Elevated Liver Enzymes, Anemia, Peripheral Neuropathy Could It Be Due to Gluten Found In Wheat.

Do you suffer with numbness?, tingling in hands and feet?, burning or sharp pain as if you are stepping on tacks? Chronic or frequent Headaches? what about anxiety, depression?

If you have elevated liver enzymes or anemia (low iron) showing up in your blood work, you should be highly suspicious of a condition called gluten sensitivity.

Gluten intolerance, largely a genetic disorder can cause many health challenges. People who suffer with bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea, fatigue, weight gain, bone or joint pain, dental enamel defects, depression, infertility, anemia, alopecia areata (hair loss), migraines, multiple sclerosis (MS), psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or any of the dozens of other symptoms should suspect their malady to be connected to gluten intolerance.

Elevated liver enzymes may indicate inflammation or damage to cells in the liver.

Inflamed or injured liver cells leak higher than normal amounts of certain chemicals, including liver enzymes, into the bloodstream, which can result in elevated liver enzymes on blood tests. Two common liver enzymes regularly tested in most blood chemistries include AST (aspartate transaminase) and ALT (Alanine transaminase). AST (aspartate aminotransferase), which was previously called SGOT, can also be elevated in heart and muscle diseases and is not liver specific. The normal range of AST is 0 to 45 U/L . ALT (alanine aminotransferase), which was previously called SGPT, is more specific for liver damage. The normal range of ALT is 0 to 45 U/L

Besides these two enzymes, the liver produces other enzymes, which are special protein based molecules that help necessary chemical reactions to take place. Liver enzymes trigger activity in the body’s cells, speeding up and facilitating naturally occurring biochemical reactions, and maintaining various metabolic processes within the liver.

I regularly see patients who have high liver enzymes of “unknown etiology”, which simply means the cause has not been discovered.

One common sign of gluten intolerance is elevated liver enzymes. Elevated liver enzymes can lead to additional damage to other parts of the body outside the liver if the cause of the elevated enzymes is not discovered.

Recently an older diabetic man came to our office frustrated with conventional medicine. I was explaining to him our approach, the testing we use in our office and how food sensitivities can be a major cause of many symptoms associated with Diabetes and Neuropathy. He had gone on to inform me that he had elevated liver enzymes as long as he could remember. He had been tested for celiac disease which he did not have, but he was not properly tested for gluten intolerance.

You can learn more here about the type of testing we use in our office for Neuropathy Patients who we suspect a gluten sensitivity here.

The latest numbers indicate that as many as 1 in every 5 people have some form of gluten-sensitivity.

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2010 Jun;14(6):567-72

As you could probably imagine when his testing came back 3 weeks later – he was severely gluten intolerant. This patient began our Neurometabolic dietary recovery, began taking the prescribed supplements, and eliminated gluten.

In one month on following our guidelines, his liver enzymes came down into the normal range, the first time since his liver enzymes have been tested many, many years ago!

Unfortunately most doctors still use tests that are outdated and inaccurate for gluten sensitivity testing. At The Naperville Institute For NeuroMetabolic Solutions we use the most advanced, state-of-the-art testing gluten intolerance.

The tests we use include testing for genes that predispose one to celiac sprue and gluten intolerance, as well as a special test that measures ones sensitivity to several component of wheat.

In the past testing for Gluten Sensitivity has only been against one components (epitopes) of wheat; alpha gliadin.

Through extensive research Cyrex Labs, pinpointed the twelve components of wheat that most often provoke an immune response.

Learn more about this specialized testing, especially if you have unexplained elevated liver enzymes.

Gluten Sensitivity Does Not always cause Gastrointestinal disturbances.

When we think of gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity most people will say, “I don’t have a problem with gluten” I can eat gluten and I have no bloating, stomach cramps or pain. What you don’t realize is that digestive disturbances are only one manifestations of a gluten sensitivity. People who have gluten sensitivity may also suffer with bone or joint pain, dental enamel defects, depression, infertility, anemia, hair loss, migraines, multiple sclerosis (MS), psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis. If you have any of these conditions coupled with mildly elevated liver enzymes you should contact our office.