Most on Gluten-Free Diets Don't Have Celiac Disease, Study Shows
By Brenda Goodman, MA WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Aug. 1, 2012 -- For a lot of people, gluten-free diets are more trend than treatment, a new study shows.
The study estimates that 1.8 million Americans have celiac disease. Another 1.6 million are on gluten-free diets, the recommended treatment for celiac disease. Yet there's almost no overlap between the two groups.
"So here' we've got this kind of irony where those who need to be on [a gluten-free diet] aren't on it, because they don't know they have it. And those who are on it probably don't need to be on it, at least from a medical point of view," says researcher Joseph A. Murray, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "It's a little frustrating."
The study is based on data collected through the government's NHANES survey, which takes regular snapshots of the health of the U.S. population.
Celiac disease is a disorder that's triggered by eating gluten, a protein found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye.
Some people with celiac disease have no symptoms. Others experience non-specific complaints like chronic fatigue, depression, brain fog, abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia, diarrhea, and other stomach problems.
Along with using the survey data, the researchers also used blood tests to screen nearly 8,000 people, ages 6 and up, for antibodies against the gluten protein. Those who showed gluten antibodies were given another test to look for proteins that indicate the body is attacking itself. A total of 35 people were considered to have celiac disease.
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Most on Gluten-Free Diet Don't Have Celiac Disease
