Celiac disease, a serious immune system reaction to the protein in wheat and other grains, is far more common today than it was 50 years ago, a new study shows.
People who have celiac disease can’t tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye or barley. Life with celiac is difficult because gluten is found in many medications and processed foods. When gluten is consumed, the body’s immune system damages the small intestine and nutrients can’t be absorbed.
While it’s been known that the incidence of celiac is on the rise, it hasn’t been clear whether doctors are simply looking for it more often, and therefore finding more cases. But new research from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., suggests that the disease is four times more common today than it was in the 1950s, and not just because doctors are more likely to test for it.
The study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, analyzed blood samples collected from 9,133 healthy adults collected at Warren Air Force Base between 1948 and 1954. Another 12,768 gender-matched subjects from a study in Olmsted County, Minn., were also analyzed for signs of celiac disease.
Of the blood samples collected 50 years ago, only 0.2 percent had celiac disease. In the more recent blood samples, the incidence of celiac disease was more than four times greater. Today, about one in 100 people have celiac disease.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/celiac-disease-becoming-more-common/It could be because the wheat raised today has more gluten than it did many years ago. Just as most types of tomatoes are less acidic. Our food supply has really changed.( I was raised on a farm and still grow most of my own food). [QUOTE=panda]It could be because the wheat raised today has more gluten than it did many years ago. Just as most types of tomatoes are less acidic. Our food supply has really changed.( I was raised on a farm and still grow most of my own food). [/QUOTE]