Gluten’s laws-Better Homes and Gardens July 2010

Better Homes and Gardens July 2010 -Gluten’s laws-by Jennifer Romolini

Link to Better Homes and Gardens article below.

Key points from the article:

1.  Many more people are gluten intolerant than those who have bona fide celiac disease.

2.  The article mentions that researchers think that gluten sensitivity affects as much as 30 percent of the population.

3.  Only 1% of the population actually has celiac which translates to roughly three million Americans.

4.  So….that means that if the research about gluten sensitivity is correct, approximately 90 million Americans should be avoiding gluten. WOW!

5.  Food companies know that more than one percent of food shoppers are buying gluten-free products and the smart companies are doing everything they can to create food for the Gluten-free market.

6.  The article mentions that undiagnosed, untreated celiac can cause:  IBS, infertility, multiple miscarriages, arthritis, malnourishment and osteoporosis.

7.  The article explains that the gluten-free diet is not a fad or a weight loss plan.

Side notes from me…

1.  A recent large study in the Journal of the American Medical Association 2009 found that people with diagnosed, undiagnosed, and “latent” celiac disease or gluten sensitivity had a higher risk of death, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Yet an estimated 99 percent of people who have a problem with eating gluten don’t even know it.– Small-intestinal histopathology and mortality risk in celiac disease. JAMA. 2009 Sep 16;302(11):1171-8.

2.  Another study comparing the blood of 10,000 people from 50 years ago to 10,000 people today found that the incidences of full-blown celiac disease increased by 400 percent (elevated TTG antibodies) during that time period.- Increased prevalence and mortality in undiagnosed celiac disease. Gastroenterology. 2009 Jul;137(1):88-93

3.  Those who were correctly diagnosed with celiac disease used fewer medical services and reduced their healthcare costs by more than 30 perecnt.-Dr. Peter Green, Professor of Clinical Medicine for the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University studied all 10 million subscribers to CIGNA– Economic benefits of increased diagnosis of celiac disease in a national managed care population in the United States. J Insur Med. 2008;40(3-4):218-28.

4.  A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten.- N Engl J Med. 2002 Jan 17;346(3):180-8. Review.

Full Better Homes and Gardens Article Link:  http://www.bhg-digital.com/bhg/201007?pg=205#pg205

Another fascinating read: The World Is Fat-Barry Popkin-Professor of Global Nutrition at the University of North Carolina