Gluten-free fad raises concerns - La Junta Tribune Democrat

[Scott Adams]

Open Original Shared Link La Junta Tribune Democrat According to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research, only about 7 percent of the US population has a genuine gluten sensitivity, allergy or intolerance. The most serious of these afflictions is celiac, a rare gastrointestinal disease ... Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[Takala]

This is an exact copy of the same poorly written misinformation I critiqued and rebutted here earlier:

It deliberately misleads the reader by using quotes from wheat lobby affiliated "experts" which are designed to cast gluten free as a fad diet and the number of people who need it are deliberated undercounted.

I expect more from an agent of the United States Dept of Agriculture when doing media interviews, assuming their google is not broken and they can access the latest celiac research, instead of wheat lobbyists and GMO breeders.

quoting my rebuttal

What was wrong in this article -

1. eating gluten free is a diet fad

2. eating gluten free can lead to eating problems and physical difficiencies

3. People in the Philipines have health problems because they don't have "enhanced" grains (implied wheat was necessary, as it is well known Asians use rice as their main grain source)

4. Celiac is rare and only effects 1 in 133 people, which is 1% of the population

(note: #4 was an especially stupid, precious quote, besides being wrong, as 1 in 133 is not 1%. )

5. Lois Illick direct quote: "Others just think it's a healthy way to eat. And quite honestly, it's not."

6. Another Illick direct quote: "Celiac can develop ... when triggered by a virus."

(note: #6. Say what. Gee, Lois, glad you figured out the "cause" of celiac. Maybe you should go on the Dr Oz show with this revelation. )

7. Less than 1/2 of one percent of the adult population is believed to have a gluten allergy.

(note: OH, the stupid, it burns. It's not an allergy, it's an auto immune reaction. Or an intolerance. Just Celiac would effect over 3.1 million Americans if all were diagnosed, add in the 7% gluten intolerants and that would be 24.8 million Americans needing a gluten free diet. Plus family members eating gluten free, to keep their families safe from cross contamination. If all celiacs/gluten intolerants had just one family member eating gluten free at home, that would be a total of 50 million eating gluten free out of 311 million, or 16% of the population. )

8. It's harder to get essential nutrients (from gluten free foods, such as calcium, iron, vitamin B12.

9. For most people, gluten free is not necessary.

(what is the definition of "most?," and why should it matter ? Is not nearly 25 million American people enough to be considered statistically significant? )

10. People who are gluten sensitive are adopting random nutritional theories they found on the internet.

11. The USDA's "my plate" which is based on the old USDA Food Pyramid is "better."

12. Article then goes to quote a non celiac and non gluten intolerant woman who directs the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Kara Rowe, who says she went on a gluten free diet for a MONTH, felt no differently, so her conclusion is that eliminating all cereal grains is simply " a new spin on a low carb diet."

Huge, very organized media blowback currently coming from the GMO folks and lobbyists over the wheat protests in Europe. They refer to the gluten intolerant population as "foo- foo faddists" and "unscientific."

It's Sunday, so I won't use my name for them here. Other than I have never seen a more pathetic bunch of propaganda spreaders hell - bent on forcing food safety down the toilet.