Victoria Newbury Kin 110 Human Performance and Nutrition Barry Braun Due November 24th 2013 Gluten free diets are beneficial to people who do not have celiac disease Celiac disease CD is a genetic autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks itself after the consumption of gluten Long term gluten consumption with this condition can lead to many physical and mental health problems Green 2001 Pietzak 2012 A glutenfree diet is the most effective treatment for patients with CD usually it will cure all symptoms of the disease This diet is also becoming very popular among people without CD Although it has been considered as a fad diet they are a healthy option for many people As the diet has grown in popularity so has the abundance of gluten free products in local grocery stores and restaurants making it more convenient accessible and affordable Pietzak 2012 Gluten free diets are a viable option for people who do not have celiac disease because of the increasing abundance of gluten free food products the health benefits associated with gluten free diets and the high number of undiagnosed cases of celiac disease A gluten free diet excludes all foods containing wheat including einkorn emmer spelt and kamut rye barley and any combination of these such as triticale which is a cross between wheat and rye Rampertab 2006 Before CD was a prevalent disease it was very difficult to follow such a diet because it was inconvenient especially in social situations and when travelling Gluten free products were not always available at certain restaurants and stores and were in general very expensive In recent years this has changed as gluten free diets are becoming more popular Pietzak 2012 Many restaurants have made it more convenient to follow the diet by offering separate gluten free menus to accommodate customers Another added convenience occurred in 2006 when the FDA passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act This required food labels to specify all wheat and common allergens in the product The law also allowed companies to state on labels whether or not the product is gluten free free of gluten or without gluten The standard to be considered as glutenfree or any of the other synonymous terms is if a product contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 2008 These labels make it easier to pick out products acceptable for the diet especially products that are processed Processed products tend to have more ingredients than non processed products and therefore dieters need to be more careful when purchasing them More and more companies are creating gluten free products because of the increasing popularity of the diet By 2015 it is expected that the U S market for gluten free foods and beverages will exceed 5 billion dollars Marcason 2011 Many grocery stores have entire sections of the store dedicated to gluten free products With the increased abundance of products there is also a decrease in cost This decrease in cost has made it more affordable for consumers who are in lower socioeconomic classes to be on the diet Piezak 2012 The gluten free diet is becoming a viable option for more people because of the increase in convenience accessibility and affordability The prevalence of CD in the United States on average healthy people is approximately 75 The prevalence increases on people who have related symptoms and who have first degree and or second degree relatives who are celiac to 1 8 4 5 and 2 6 respectively AfricanAmericans Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans have a lower chance of CD with 42 Fasano et al 2003 While these may seem like minor percentages this amounts to nearly 3 million Americans being affected Green et al 2001 It is estimated that CD is even more prevalent than thought as there are many people who go undiagnosed for long periods of time Only about 5 of people who have CD actually know that they have it Marcason 2011 People without CD especially those with increased risk should be on a gluten free diet because of the high number of cases that go undiagnosed The average amount of time it takes for a person to be diagnosed is four years and only 52 percent of people claim to have had a prompt diagnosis Green 2001 The cause for delayed diagnosis is often due to people being asymptomatic or showing varied symptoms refusal of physicians to perform procedures and refusal of insurance companies to pay for procedures Fasano 2003 National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 2008 Pietzak 2012 Common symptoms of CD include abdominal bloating and pain chronic diarrhea vomiting constipation irregular stool loss of weight Less likely symptoms of CD include anemia fatigue bone joint pain arthritis osteoporosis depression or anxiety numbness seizures irregular menstrual cycle infertility cankers rash National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 2008 The amount of time it takes to be diagnosed in combination with the severity and variety of symptoms is reason enough for people to take up a gluten free diet Some argue that the human body hasn t evolved to digest gluten and shouldn t be in our diets anyways Pietzak 2012 In order to improve the diagnostic rate in North America it is recommended that an active case finding strategy be implemented during primary care visits Catassi et al 2007 According to Catassi This strategy would allow physicians to detect CD in people who don t present common symptoms Rampertab Pooran Brar Singh Green 2006 In the meantime gluten consumption can be considered a somewhat risky health decision especially for people with an increased risk of having it Glutenfree diets are a healthy option and much less risky Gluten free diets offer many health benefits that can make them more attractive than diets including gluten This diet relieves gastrointestinal problem by improving gastrointestinal absorption This diet can also relieve general signs of gas bloating diarrhea constipation trouble concentrating and fatigue Marcason 2011 The diet can also contribute to weight loss as it cuts out many unhealthy foods that contain refined carbohydrates such as bread muffins and pastries Many celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow Meredith Viera and Russell Crowe swear by this diet as a way to shed pounds Lowenstein 2011 It is still important that healthy food choices be made under the restrictions of this diet as many products that are gluten free can contain high amounts of fat sugar