Celiac Disease

People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. If they consume a gluten-containing food or medication, their immune system goes into overdrive and attacks the inner lining of the small intestine. Over time, this abnormal immune response can damage the inner lining of the intestine and interfere with its ability to properly absorb nutrients from food. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies and medical conditions such as anemia, osteoporosis and even cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.

There are about 300 symptoms associated with celiac disease, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. Digestive distress — including diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain or nausea — occurs more commonly in children. Adults frequently experience seemingly unrelated symptoms, such as joint pain, anxiety and depression, headaches, fatigue, and a skin rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The only “treatment” for celiac disease is to avoid gluten. This means not only cutting wheat, rye and barley from your diet, but also checking ingredient lists for gluten, lecithin or soy lecithin, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Vitamins, salad dressings, soups, frozen and canned foods, and even chewing gum are just a few of the surprising places you may find gluten.

Celiac disease only affects roughly 1 percent of the U.S. population, but a recent Gallup poll found that 20 percent of Americans incorporate gluten-free foods into their diet. Many people who don’t have celiac disease have adopted a gluten-free diet because they believe it is healthier or will help them lose weight, but the diet isn’t recommended for everyone. Here’s why:

1. It’s highly restrictive, so you may lose out on important nutrients. Fortified whole-wheat breads and cereals, which are excluded from gluten-free menus, are major dietary sources of folate and other B vitamins, according to Harvard Medical School. Whole wheat products also provide much needed fiber — a nutrient lacking in many gluten-free products.
2. Gluten-free diets may actually sabotage weight loss. To preserve taste, many processed gluten-free foods contain higher amounts of fat and sugar — and, therefore, calories — than their wheat-, rye- or barley-containing counterparts.
3. Going gluten free is expensive. According to Consumer Reports, the price of gluten-free processed foods exceeds gluten-containing varieties in every category except boxed cereal.

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