Gluten allergies are on the rise in the US. According to a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, the rates of Celiac Disease in the US population have increased four-fold in the last 50 years. The reasons for the surge are still largely unknown, but researchers are busy looking for answers.

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by dietary gluten. When a person with Celiac Disease eats gluten, the body sees it as a foreign enemy and begins to attack the gluten and the intestinal wall. This can result in damage to the bowel wall and the flattening of villi that help to maximize the absorption of nutrients. While weight loss and diarrhea are the most well-known side effects of Celiac Disease, epidemiologists now know that it can lead to anemia, peripheral neuropathy, and even infertility.

Peter H.R. Green, MD and Benjamin Lebwohl, MD are experts of the disease as well as co-editors of Celiac Disease, An Issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinics. Dr. Green is Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University and an attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Dr. Lebwohl is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center.

“We’re very interested in better understanding risk factors for developing celiac disease,” Dr. Lebwohl says. “Genes for celiac disease are found in 40% of all Americans and yet only 1% have symptoms of the disease.  We’re studying populations to understand the environmental triggers and develop prevention strategies. There is some evidence, for example, that introducing gluten too early or too late in an infant’s diet can increase the risk of developing celiac disease and that combining gluten introduction with breast feeding when an infant is between 4 to 6 months of age can be protective.”

Although many celebrities claim they’ve lost weight while on a gluten-free diet, the experts say it’s not ideal. “A gluten free diet is not necessarily a healthy diet. Non-wheat flour is not fortified the way wheat flour is, and this can lead to someone becoming B-vitamin and iron deficient,” explains Dr. Green. “Also, some gluten-free foods have added sugar and fat to provide taste.”

Dr. Green adds, “However, a gluten-free diet can be a healthy diet if guided by an experienced dietitian. We’ve seen an increasing number of patients who say they feel better on a gluten-free diet, but don’t appear to have the disease and we call this non-celiac gluten sensitivity. People who have symptoms should first be screened to rule out Celiac Disease before starting a gluten-free diet because once they start, all the parameters might improve, but they won’t get an accurate diagnosis.”

For more information on Celiac Disease and the editors of Celiac Disease, An Issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinics, visit Drs. Peter H.R. Green and Benjamin Lebwohl’s Elsevier Authors bio pages!