My daughter has had type 1 diabetes for 18 years and was diagnosed with celiac disease about four years ago. Although she does not live at home, as far as I know, she is following the diet. When she was diagnosed, we tried to become very informed about the disease. What perplexes us is that she is very overweight. She exercises regularly and walks a lot. What else can we look into to figure out this problem she has with weight? She is also very depressed and has been on medicine for depression. Nothing seems to help. Could she be deficient in certain minerals or vitamins? Please help us to help her.

You may want to talk to her physician about the antidepressant therapy she is receiving. Some of the medications increase appetite. She may also want to talk with a dietician about her eating patterns. Does she eat when she is depressed? Does she go off the diet? Is she overtreated with her insulin? It is known that tight control of glucose causes weight gain. This does not mean she should not be well controlled with her blood sugar control, but it may allow for looking at patterns of hypoglycemia where her insulin might be adjusted. Also, not being with her does not allow you to know about her eating habits. It is true that most of the patients we see with celiac disease are not overweight. However, there are degrees of involvement. It sounds like you need a lot more information before you can determine what is contributing to her weight problem.

JTL