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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Why are so many people going gluten-free? By Chandra Orr CREATORS.COM
H
umans have been cultivating grains for more than 10,000 years, so why now are so many people going gluten-free? It may look like just another food fad, but for those with gluten sensitivity, the latest supermarket offerings could make life a lot easier. “Millions of people suffer everyday not knowing that what they are eating is making them sick,” Dr. Edward Conley said. “Doctors are not aggressive enough in diagnosis because they still feel that everyone who is sensitive to gluten must have celiac disease, and that is not true.” Celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, is a serious autoimmune disease in which a person can’t tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Symptoms can be quite severe — including intermittent diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss and
malnutrition — or so mild and nondescript as to be overlooked or misdiagnosed. Depression, anemia, muscle cramps, joint pain and skin rashes are all common. Gluten sensitivities, by contrast, are less severe and characterized by bloating, abdominal discomfort and diarrhea and they’re on the rise. In fact, it’s almost five times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to a 2009 study conducted by the Mayo Clinic. And most people affected don’t even know they have it. “This is a very serious health issue,” Conley explained. “I have seen people who were told they were going to die from autoimmune disease and we were able to reduce the inflammation and damage by getting rid of gluten.” Gluten is most commonly associated with bread and pasta, but it also shows up in some very unlikely places. GLUTEN » 9
CREATORS.COM