While the claim that constipation caused by celiac disease can lead to depression may be a little bold there may be some truth to this. One of the celiac disease symptoms for some people is constipation. Depression is another possible consequence of facing any sort of gluten intolerance, whether it is celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
The connection between the two issues may not be entirely clear yet, but the constipation caused by celiac disease is often accompanied by a malabsorption of nutrients, which can cause a deficiency in certain nutrients. Nutritional deficiencies have been linked to depression, so there may be a connection in this area.
In addition constipation can be very uncomfortable and on top of all the other symptoms the person may be experiencing it can lead to a discouraging feeling that can turn to depression. This can be especially true when combined with the thought of having to follow a life long gluten elimination diet to treat the problem. Many people initially feel overwhelmed by the thought of living gluten-free and this can cause anxiety and stress, which can also lead to depression.
Read Celiac Disease Constipation Leads to Celiac Depression?
The more I learn about gluten intolerance and the more I hear about the experiences others have had with this condition, the more it makes me question things like celiac depression. After all celiac disease can create such a significant change in the biology of the body and the way it absorbs nutrients it’s only natural to question the full effects of these changes.
It makes sense that if the body is absorbing less nutrients from food because of damage done by celiac disease that it could impact brain functioning in some way. The other issue that may connect celiac disease and depression is the strict lifestyle that is necessary to properly treat this condition. Many people feel anxious or depressed about having to adapt to and continually live such a restrictive lifestyle. Food is important to us and many of us eat foods that traditionally contain gluten as comfort food.
There have been studies on the relationship between gluten intolerance and depression. Some studies look at people with celiac disease who aren’t following a gluten-free diet and some look at people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance who are following a gluten-free diet. As you can read the results are mixed so they aren’t really conclusive, but there seems to be at least some connection between depression and celiac disease, whether it is physical or psychological.
Read Celiac Depression
