Is it possible that there is a link between KP and an allergy or intolerance to lactose or gluten? I have talked with a variety of people and seen posts that make me wonder if that is why so many people have a problem with keratin buildup.

I guess I always viewed myself as really healthy, I drink alot of milk and love dairy products, and I love bread and pasta. Well, one group is all lactose, and gluten (wheat) is found in almost every processed food like cookies, crackers, bread, cakes etc.

I am wondering if there are individuals out there that follow a gluten free diet or a lactose free diet and their KP cleared up! I have a coworker who commented on my arms and said her and her daughter had that before swiching to a gluten free diet.

We should look into it further.

I tend to break-out if I eat egg products. I don't notice any reaction to baked goods, but a fried egg, frittata, omlet, etc. I'll have noticable rough, scaly, bumpy patches on my arms and legs. I don't much care for dairy (I have to force myself to eat yogurt and cottage cheese to get some calicum), so I drink soy milk, and soy based products. I'm sure there is a dietary connection, but I think it differs from person to person, much like the varied results from products or techniques.

Here is list of foods containing gluten in addition to breads etc. made of wheat or flour.

The following ingredients should not be consumed. They are derived from prohibited grains:

• Barley
• Malt or malt flavoring (can be made from barley)
• Malt vinegar (made from barley)
• Rye
• Triticale
• Wheat (durum, graham, semolina, kamut, spelt)

Additional components frequently overlooked that often contain gluten:

• Breading, Coating mixes, Panko
• Broth, Soup bases
• Brown rice syrup
• Candy – ex: Licorice, some Chocolates
• Croutons
• Flour or cereal products
• Imitation bacon
• Imitation seafood
• Marinades
• Pastas
• Processed luncheon meats
• Sauces, Gravies
• Self-basting poultry
• Soy sauce or soy sauce solids
• Stuffing, Dressing
• Thickeners (Roux)
• Communion wafers
• Herbal supplements
• Drugs & Over-the-Counter Medications
• Nutritional Supplements Vitamins & Mineral Supplements
• Playdough: A potential problem if hands are put on or in the mouth while playing with playdough or are not washed after use.

Gluten or a form of gluten is found in alot of processed foods so although you may not think you consume alot of it, it is difficult to know for sure unless you intentionally cut all gluten from your diet. I just know how many things my coworker cannot eat because of gluten.

Anyway, interesting and something to look into!

I know that my KP is "angry" after I have dairy products for sure. Not so sure about the gluteon products. I have tried to stay away from dairy, but living in the dairy state it is hard to do. My worst KP outbreaks seem to be after meals with dairy. So, yes I do think for some of us diet is a big issue.

*** KP as a Symptom ***


I would like to clear up two things ahead of time:
One, I have posted this... um... post in a couple of other forums risking awkward redundancy... I did it not to convince anyone of my theory, but to encourage discussion.
Second, I am NOT a doctor or a nurse, nor have I had any training in any medical field. I am a curious consumer and KP-sufferer. I HAVE read up on all of the conditions I mention here, but only via some medical newsletters, websites, and sources of that nature; I can hardly be deemed "an expert."

Brief/tedious history: I have had KP my whole life. I get it from my mom's side of the family, along with allergies and some digestive and anxiety problems. Since I found this website a few months ago, I have been doing research off and on (along with many other posters, lol) on the possible internal causes of KP. So many connections between seeminginly automonous conditions have been found by different people. It's wonderful, but vexingly confusing, too... In addition to my KP, an aggravating but purely asthetic condition, I have been looking for a reason behind my chronic fatigue of 6 years (which is, I know for sure, partially stress-induced). Could the two issues be connected? I'm starting to suspect so...
Along with other members of this site, I have lately been under the impression that KP is caused by nutritional deficiences/imbalances. It seems that the vitamins and minerals most associated with this condition are vitmamins A and C, and the ever-connected calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D (but supplementation of these nutrients does not always do the trick!!). Even more complicated is what is specifically causing the nutrient imbalance.

1. Gaps in a poor diet. If you're not eating the right foods, your body isn't receiving the correct nutrients. Evidence: Some posters on here have mentioned that they have seen an improvement in their KP by improving their diet (more fruits and veggies, less bad fats, and all that). Also, some have mentioned that supplements, especially fish or flaxseed oil, and a balanced calcium/vitmain D supplement has helped.

2. Lack of sunlight. Sunlight produces a certain kind of vitamin D, which helps utilize calcium in the body. Evidence: A few people on this forum have posted how, after moving to a more Northern climate, their KP worsened - or simply started. The opposite is true for another poster who moved to New Zealand and began to receive a lot of sun.

3. Imbalance of hormones. From what I have read and doctors have told me, hormones help to regulate various processes in your body, as well as utilize some vitamins and minerals. Evidence: There have been a number of testemonies given on this forum hailing the clearing effects of a progesterone cream, or ingested bio-identical progesterone. In addition, many people see KP clear up as they become an adult, after leaving the hormonal period that is adolescenance. Finally, an even greater of amount of women on here have explained how severe their KP became upon becoming pregnant and beginning to lactate (when there is a greater need, and often a greater deficiency, or calcium, etc.) - both conditions controlled by an extreme amount of hormones.

4. Damage of the gut due to certain food allergies. The villi of the small intestines are in charge of bringing in nutrients from your food to the cells in your body. If the villi are damaged (often the result of an intolerance to certain foods - most notably gluten for Celiac Disease sufferers) the body does not get the nutrients it needs. Vitamins D and the minerals calcium and megnesium are, in what I have read, often the first listed among those nutrients unable to be brought into the body by the villi. Evidence: There are many people on this forum who have reported allergies. Damage to the villi by food intolerances can lead to allergies, just as they are caused by allergies. Dietary changes (often the cutting back or exclusion dairy and/or bread products) have been reported to have good results. I have also read that those suffering from Celiac Disease who began the gluten-free diet saw a change in their KP (if they had it) in 3 months time (as the villi heals).

So, there you go, my theory. I have been suspecting that I have Celiac disease for awhile now (which could explain just about everything), and am waiting to hear back from my immunologist about a blood test I just had done. I tried an elimination diet, in which I went off wheat and dairy for about two weeks, then incorporated dairy back into my diet, followed the next week by wheat. I noticed no real difference physically - certainly none in my KP. BUT it does take a long time for your body to "get over" the effects if gluten if one has an intolerance to it, so I may try going off gluten (and possibly dairy) for a couple of months to see if there in a change in my skin and/or my quality of life. I will let you know!

Peace to all!

Namaste,
GreenBean

Celiac disease is known to cause extremely dry skin as well as other skin conditions. The damage it causes to the small intestine prevents absorbtion of essential fatty acids. Your body needs these acids to create sebum for the oil glands within the hair follicle.

The build-up of keratin in the hair follicle is caused by a lack of sebum(oil) production. Sebum is responsible for carrying keratin cells to the skin surface and creating a constant acidic environment for proper skin exfoliation. This is why KP skin is always dry.

I don't think that it causes KP, but it could possibly make the condition worse.

Oh my - this is all starting to add up now. See my other reply on "I've hit a breakthrough".

If you were to follow Michel Montignac's diet, you would exclude refined flours and bad fats etc - all found in cookies, crackers, bread, cakes etc as well was minimising your milk intake to skimmed and minimal measures.

I'm so getting myself back on that diet.

I also am exceptionally intolerant to caffeine, used to vomit up milk as a child, have geographic tongue which is exacerbated by too much citric acid, have periodic bouts of angio odema (swelling of lips - allergy tests revealed nothing).

Yet I had none of the above on the Montignac Diet. Penny has finally dropped.

If I'm eating **** - ie not following Montignac - my tongue is bad, I have headaches and migraines, stomach cramps, diarrhoea at least twice a week, hives, lip swelling episodes, heavy periods .. and KP ... and I get fat. All these things in isolation don't majorly affect my life and I just have never lumped them together. But writing them all down here is quite revealing.

http://www.montignac.com/en/