Kiwi weightlifter Charlotte Moss says people need to take coeliac disease seriously after it left her very ill.
Coeliac causes an autoimmune response in suffers guts that attack the villi in the small intestine, meaning nutrients cannot be processed properly.
Ms Moss told The AM Show while the symptoms differ for everyone, her coeliac left her with extreme fatigue, acid reflux and her hair falling out.
"They weren't even looking for it for me, I was just having lots of tests because I was really sick and then the [gastroenterologist] decided to go down into my gut," she said.
"Most people would get a blood test from the doctor first and then go and get the camera down your throat."
Other symptoms include bowel issues, bloating or feeling sick.
Ms Moss said the best treatment for coeliac is to completely cut gluten out of your diet and if sufferers keep eating it long term they can do serious damage to bones and increase their chances of getting cancer.
"It's a very serious condition, it can be easily treated but it is really important that we don't have contamination of foods," she said.
"Just like the tiniest grain can make you quite sick."
Ms Ross, who nearly qualified for the Commonwealth Games with a clean and jerk weight of 82 kilos, says it took her roughly seven months to completely cut gluten out from her diet. She felt a lot better once she managed to though.
But despite this Ms Ross recommends people stay away from eating gluten free foods if they don't need to, saying just because it's gluten free doesn't mean it's healthier.
"It's a bit hard because there's a mixture between that fad diet like a lot of people think eating gluten free is health… which is not necessarily true," she said.
Newshub.
