Gluten free product market expands as allergies increase
Gluten free products have quickly become one of the fastest-growing markets, with everything from gluten-free grocery store offerings to gluten-free restaurant menus.
Gluten, the protein found in wheat and other grains, is now reaching 25 percent of the population as a diet concern, but experts say there is more to this disease-related intolerance that consumers should know.
“Nowadays, we have a big choice in gluten free products,” said Betty Barfield, president of the North Texas Gluten Intolerance Group. “In 2011, $1.3 billion is expected to be purchased and produced [of gluten free products] and has risen by 110 percent over the last 10 years.”
Experts are just scratching the surface of understanding diseases and allergies directly related to gluten intake, specifically Celiac disease, the autoimmune disease in which a hypersensitivity of the small intestine to gluten causes chronic failure to digest food. The disease is currently estimated as affecting .5-1 percent of the population, a percentage that is considered to be severely underestimated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
“Initial research reveals we have just begun including Celiac disease as an examination item in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,” said Corey Slavitt, public affairs specialist for the National Center for Health Statistics. “We have no immediate data available on incidence rate for the disease and prevalence of the gluten allergy.”
Celiac disease is labeled as a “new examination item” for the 2009-2010 year, according to a press release from the CDC.
“The incidence of gluten intolerance has risen over the years,” Barfield said. “All the fast foods we eat are gluten-based. Our ancestors had for all these years eaten meat, fruits and fish. Now, our bodies are just barred with gluten.”
Some restaurants are beginning to pay more attention to consumers’ health concerns, adding gluten free entrees to their menus.
“It was definitely a demand and a trend that we’ve seen in the market and with consumers,” said Kim Vieux, main operations manager for Le Peep in Denton. “It’s definitely a different procedure for us to make sure nothing is contaminated with gluten. One cook makes [gluten free entrees] on the other end of the kitchen.”
In the Denton area, where gluten-free options are limited, Vieux said it is nice to be able to offer them to customers, but because ingredients can be hard to find, prices for the entrees do tend to run a little higher than those with gluten.
For some, the choice to eat gluten free is just that: a choice. The gluten free diet is among the newest popular regimens to reach the market. But even for those who suspect they may have gluten intolerance, experts say there are things to consider before dieting.
“People will go on it because it’s the current fad to do,” said Lora Williams, a registered dietician at the Student Health and Wellness Center. “Say you’re a patient and you take matters into your own hands. You’ll start to feel better, but now you can’t be diagnosed because you got better; you came up negative on panel.”
Williams estimates those self-treaters may have to wait six months to a year after re-incorporating gluten into their diet to be accurately diagnosed as gluten intolerant or not.
“The benefit of becoming diagnosed is having a tax write-off, and the doctor will take you seriously,” Williams said.
People who suspect themselves to be gluten intolerant may suffer a myriad of symptoms including: anemia, weight loss, abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea, though for some, symptoms may be dormant, according to http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/.
As it stands, most testing for gluten intolerance and Celiac disease is administered based on doctor recommendation, Barfield said. As research continues to develop, experts are becoming better able to detect it among patients.
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