A low nickel diet may be helpful for refractory Celiac Disease symptoms, according to this new study, published in the journal Nutrients. Especially if other contributors such as positive food IgE, SIBO, IBD, H pylori, and lactose intolerance have been ruled out and correct adherence to a gluten-free diet is ensured.
Interesting points from this paper:
- Nickel allergic contact mucositis may have a prevalence of >30 percent in the general population (according to European data; can be diagnosed by a nickel oral mucosa patch test)
- In this study group, a low nickel diet, in addition to gluten exclusion, improved 20 out of the 24 measured symptoms, 10 of which were statistically significant
- Dietary nickel content may be increased in the average gluten-free diet due to the increased consumption of higher-nickel foods such as corn
- Nickel allergic contact mucositis, linked to the ingestion of nickel-rich foods, has been previously linked to IBS-like disorders as well as extraintestinal symptoms
Beneficial Effects of a Low-Nickel Diet on Relapsing IBS-Like and Extraintestinal Symptoms of Celiac Patients during a Proper Gluten-Free Diet: Nickel Allergic Contact Mucositis in Suspected Non-Responsive Celiac Disease
Author: Kara Fitzgerald, ND
https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/ Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book titled Younger You as well as a companion cookbook, Better Broths and Healing Tonics and has an application-based Younger You Program, based on the study.
Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Nutrition Residency program, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
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