I couldn’t find any scientific publication on the topic of gluten sensitivity and rosacea, but if you do a search online, then you’ll find plenty of information on the topic (mostly in forums and message boards).
As it turns out, many people with rosacea wonder if their rosacea symptoms are caused by a gluten sensitivity. Some have been successful in reducing their rosacea symptoms by following a gluten-free diet. As I and others have written before, there seems to be a digestive component to rosacea.
Gluten is a protein that’s abundant in certain grains, mostly wheat, barley and rye. The gluten itself is a protein made up of two protein parts, gliadin and glutenin. The gliadin part is responsible for the abnormal immune reaction that causes gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.
Between 0.5 and 1% of the world’s population suffers from gluten-sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity is not the same as a gluten allergy. The gluten proteins of corn and rice lack the gliadin part and do therefore not cause any sensitivity.
The immune system’s overreaction to wheat’s gluten causes celiac disease, in which the lining of the small intestine becomes chronically inflamed.
Symptoms of celiac disease include chronic diarrhea, cramps, bloating, fatigue and malabsorption of essential nutrients, which could result in secondary symptoms such as psychological and neurological problems.
The gluten sensitivity makes it difficult for the body to absorb vitamins, in particular vitamin D. This could explain the possible involvement of vitamin D in rosacea and autism that I described recently. Many children with autism have seen their symptoms improve after staring a gluten-free diet.
Whether a potential gluten sensitivity is involved in the development of rosacea symptoms, it is possible that the inflammation of the intestines contributes to an overall stronger inflammatory response in the facial skin of rosacea patients.
While there are many rosacea trigger factors, pizza (loaded with gluten and histamine) is one food that probably should be limited in your diet if you have rosacea.
These products help with rosacea:
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Additional Reading
- The Storm Before The Calm: Why Some People Get Temporarily Worse … – by Elaine Fawcett, MJ, NTP. It seems like a dirty trick. You’ve learned you’re gluten intolerant and are hoping a gluten-free diet will cure your eczema, diarrhea, or whatever niggling health malady vexes you. …
Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels
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Comments (16)
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Sam
I can directly link rosacea to gluten and soy. Removing those from diet got rid of the red stuff and loads of other symptoms.
Gluten and soy are both inflammatory in my case and that has caused everything from arthritis to acne to hives.
Robin
did any of you have rosacea with broken capillaries on your face, and flushing/blushing? If you did have broken capillaries did they go away with the rosacea after going gluten free? thank you, i have been getting IPL done and it only makes the broken capillaries go away temporarily so far, I am wondering if I have a gluten intolerance and I think I am going to try a GF diet to see if this will help, but the broken veins on my face absolutley drive me nuts.
Kathy
I tried a gluten free diet because it was recommended to help with uterine fibroids. I still can’t determine whether there was any benefit in that sense, but within two weeks my rosacea cleared up. I slacked off for awhile and the rosacea flared up again. I have since stayed off the gluten for about 4 months and am mostly clear of any kind of pimples or redness. I say mostly, because I do have ‘periodical’ small whiteheads, which I believe are related to hormonal action. I have recently cut chocolate out of my diet to see if it will get rid of this last bit of pimpling.
rosacea dieet
I’m doing an alkaline diet for about two years now, it has helped me very much. Since I am looking for gluten in foods and avoiding them, my symptoms are almost gone. Unbelievable!
My doctor told me it was incurable, thanks doc!
Alice Rodriguez
Isn’t it funny how this comes about? 1st I quit drinking (March), then I started sauna and epsom salt (detox, I needed it!). My g-free daughter came home soon after so out went most wheat. By June I started looking at my face wondering what was going on, the ‘flush’ was gone. In July, my skin got better and better. I was sitting on my bed cross-legged and realized: I am healed. There are some really good posts and websites out there of really excited people, who know that their diet is important. Bottom line? No processed food, nothing out of a can or jar!
Cary Hahn
After two weeks no more rosacea, less fatigue, less cramps. Just feel much better!
Shelley
Mike, I had rosacea for almost 20 years, I went gluten free and noticed a difference within a week or two. I would get stinging and extreme blushing and itchy bumps. Once I went GF the bumps, stinging and itchy went away. My face is still red, but less so now. Also, try Neem Oil. A little goes a long way but that has really improved my skin. Good luck!
Chuck West
I went 40 years with big red bumps and bad acne before I went on an elimination diet and figured out it was gluten. I can forget about restaurants now but who care? My skin looks a LOT better and I feel like a new person. Trust me, learn to avoid Gluten and your Rosacea will get better.
Megan
I’m starting to suspect that I have gluten sensitivity: after a mostly-strict GF diet for a few months, I indulged in breads and such over 2 separate weekends. A few days after these glutened weekends, the red postules resurfaced. Fun times! ;)
Mike
For those who reduced or eliminated gluten from your diet, and saw a positive response to your Rosacea, how long (days/weeks/months) would you say it took to witness a noticeable difference?
Laura
I, too, have both rosacea and celiac and wonder about the connection. Rosacea seems to be linked to inflammation and my whole body was messed up from gluten- the protein in gluten made my whole body inflammed. Joints ached, back pain, canker sores, etc. My rosacea didn’t clear up right away…it took about 2-3 years after going gluten-free, but I have no other explanation. I was diagnosed with rosacea almost 15 years ago and went GF in 2007. I use metrogel but not daily anymore. My skin is very smooth although I still have some redness, but no bumps. I also still flush and blush a lot but that could be my Irish coloring (pale skin, blue eyes).
Thanks for the blog post.
Marcel
It is still strange that their isn’t a scientific proof of the connection between gluten and rosacea.
On the other hand, I think that their isn’t much profit forr the medical industry. Otherwise they would have done research on this topic.
But anyhow, the most important thing is that we now know that their is a connection between gluten and rosacea. You helped a lot of people with your article, and that counts.
Robin
I suffered with rosacea for years. I stopped eating gluten about two months ago and the red bumps are gone! I never ever thought of the connection.
andrea
I had a blush for a few years that I thought was extreme topical sensitivity. One weekend in 2008 I did a fasting cleanse and suddenly my skin was creamy and white with absolutely no redness. A year later I found an integrative physician, and a nutrionist who identified me as gluten intolerant (all tests for wheat allergy were negative). By this point I had almost no vitamin D in my tisses (normal range is 17-34, mine was 7)
Its a struggle to stay off gluten. It requires a lot of planning, but it is worth it. Trust your instincts. Your body tells you many things, don’t ignore them.
Janet
I also have gluten sensitivity and rosacea. I was wondering if there was a connection between the two.
John Lafferty
There are another set of symptoms of celiac disease for some people, dermatitis herpetiformis. See celiac.com
I also have a chemical sensitivity to shampoo from the smell (weakens my muscles and makes my nerves more sensitive) and a problem with rosacea on my nose. I have noticed that my nose feels oily and smooth after washing my hair.
I am so excited to learn that Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Laureth Sulphate cause rosacea in some people with sensitive skin.
But I am curious that I have the combination of over exposure to sun as a child, PTSD, celiac disease, and a chemical sensitivity to shampoo. Hard to figure if there is a single cause with this combination. But perhaps a correlation?