At least 3 million Americans are living with celiac disease. The disease is when you have an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat. It affects about one in 133 Americans.
There’s a lot of misinformation and myths about the condition, so we’re setting the record straight.
The first, gluten sensitivity is the same as celiac disease. This is false. If you have a sensitivity to gluten, you may be able to tolerate small amounts. Celiac is a genetic, autoimmune disease that causes damage to parts of the small intestine when you eat gluten. People with this disease can’t have any gluten.
Another myth is celiac disease isn’t serious. In fact, if it’s untreated, celiac disease can lead to thyroid problems, neurological disorders, osteoporosis, cancer, and more.
“Another surprising association is infertility in women,” Bana Jabri, MD, Ph.D., Director of Research at the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, said.
Myth number three: you can outgrow celiac disease. Unfortunately, you’ll have it for life.
Another fallacy is that a gluten-free diet cures celiac disease. There is no cure, but avoiding gluten can prevent symptoms and complications.
“Going on a gluten-free diet is important and that even if you don’t have symptoms when you eat gluten, gluten can actually do a lot of harm,” Dr. Jabri shared.
One last myth is you’ll have to eliminate all grains from your diet if you have celiac disease. Some grains like quinoa, amaranth, millet, and buckwheat don’t contain gluten and are okay to eat.
Doctors believe about 83 percent of Americans who have celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.
