Number of People Reacting To Gluten Keeps Going Up

Carl Lowe | Feb 11, 2013 | Comments 3

Studies show that the per capita number of Americans with celiac disease and other gluten problems has quadrupled since the 1950s. But scientists are still not sure why.

Also known as gluten intolerance, celiac disease occurs when gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye, causes the immune system to damage the body. Often, immune cells attack the lining of the small intestine and nervous system, causing a variety of symptoms.

A leading explanation of why celiac disease is spreading maintains that wheat breeding has led to wheat varieties with higher levels of gluten. But an investigation by Donald D. Kasarda of the Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, shows that gluten levels in various varieties of wheat have changed little on average since the 1920s.

Overall gluten consumption, however, has increased due to other factors. One involves increased consumption of a food additive termed “vital gluten,” which has tripled since 1977. Vital gluten is a food additive made from wheat flour, and it is added to various food products to improve their texture. Overall consumption of wheat flour also has increased. People in 2000, for instance, consumed 2.9 pounds more gluten annually than in 1970, nearly a 25 percent increase.