Living with Gluten and Other Food Intolerances: Self-Reported Diagnoses and Management

Abstract

People suffering from a food intolerance (FI) tend to initiate restrictive diets such as a gluten-free diet (GFD), to alleviate their symptoms. To learn about how people live with these problems in daily life (independent of their medical diagnoses), 1203 participants answered a previously validated questionnaire and were divided into: G1 (those self-reporting symptoms after gluten consumption) and G2 (those informing no discomfort after gluten consumption). Self-reported clinical characteristics, diagnoses and diets followed were registered. Twenty nine percent referred some FI (8.5% in G1). In G1, self-reported diagnoses were more frequent (p < 0.0001), including a high proportion of eating and mood disorders. Diagnoses were reported to be given by a physician, but GFD was indicated by professional and nonprofessional persons. In G2, despite declaring no symptoms after gluten consumption, 11.1% followed a GFD. The most frequent answer in both groups was that GFD was followed “to care for my health”, suggesting that some celiac patients do not acknowledge it as treatment. Conclusion: close to one third of the population report suffering from some FI. Those perceiving themselves as gluten intolerant report more diseases (p < 0.0001). A GFD is followed by ~11% of those declaring no symptoms after gluten ingestion. This diet is perceived as a healthy eating option.

Prevalence of Wheat/Gluten-Related Disorders and Gluten-Free Diet in Paraguay: An Online Survey-Based Study

“…The results show that recurrent adverse reactions to oral wheat/gluten are common in the Paraguayan adult population (16.7%), and that the prevalence of SR-GS (10.3%) is higher than the prevalence rates reported in other Latin American countries (1.06–6.31%) [ 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ] and elsewhere (0.25–3.7%) [ 10 , 19 , 20 ], considering the same definitions of SR-GS. Similarly, the prevalence rates of CD (3.11%), WA (2.07%), and NCGS (5.19%) were higher than the rates reported in other survey studies (0–1.2%, 0.24–0.79%, and 0.25–3.7%, for CD, WA, and NCGS, respectively) [ 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. It should be noted that the prevalence rates of GRDs reported in the present study were obtained in the Paraguayan adult population that own a smartphone and have internet access, and that some GS individuals could be included in the 26.4% of the Paraguayan population that do not have internet access [ 21 ].…”

“…Participants were classified in one of eight categories, as previously described [ 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], namely adverse reactions to foods, adverse reactions to wheat/gluten, self-reported gluten-sensitivity (SR-GS), self-reported physician-diagnosed WA (SR-PD WA), self-reported physician-diagnosed CD (SR-PD CD), self-reported WA (SR-WA), self-reported physician-diagnosed NCGS (SR-PD NCGS), and self-reported NCGS (SR-NCGS). Figure 1 shows the criteria used to classify participants.…”

“…These clinical practices make it difficult to estimate the gold standard-based prevalence of GRDs at a population level. Alternatively, survey-based studies have been successfully applied in several populations in order to estimate not only the prevalence of GRDs, but also the prevalence of adherence to a GFD [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Despite this, the magnitude and relevance of GRDs and adherence to a GFD in Latin America remains to be established.…”

“…Despite this, the magnitude and relevance of GRDs and adherence to a GFD in Latin America remains to be established. In an attempt to contribute to the knowledge on the prevalence of these disorders and their treatment in Latin America, our research group carried out survey studies in this region [ 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. These survey studies were carried out through face-to-face interviews, but the current COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) pandemic has hampered the collection of data using such an approach.…”

A Gluten-Free Meal Produces a Lower Postprandial Thermogenic Response Compared to an Iso-Energetic/Macronutrient Whole Food or Processed Food Meal in Young Women: A Single-Blind Randomized Cross-Over Trial

“…Gluten-free (GF) food products are another form of PF rapidly gaining popularity for their proposed health benefits, especially for those with food intolerances or sensitivities [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], and are considered the first-line of treatment for those suffering from celiac disease [ 13 ]. Similar to highly processed gluten-containing grains, refined GF grains are chemically simple in molecular structure and easily metabolized, due to low fiber content and high glycemic index [ 14 , 15 ].…”