This month marks National Celiac Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of a condition affecting approximately one percent of the U.S. population. Because there’s been growing interest and media attention surrounding gluten-free, especially as a fad diet, we at the Grain Foods Foundation are working to change perceptions of it. This is especially crucial because there are a number of drawbacks, like weight gain and nutrient deficiencies, to following the diet if not medically necessary. We want to underscore that Celiac is a serious disease and turning its treatment, a gluten-free diet, into a fad paints a completely inaccurate picture of what is a legitimate medical therapy. In light of this, I’d like to use this month’s column to overview the disease and the gluten-free diet.
Those suffering from Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, experience intestinal damage when they consume gluten, a type of protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Given this, the only treatment for the disease is a strict gluten-free diet for life. Another group requiring the gluten-free diet is individuals with non-Celiac gluten sensitivity, who also experience negative symptoms like abdominal pain when they ingest gluten. This condition is estimated to affect six percent of the U.S. population.