Gaining Weight When You Are Both Celiac and Underweight

Evaluate your diet and bulk up your protein and fat intake

Woman weighing herself on scale

Westend61 / Getty Images

Table of Contents
View All
Table of Contents

Although some people who are diagnosed with celiac disease are a normal weight or overweight at the time of diagnosed, some are also underweight. For them, gaining enough weight can sometimes be a challenge.

Overview

A majority of children and adults that are diagnosed with celiac disease are usually at a normal weight when diagnosed. However, some children and adults can be overweight or obese which can complicate a diagnosis. On the other hand, some people with undiagnosed or diagnosed celiac disease can be underweight or have a low body mass index (BMI).

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a dated, biased measure that doesn’t account for several factors, such as body composition, ethnicity, race, gender, and age. 

Despite being a flawed measure, BMI is widely used today in the medical community because it is an inexpensive and quick method for analyzing potential health status and outcomes. 

People who are underweight are at higher risk for malnutrition and osteoporosis, both of which already are issues for those with celiac disease. So what can you do if you have celiac disease and are having trouble gaining weight? Courtney Schuchmann, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., a dietitian at the University of Chicago Medicine who works with people who have celiac disease, tells Verywell that there are multiple steps you can take to help gain weight, plus some additional medical concerns you may need to rule out.

Weight and Celiac Disease

Celiac disease damages your small intestine, making you unable to absorb nutrients. This damage occurs when you ingest gluten, a protein found in the grains wheat, barley, and rye. Therefore, to halt the intestinal damage and begin to absorb nutrients again, people with celiac disease need to follow a strict gluten-free diet.

Still, although the stereotypical vision of a person with celiac disease pictures that person as rail-thin or emaciated due to celiac-related malnutrition, this picture may not be accurate. In a 2015 study, researchers sought out to estimate how many people are overweight, normal weight, or underweight at the time of diagnosis. Their study involved 210 adolescent and adult patients. Of that group, 76 (36.2%) were underweight, 115 (54.8%) were normal weight, 13 (6.2%) were overweight, and 6 (2.9%) were obese.

That matches with what Schuchmann sees in practice. She says dietitians typically watch people with celiac disease who are underweight at diagnosis begin to put on weight as they start eating gluten-free and their intestinal villi begin to heal.

"These individuals begin to better absorb their nutrition and specifically calories," she says. In most cases, those with celiac who are underweight don't need to do anything special to gain weight—it happens naturally. But a few people need extra help, she says.

Gaining Weight

Typically, if a person with celiac disease doesn't gain weight after a few months of being on a strict gluten-free diet, Schuchmann says she considers "a more vigorous approach to weight gain."

The first step, she says, is to make sure that person really is eating gluten-free, since eating gluten-containing foods or even just eating food that's been cross-contaminated with gluten can keep the intestinal villi from healing, contributing to ongoing symptoms and malnutrition.

Once she's addressed gluten ingestion, Schuchmann recommends the following weight-gain strategies for those who are underweight:

  • Increasing caloric intake with nutrient-dense foods that are higher in fat, such as gluten-free flaxseed, chia seed, avocado, cheese, nuts, and seeds. Since fat has more calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein, this can help increase the number of calories you're eating without increasing the overall amount of food.
  • Increasing the amount of protein-rich foods you eat, such as Greek yogurt, eggs, lean meats, cheese, nuts, seeds, and protein shakes made with gluten-free protein powder. This can help you keep and build your lean muscle mass.
  • Consider adding nutritional shakes if you're really struggling. Gluten-free options include Ensure and Boost ready-to-drink products.

People following this program can expect to gain about 1 to 2 pounds per week, or a minimum of 4 pounds in a month, Schuchmann says.

Gluten Cross-Contamination

People with celiac disease who continue to ingest gluten (even in trace amounts) may delay or prevent the healing of their small intestine, and may prevent themselves from gaining weight. There are several ways you can put yourself at risk for this problem, Schuchmann says:

"Every individual with celiac disease has a different level of sensitivity to cross-contamination and the level or amount of gluten ingested, and the impact it will have on symptoms, gut healing, and weight management issues," Schuchmann says. "Anyone with difficulty gaining weight and persistent symptoms should re-evaluate their diet and lifestyle to minimize gluten ingestion as much as possible."

A Word From Verywell

If you're having trouble gaining weight despite following the advice of your doctor and dietitian, there may be something else going on. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition, and those with one autoimmune condition are at higher risk for developing related autoimmune conditions.

Specifically, celiac disease is linked with both thyroid disease and diabetes, both of which can contribute to problems gaining or losing weight. Therefore, you may need some additional testing if you just can't seem to gain weight.

Finally, a very small percentage of people with celiac disease who fail to gain weight despite a careful gluten-free diet actually may have refractory celiac disease, a condition in which your small intestine does not heal even though you're eating gluten-free. Refractory celiac disease also causes ongoing symptoms, such as diarrhea.

Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about this—for most people who experience ongoing symptoms and problems with their weight, the cause is hidden gluten in their diets or another medical condition, not refractory celiac disease, which is extremely rare.

8 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Capriati T, Francavilla R, Ferretti F, Castellaneta S, Ancinelli M, Diamanti A. The overweight: a rare presentation of celiac diseaseEur J Clin Nutr. 2016;70(2):282-284. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2015.169

  2. Lim J, Park HS. Relationship between underweight, bone mineral density and skeletal muscle index in premenopausal Korean women. Int J Clin Pract. 2016 Jun;70(6):462-8. doi:10.1111/ijcp.12801.

  3. MedlinePlus. Celiac disease - sprue.

  4. Singh I, Agnihotri A, Sharma A, Verma AK, Das P, Thakur B, Sreenivas V, Gupta SD, Ahuja V, Makharia GK. Patients with celiac disease may have normal weight or may even be overweight. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2016 Jan;35(1):20-4. doi:10.1007/s12664-016-0620-9

  5. Celiac Disease Foundation. Hidden gluten in restaurant foods labeled 'gluten-free'.

  6. Celiac Disease Foundation. Autoimmune disorders.

  7. Kurien M, Mollazadegan K, Sanders DS, Ludvigsson JF. Celiac disease increases risk of thyroid disease in patients with type 1 diabetes: A nationwide cohort study. Diabetes Care. 2016 Mar;39(3):371-5. doi: 10.2337/dc15-2117

  8. National Organization for Rare Disorders. Refractory celiac disease.

By Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet.