Gluten is a protein, which humans have been consuming for some 10,000 years, mainly as a component of wheat. For about one percent of the population, gluten causes celiac disease, which involves stomach problems. But now, some one third of Americans are trying to avoid gluten — so many that gluten-free food has become a $10 billion industry that’s still growing. The phenomenon is so much part of the culture that animated series South Park devoted a whole episode to it. Critics call it a fad based more on fear than science. We separate fact from fiction.
Going Gluten-Free: Science or Fiction?
More
- Severson on the gluten-free trend
- Sax's 'The Tastemakers: Why We’re Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue'
- Perlmutter's 'Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers'
- Murray's 'Mayo Clinic Going Gluten Free: Essential Guide to Managing Celiac Disease and Related Conditions'
- Peveteaux’s ‘Gluten Is My Bitch: Rants, Recipes and Ridiculousness for the Gluten-Free’
Credits
Guests:
Kim Severson - New York Times -
@kimseverson,
David Sax - Journalist and Author -
@saxdavid,
David Perlmutter - Neurologist -
@DavidPerlmutter,
Joseph Murray - Mayo Clinic -
@MayoClinic,
April Peveteaux - Celiac sufferer -
@peveteaux
Host:
Warren Olney