Most on Gluten-Free Diet Don’t Have Celiac Disease

The problem is there are all different levels of gluten sensitivity and the tests do not accurately report this. Saying your full blown celiac or not is just not realistic as there are many shades of grey. This article seems like a food industry sponsored article in order to keep people eating gluten and being sick.

This, like the cast-the-net-wide nut allergies that have suddenly appeared, can be characterized largely as narcissistic, prince/princess and the pea maneuvers. Those suffering from the real deals, really suffer. The band-wagon coat-tailing 'look at me' fringe really diss the suffering of those truly allergic. And, they tend to be rude, ill-informed, ignorant, and exceedingly high-maintenance. So much so that stores, such a Whole Foods Market, will cave in against hard fact to cater to their whims to reach their wallets: last Thanksgiving a store here in Texas was sampling prime rib, with a sign prominently displayed and reassuring patrons that the hunk o' prime beef and fat, ka-chinging in at over $30/lb, was "Gluten Free!"

I have called it a trend and a fad and been called out for doing so. Thanks for the confirmation.

There are definitely people that don't have a problem and just eat gluten free to be with the "in crowd" but the fact is articles like this make it seem trivial for people like myself who don't have celiac technically but have a very extreme gluten intolerence. If I have any gluten through cross contamination at a restaurant that claims to cook gluten free or because I didn't pay attention to a label closely enough, I know it. I get terrible stomach pains as well as a rash that I lived with for most of my life on my arms that went away once I figured out it was from gluten reacting poorly in my system. So while I understand people's feelings of how everyone seems to jump on the next and newest bandwagon each time one comes out its not fair to throw this blanket over everyone that you feel falls under it when there are plenty of people who would love to not "feel special" and not have to spend more than necessary for their food.

Many, many people go gluten free without being diagnosed with celiac because it is easier, less expensive, and faster than getting an 'official' celiac diagnoses. The average time for diagnoses for celiac disease is 11 years. Many doctors do not understand the disease, do not know how to test properly for it, and make poor recommendations to patients. It is extremely likely that many of the 80% DO have celiac disease but were never officially diagnosed, as you cannot test for celiac unless the person is currently eating gluten. If you were very sick, gave up gluten, and got better, would you really want to go back to eating it for 3 months just to get a test done that tells you that they shouldn't be eating gluten? Also - it's very, very weird that this article states that "a gluten-free diet is the most common form of treatment" - because a gluten free diet is the ONLY form of treatment for celiac. There is absolutely nothing else you can do to treat the disease except giving up gluten. Some celiacs require additional things, like vitamins or iron supplements, but no other treatment exists. There's no pill, no surgery, no shots - just the diet.

The study says a lot, mainly that most gluten free eaters are hypochondriacs. But we already knew that.

My (adored, btw) yoga buddies would all collectively plotz if they read this article. Being compelled to be gluten free (and trying to get everyone on board with them) is a big trend at the studio. Bless their hearts! :D

Very much agreed.

I hear that! My cousin has Celiac and those tiny little loaves of 'bread' in the specialty stores are $7.

I had many customers who were not celiac go on a 30 day gluten free diet. They said they never felt better! We don't eat much either. Try to be careful around it. It literally acts like a toxin. And it's in everything!

For those who actually do suffer from Celiac disease, the reported 80 % who practise a gluten free diet unknowingly provide a service to celiac sufferers, by providing demand for products that might not otherwise be available , on the market. Thanks for that .

There are many people who are gluten sensitive or gluten intolerant who do not have celiac disease. This article seems to indicate that only people who have celiac disease should eat gluten free meals. I get stomach pains, bloating, and awful body pain and fatigue whenever I eat gluten though I have not tested positive for celiac disease. And I'm sorry, but I'm staying gluten free.

Celiac is really a spectrum disorder and very difficult to diagnose sometimes. The best test is to stop eating all gluten for a month or two and see how you feel. Many food tests been recently found to be very inaccurate. The article headline is misleading (I'll note that I haven't taken the time to read the full article). I have a gluten intolerance but am not considered Celiac. But if I started eating wheat, barley, rye again, I would pay a serious price in the long term. There is an excellent article on celiac in Scientific American from a few years ago.

I'm not sure which "facts" you think disagree with me, but look up Dr. William Davis "Wheat Belly" and Gary Taubes "Good Calories, Bad Calories" for a start.

"There is an additional population, who test negatively for celiac disease, but report alleviation of symptoms after they remove gluten from their diet. The condition of these people is referred to as “non-celiac gluten sensitivity,” though those who suffer from it were not accounted for separately as part of this study." Maybe the 80% of celiac-negative people eating gluten free fall in this category and therefore shouldn't eat gluten?