“Celiac disease and drinking?”
I have had celiac disease for 15 years. I never eat gluten because I am highly sensitive! I have constant diarrhea, IBS, ulcers, headaches, ataxia, chronic fatigue, etc. This is daily! Does alcohol absorb differently for those with severe celiac disease. I drink very little but recently I had 2 shots of Tequila and hours later I had a flat tire. I called the police and low and behold I had a BAC that was extremely high. Does my body absorb alcohol differently than those without celiac disease? I am extremely depressed because of this and I don’t understand, please help me!
Female | 65 years old
1 Answer
If your celiac is well controlled by a strict gluten free diet, then your nutrient absorption in the small intestine will be normal - no better or no worse than anyone else. If you follow a strict GFD then your celiac should be controlled and should not cause any symptoms. What you are describing may have nothing to do with celiac, especially if the celiac is well controlled (this can be confirmed with evaluation by a GI physician with antibody testing and confirmation of normal small bowel biopsy). Having celiac does not change your ability to absorb alcohol. Remember that women in general process alcohol differently than men and thus may have higher alcohol levels despite the same amount ingested. One alcoholic drink for a man is like 2 for a woman.
