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Gluten-Free: Weeding through the Truth and the Hype

It's pretty easy to notice the increase of gluten-free products on the market. There are bakeries in Los Angeles dedicated to providing gluten-free products, such as Babycakes NYC, Fonuts and The Sensitive Baker. More and more restaurants have gluten-free offerings. Sections in grocery stores are dedicated to offering gluten-free items. Why does this trend seem to be increasing in popularity?

It is long recognized that those who have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, must absolutely avoid gluten. Yet more and more people who haven't tested positive for celiac are reporting benefits from avoiding gluten. Often they will ask their doctors for a test for gluten sensitivity and are given a test for to rule out celiac. I have witnessed the frustration of many patients who knew that they had sensitivities to gluten products, and when the celiac tests came back negative, they felt as if their doctors were discounting their concerns. They actually did not receive a complete gluten sensitivity panel, simply a test to rule out celiac. There are very few labs that do the complete test, and most doctors are not yet aware of the availability of the full panel, so only the celiac panel is done.

If you feel better after avoiding gluten, it is probably best to stay away from it. Consult with a nutritionist or nutritionally-oriented practitioner to make sure that you have a balanced diet as you are avoiding gluten. If you want to be tested, make sure your doctor is ordering a complete panel to track gluten sensitivity.

Okay, back to why is this trend increasing in popularity? People have eaten wheat products and products containing gluten for many, many years. There are even many references to wheat in the Bible. It seems that the wheat of today is not the wheat of our grandparents nor the wheat of biblical times. My dear colleague, Mark Hyman, MD has written a great piece in The Huffington Post that brings light to this interesting and complex topic. Click here to read the article.