The Rising Prevalence of Celiac Disease

Gluten, the main culprit behind celiac disease, has also been a subject of much study. Specifically, the age in which gluten was introduced to the patient was of particular importance, as a relation between this factor and the prevalence of celiac disease was initially observed. This hypothesis, however, was debunked when a clinical trial failed to generate the expected results. At that point, scientists turned instead to study the amount of gluten that the average citizen consumed, instead of the age in which the protein was introduced into their diet. This time, the study yielded better results, as the rise in celiac disease corresponds to periods where people reduced their meat consumption, and instead increased their consumption of gluten through the excessive fast food. This theory was further impulsed by the rise of celiac disease in regions like South Asia where the inhabitants were increasingly abandoning their usual eating habits, replacing them with a more-westernized diet.