Celiac Disease, a Wheat Gluten Intolerance, Is 4 Times More Common Than 50 Years Ago

Celiac Disease, a Wheat Gluten Intolerance, Is 4 Times More Common Than 50 Years Ago
Study finds evidence that celiac disease is on the rise. You can find gluten-free recipes here. By Dan Shapley 7.2.2009
Link to full article below

Chances are, if you don't have an aversion to gluten, diagnosed as celiac disease or not, you know someone who does. Those who go gluten-free tend to proselytize -- extolling the virtues of their new gluten-free diets, and criticizing the excesses of our modern American diets.

The apparently sudden increase in this wheat gluten aversion made many skeptical: Is this just a diet fad? Is it a small problem that doctors are only now diagnosing?

A new study by the highly reputable Mayo Clinic should quiet our skepticism. By analyzing the stored blood of Army recruits, researchers showed that celiac disease is four times more common today than it was in the 1950s.

To read the full article: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating


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Is Gluten Free Just a Fad?

Is Gluten Free Just a Fad?
June 8, 2009



Some claim gluten free is the new black, as awareness around this diet and the incidence of celiac disease increases, so to does the rise of skeptics and disbelievers. Well haters better step aside (and pay attention), celiac disease is arguably one of the most common autoimmune diseases, affecting around 1 in 133; this amounts to approximately 3 million Americans.¹ Its prevalence is significantly underestimated, and in fact affects more Americans than type 1 diabetes, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis combined. Sadly, only three percent are aware that they have inherited this condition and are intolerant to the protein gluten, found in wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and faro), barley, and rye.

Symptoms of celiac disease can include, but are not limited to: fatigue, joint or bone pain, chronic diarrhea, constipation, abdominal bloating, tingling in the hands and feet, anemia, and weight loss. The body’s immune response to gluten damages the lining of the small intestine. The damage interferes with the absorption of vital nutrients from food, impairing proper bodily functions- thus resulting in a variety of possible symptoms. The small intestine is also one of the key actors in the immune system; damaging this critical organ significantly weakens the immune response. The only “prescription” for celiac disease is a strict, life-long, gluten free diet.

To read the full article: http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/532