Celiac Disease On the Rise

A new Mayo Clinic study published this month provides evidence that Celiac Disease is now more than four times more prevalent than it was 50 years ago.

Read the Mayo Clinic report, as published in the medical journal Gastroenterology. Or, this article is less technical and easier to peruse.

Celiac Disease is also called gluten intolerance and is different from a gluten allergy. Gluten is the protein present in wheat, barley, rye, spelt and kamut. Allergic reactions to gluten come with run-of-the-mill anaphylactic symptoms: swollen throat, itchy face, stomach problems. For those with CD, gluten attacks the walls of the intestines and prevents them from properly absorbing nutrients. A disturbingly wide array of problems have been linked to CD, including weight problems, severe rashes, anemia, infertility, ADHD, clinical depression, loss of teeth, chronic fatigue syndrome, and even cognitive decline leading to dementia. Gluten-free diets are even used as treatment for autism and other spectrum disorders. Some believe gluten (and dairy) cause autism; others believe that the gluten-free diet simply relieves discomforting symptoms of CD in persons with spectrum disorders. An autistic child who happens to be gluten intolerant would certainly be happier on a gluten-free diet, and thus would likely have an easier time dealing with autism.

Testing for CD is as simple as a blood test. It's estimated that for every person diagnosed with CD, 30 people are undiagnosed, or worse, their symptoms are misdiagnosed and treated with unnecessary medication.

Why the sudden spike in Celiacs? Researchers are keeping their speculations to themselves. The medical community seems to chalk the increase up to "environment factors," which seems awfully vague and rather obvious.

Check back for some great gluten-free recipes!