be eating gluten for at least 6 weeks prior to blood testing for coeliac disease, but these blood tests are not always reliable and you may get a false negative.  After you have had blood tests, you need to have an endoscopy where they take biopsies which will confirm your condition (if you have it) as this is the most reliable way of finding out if you have coeliac disease.  If your doctor does not know enough about coeliac disease, perhaps you could see another doctor that has more knowledge on the subject, but if not, perhaps you could take in some information provided by Coeliac UK, they will give the doctor all the help he or she needs on this subject.  

    I know now six weeks may sound like a long time and it may be difficult, it is important to get a correct diagnosis, as it will be well worth it in the long run.  Good luck.

    • maria73it
      maria73it FA54321

      Posted

      But can you tell me how much gluten per day before the test? I also did the stupid thing to stop gluten before doing any tests (well I just did the intolerance blood test) and now I just want to be sure it's not the celiace disease...I feel much better without gluten and I noticed immediately the first 2 weeks then I went on eating a little bit of gluten almost everyday for two months and now I wanted to try the test but I understood I have to eat gluten really everyday for 6 weeks. But how much? I'm also afraid to feel bad....I didn't have any diarrea or vomit but I felt bloated and some frequent bellyache and stomachache. I just did the tTG test but after 3 weeks being gluten freee. useless....also if the genetic test is negative, you can surely say that you doesn't have celiac disease? The other thing is that I had very low VitaminD (but now is ok after 6 months of medication) and my ferritin is quite close to the minimum even after taking iron (but blood Hemoglobin  is all ok). Thanks!

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