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. In this rebroadcast of our November 27 discussion, we separate fact from fiction.
The Crusade against Gluten: Health, Hype and Big Money
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:
- David Perlmutter - Neurologist - @DavidPerlmutter
- Joseph Murray - Mayo Clinic - @MayoClinic
- April Peveteaux - Celiac sufferer - @peveteaux
- Kim Severson - national food correspondent, New York Times - @kimseverson
- David Sax - Journalist and Author - @saxdavid