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A population survey of dietary attitudes towards gluten
Croall et al. (2019) examined how people’s attitudes towards gluten sensitivity (GS) have changed over time by conducting the exact same food frequency surveys in Sheffield in the U.K. in the years 2012 and 2015 as well as documenting GS and its associated variables such as prevalence, current diet, pre-existing conditions. Over the 3 years, self-reporting of GS increased from 12.9% to 32.8%, while pre-existing coeliac disease rose from 0.8% to 1.2%. The proportion of respondents following a gluten-free diet (GFD) remained the same at 3.7% in 2012 and in 2015. Self-reported GS was positively associated with some pre-existing conditions, including anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, headaches, and other food allergies/intolerances (including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Additionally, the fraction of people who self-reported GS increased by over 250% over the 3-year period. However, Croall et al. (2019) report that the arguably more meaningful indicators of underlying GS did not change by much. To conclude, it is suggested the public perception of gluten is causing a marked increase in the number of incorrect self-diagnosis. [NPIDs: gastrointestinal disorders, celiac, coeliac, gluten, gluten sensitivity, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, fatigue, headaches, food allergies, food intolerance, IBS, food sensitivity]
Year: 2019
