The Celiac Disease Foundation was featured in a recent article on WebMD.com discussing how the gluten-free diet craze often leads to the misunderstanding of the severity of celiac disease. The article summarized a small study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, in which James King, study author, interviewed 17 patients with celiac disease about the benefits and drawbacks of the gluten-free diet craze.
King’s findings echo what many celiac patients have been voicing in response to the craze: while the increased availability of gluten-free food options benefits the celiac community, patients also face more social stigma as a result of the gluten-free diet becoming increasingly viewed as a fad versus a therapeutic treatment for a serious medical condition.
CEO Marilyn Geller tells WebMD, “With the push to a gluten-free diet, the disease is no longer taken seriously. If you go into a restaurant now and the server hears you’re gluten-free … they often don’t consider it a medical condition.” Geller explains, “The real drawback is because there’s not yet a medication — and in America, we equate medications with serious conditions — people are not going to take it seriously.”
Read the full article here.
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How the Gluten-Free Craze Affects Celiac Patients