The Connection Between Celiac Disease and Depression

While depression is a complex mental condition that has a multitude of causes, there have been various links of depression to celiac disease. According to a report, people with celiac disease are actually 1.8 times more likely to develop depression than those without it, this also includes people who choose to have a gluten-free diet.

The big question here is whether there actually is a link between the two conditions, or are the cases just coincidental? Knowing the connection between the two may help the patients identify early if they have depression to go along with their celiac disease and gluten-free diet.

Celiac disease is a common condition that makes people react badly to gluten. Gluten is a well-known protein that is found in a lot of food such as wheat, grains, and rye, which are commonly found in bread, flour, malted milk, pasta, crackers, and even beer. People who have celiac disease have a reaction in their immune system that instantly rejects gluten once detected in their body. This autoimmune disease can also cause damage to the small intestine, which results in the body having a hard time absorbing nutrients from regular food.

Not only can celiac disease destroy intestinal functions, but it can also lead to other chronic illnesses such as osteoporosis, lymphoma, anemia, as well as bone density weakening. Because of this, most people who have the disease resort to adapting to a gluten-free diet so that they won’t have to contend with the effects of the condition.

What are the symptoms of depression?

While symptoms of depression may be a bit hard to spot, someone may be clinically depressed if he or she exhibits some of these symptoms:

• Sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
• Mood swings and irritability
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Appetite loss
• Anxiety or Agitation
• Feelings of guilt and self-blame
• Suicidal thoughts
• Migraines and body aches

While there may be more symptoms that one can have, these are the most common.

The connection between celiac disease and depression

After getting a better understanding of the two conditions, let’s see if there is any connection between the two. Just last September 2017, New York physician Dr. Haley Zylberbeg and her team released a study on the connection between celiac disease and depression titled Depression and insomnia among individuals with celiac disease or on a gluten-free diet in the USA: results from a national survey.

The study covers the chances of depression in patients who have celiac disease and are undergoing a gluten-free diet. In the study, data was acquired from over 22,000 participants wherein a depression and lifestyle quality criteria was used. According to the results of the survey, depression was found in 3.9% of participants with celiac disease and only 2.9% in participants who are undergoing a gluten-free diet. The study also showed that 37.7% of the participants with celiac disease and 34.1% of participants who are avoiding gluten had difficulty sleeping, which is also a symptom of depression.