Worldwide, diagnoses of celiac disease are on the rise. The gluten-free food industry is blossoming even faster, growing 135 percent from 2013-2015 with sales worth $11.6 billion. What attracts people without celiac disease to go gluten-free? Is it worthwhile, or even beneficial?
Dr. Norelle Reilly, of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, NY, has been looking into some issues relating to the gluten-free diet (GFD). Her commentary is published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease. A person who has CD cannot eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Doing so can have serious consequences, as it can trigger an immune response that may damage the small intestine or other parts of the digestive system. Irritability and depression are common symptoms.
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