Vague Nagging Feeling

Well, it was anyway- now I'm really kind of concerned.

A suspected zombie friend of mine told me last week that he is back on Atkins. We both were doing it when I was still working. Anyhow, for some reason it troubled me and I just realized why.

One of the saving graces of Narcolepsy is that the orexin cells are glucose sensitive. Some of them are highly sensitive and therefore shut down before the antibodies can infiltrate them and kill them. This leaves at least a few of them surviving. (Please see the cataplexy section of my Narcolepsy paper for a more thorough explanation.)

I suspect that if you lower your blood sugars enough, those extra-sensitive cells don't shut down as often and are then susceptible to antibody damage. In general a low-carb diet restricts gluten, but not completely. Many low carb items contain small amounts of gluten- like salad dressings or soy sauce. This is enough to trigger your immune system to produce substantial quantities of antibodies.

So, although your symptoms may improve- if you are gluten intolerant, it may be that restricting your carbs without eliminating gluten may be even more catastrophic over the long term.
Now that I think of it- this may have been a contributing factor in my dementia...

Anyhow, I can't say for sure, but it's definitely something to consider.