Program Highlights

More Americans are seeking out gluten-free foods, but how does gluten sensitivity differ from celiac disease? Our guests discuss what’s behind the gluten-free craze and how these new foods may be affecting our health.

What Is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease affects up to 1 percent of all Americans. In people with the disease, gluten is actually toxic to the gut. “When patients with celiac ingest gluten, it destroys the lining of the small bowel so the small bowel is not able to do its proper function,” Charabaty said. Celiac disease is a true auto-immune disorder. It can be difficutlt to diagnose, he said.

How Is Celiac Disease Different From Gluten Sensitivity?

Gluten sensitivity is a new diagnosis. There’s no real test for it, but patients often end up trying a gluten-free diet to see how they feel. But Talmadge cautions that there’s a “huge placebo affect” when it comes to gluten sensitivity. Before cutting out gluten entirely, she suggests trying an overall healthier diet and exercise program to see if a patient’s health improves.

What’s Behind The Gluten-Free Craze?

“What we’ve seen is that with gluten-free, a lot of the consumers are self-diagnosing,” Abbot said. “What’s really happening is that they’re removing some of the processed foods from their diet, rather than actually just taking gluten out of their diet as the reason for feeling better,”

she said. Wheat is the number-one food containing gluten. Rye, barley, and spelt also contain it. Food retailers are taking advantage of the move away from gluten. In the long run, though, this might not be the best thing for companies because as Abbot puts it, gluten-free labels reduce “the healthy halo of the actual brand.”

More Gluten-Free Junk Food

As the gluten-free trend has grown, Tallmade said, more food makers are producing gluten-free versions of junk food – cookies, pop tarts, donuts, and more. “They all contain highly refined starches that really contribute to problems with the digestive system,” Abbot said. “More than anything

what we hear from consumers, the biggest complaint, the biggest condition that we hear beyond stress and inability to sleep at night is digestive issues,’ Abbot said.

You can read the full transcript here.