Sally Gunnell

Sally Gunnell

British athlete and television presenter
Date of Birth: 29.07.1966
Country: Great Britain

Content:
  1. Early Struggles and Misdiagnosis
  2. The Life-Changing Discovery
  3. A Family Affair
  4. Diagnosis and Testing
  5. Food Intolerance and Diagnosis
  6. Understanding Wheat Intolerance
  7. Symptoms of Wheat Intolerance:
  8. Neurological issues – such as severe headaches or migraines

Sally Gunnell: Olympic Champion and Advocate for Food Intolerance Awareness

Early Struggles and Misdiagnosis

British track and field legend and TV presenter Sally Gunnell once mistook her son's migraines for a brain tumor. However, her vigilance led to the discovery of the true cause of his debilitating headaches: an intolerance to certain grains.

Now 17, Lucca had been suffering from unexplained severe headaches since childhood. It wasn't until he underwent Food Intolerance Testing that the trigger was identified: wheat sensitivity, found in pasta, bread, and cookies.

The Life-Changing Discovery

"It has been life-changing for my middle son," said Gunnell, who won the 400m gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. "In hindsight, I wish we had known about wheat intolerance years ago. Like many toddlers, Lucca had his moments of being difficult and grumpy."

"But how often do we write these childhood issues off as just age and hormones when, in fact, the problem could lie in the foods they're eating?"

Her son suffered from crippling headaches for years, sometimes leaving him bedridden. "He was often in a bad mood," Gunnell added. "All through his childhood, he was so drained. He'd have to go to bed early. He was always argumentive with us, quite sharp."

"But now we know it was the wheat, not hormones or teenage angst. It was an intolerance, not age."

A Family Affair

Once wheat was eliminated from Lucca's diet, there was a noticeable improvement in his behavior. Sally, who lives near Brighton and is married to performance coach Jonathan Bigg, has three sons. She had consulted with numerous experts to get to the bottom of the issue but "kept hitting a brick wall."

"His headaches really worried me," Gunnell said, recalling the fear that he would suffer with the symptoms for the rest of his life. "It got to the stage where we started to think about a brain tumor. The headaches were too frequent and too severe.

"It just didn't feel normal. We saw doctors, consultants, kinesiologists, you name it. As a mother, I was thinking, 'What on earth is causing this?'"

Diagnosis and Testing

In August last year, Lucca visited YorkTest Laboratories, a company with 30 years' experience in blood-based diagnostic testing.

"Every time he had anything with wheat in, he would get a headache. It would be within hours of eating anything made with wheat," his mother explained.

The test used Lucca's blood to measure the levels of specific IgG antibodies produced after consuming certain foods. By monitoring these antibodies, they were able to identify the 'trigger' foods, which were then removed from his diet.

However, it wasn't just Lucca who had food intolerances. His brother, 20-year-old Finnlay, a promising 800m runner, was also found to have wheat and dairy intolerances.

Meanwhile, Gunnell herself, who retired from athletics in 1997, has "got her sense of smell back" since giving up eggs and cow's milk.

"When I was competing, I struggled to breathe through my nose and I lost my sense of smell practically," she said.

"I'd walk into a room and a friend would say, 'Oh, can you smell that?' It could be coffee or something like that. I'd say, 'What smell?'

"I was always a mouth breather when I was training. I didn't realize that was what was causing it."

Gunnell believes she could have achieved more in running, or at least trained harder, if she had cut out the foods that were affecting her.

Her husband has also visited the laboratory, suspecting a dairy intolerance, and he too has been tested positive.

The couple's youngest son, Marley, is the only one yet to be tested. He will be 14 on February 14, 2019.

Food Intolerance and Diagnosis

It is estimated that around 45% of Britons have a food intolerance, with lactose being the most common trigger. Common symptoms include stomach pain, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, skin rashes, and itching. Headaches can also be a symptom.

Food intolerance (pseudo-allergy) differs from allergy, which affects the immune system, causes a reaction almost instantly, and can be life-threatening. Food sensitivity, however, can develop over time, with symptoms appearing up to 72 hours later, making it notoriously difficult to diagnose.

Understanding Wheat Intolerance

Wheat sensitivity should not be confused with gluten intolerance. The two conditions are related but distinct.

Gluten, a type of elastic protein, is found in wheat. This means those with gluten intolerance will also have a wheat intolerance. However, those with a wheat intolerance do not necessarily have gluten intolerance.

Gluten is also found in other grains, such as barley and rye, and people with wheat intolerances may still be able to include these grains in their diet.

Symptoms of Wheat Intolerance:

Digestive issues – such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), stomach pain, or bloating

Neurological issues – such as severe headaches or migraines

Skin problems – most commonly eczema, acne, itching, and rashes
Fatigue and tiredness – lack of energy, brain fog, or lethargy
Joint pain – persistent aches or swelling in joints
Psychological issues – such as anxiety or depression
Respiratory problems – such as sinusitis or rhinitis

Those with a wheat allergy will experience much more severe symptoms that can be life-threatening.

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