Over the last two decades celiac disease has doubled which has clearly set off a wide spread worry in society. (NPR) Have gluten products (bread, crackers, etc.) been altered over the past 20 years? Are there harmful substances now being put in our products? Should everyone stop eaten gluten products? There has been a noticeable backlash in society, which is clear when walking down the isles of any grocery store because almost everything that falls into the category is labeled “gluten free”. Even products such as fruits and meats, which if you have even a basic understanding of what gluten is you know that clearly there isn’t any gluten in fruits and meat.
Researchers found that farmers have started using a different kind of wheat that is easier to grow and more weather resistant. Scientists looked further into the study and found that the gluten levels of the new strand of wheat compared to the old one are equal, so the gluten link is just a correlation. However, it is still unclear as to whether there are other proteins in wheat that may be causing the symptoms. After much research, scientists have found that the bacteria in our guts may be changing, and are less able to digest gluten. This has something to do with ingesting gluten at very early stages in life, the use of antibiotics early on, and I found a new theory called the “hygiene hypothesis”. The hygiene hypothesis basically says that because society has become so focused on eliminating germs and bacteria, and have become so efficient in it, that our immune systems have to work less than our ancestors so they tend to confuse things such as wheat and peanuts as harmful substances. (NPR)
At this time there is not clear answer as to why gluten intolerance is on the rise. Some doctors believe that a majority of society can continue eating gluten and remain perfectly healthy, while others argue that they’ve seen lives changed by cutting out gluten. The takeaway here would be that if you’ve been noticing that you’re bloated, fatigued, or nauseous after eating bread type products, try cutting them out of your diet and see if there are any improvements! Do you think that cutting gluten out of your diet could be beneficial?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/26/226510988/doctors-say-changes-in-wheat-do-not-explain-rise-of-celiac-disease
https://www.mylifestages.org/health/gluten_sensitivity/gluten_sensitivity_on_the_rise.page
http://kitchenofthefuture.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/celiac-friendly-kitchen-design/
Celina,
I’ve heard that a lot lately where people are diagnosed with celiacs due to a previous condition which is something i’d like to look into further! I tried to look up some possible reasons, but came up short as there are reports of these instances, but no links or proof yet. I think the worst thing about the rise in gluten free products is all of the additives being put in the new items to make them more marketable. Many people have started to believe that going gluten free will help them lose weight and be healthier (I think they’re actually thinking of just going without starchy carbs like wheat which definitely aids in weight loss) and because of the rise in demand, there is also a higher demand for the products to taste better which leads to chemical additives and lots of sugar. Most people don’t check the ingredients of gluten free brownies and such, but if they did they’d most likely find a huge amount of sugar and lots of chemicals that they can’t name. I think that people should focus on the natural side of being gluten free instead of the artificial gluten free brownies and cookies.
I also think that the amount of gluten-free products on grocery shelves are on the rise. I have family members who are gluten sensitive, but it was caused by another illness. It would be interesting to see what other kinds of illnesses may cause people to become gluten intolerant. I have seen studies that show that gluten can do some pretty harmful things to the body but, it is not good for everyone to give up gluten. It is really only beneficial to people who are actually intolerant to it. It is definitely a subject that is on the rise and hopefully we will learn more about it in the years to come.