Hello everyone!

I'm new here, so I hope I'm posting this in the correct place... =P And I just want to say that this board is such a great place of information!

I have been recently diagnosed with vitamin D and vitamin B12 deficiency. My doctor tells me that since these are rare to have a deficiency in, especially in my age group (I'm 19) he thinks that I may have some type of gluten intolerance, which is causing the vitamins to not be absorbed. So I am now supposed to be living gluten-free, which is why I'm here now!

I haven't noticed any stomach issues on my current diet, so there is no way of me knowing if I've really eaten any gluten by accident. I am currently taking prescribed vitamins, and I am (trying) to stay on a gluten-free diet, but how will I know whether the gluten is affecting me or not? And does gluten usually affect the absorption of vitamins?

Welcome to the board!

Firstly, there are many other symptoms of gluten intolerance besides stomach related ones. The main one I noticed from eating gluten was a dry mouth, but there was a boat load of other things I just didn't notice before, or simply attributed to something else. Once I went gluten-free, loads of things started clearing up for the first time in my life. I just didn't notice them as they had always been there, so it was like just a "normal" part of life (so I thought).

As for the nutrient deficiencies, Celiac does often cause malabsorption of various nutrients. I'd suggest taking magnesium too, because it helps with a lot of stuff including the assimilation of other nutrients! So your other deficiencies might be addressed far better with an extra amount of magnesium.

Other than that, stay on the gluten-free diet. Don't "cheat". Give it time and watch for improvements in ways you might never expect.

Couldn't agree more RiceGuy.. but there is one important fact with the Vitamin D deficiency, if you're not absorbing Vitamin D you are not getting the full value of any of the "C's", such as Vitamin C and Calcium which can lead to Degenerative Bone and Disk Disease, Osteopenia and Osteoporosis.

The reason that I bring it up is that if Maika has the deficiency D her doctor should be checking the C's as they can lead to Degenerative Bone and Disk Disease and Osteoporosis. I am currently suffering with Degenerative Bone and Disk Disease and Osteopenia.

At 56 years old it is literally crippling me and my Rheumatologist has run test and all come back showing that the Degenerative Bone and Disk Disease and Osteopenia is genetic in nature. If at 19 I had knowledge of having Celiac's and knowing that Celiac's is contributory to the Degenerative Bone and Disk Disease and Osteoporosis I would have made sure that I was absorbing D, C and Calcium.