Gluten glut not due to wheat breeding.

• Position: Celiac Disease - Brief article

No clear evidence exists to support the idea that celiac disease is increasing in prevalence because farmers are growing strains of wheat that contain more gluten. That is the conclusion of an article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The Department of Agriculture's Donald D. Kasarda of the Western Regional Research Center, Albany, Calif., cites evidence that the incidence of celiac disease rose during the second half of the 20th century. Some estimates indicate that the disease is four times more common today.

Also known as gluten intolerance, celiac disease occurs when gluten--a protein in wheat, barley, and rye--damages the lining of the small intestine, causing a variety of symptoms. Nobody knows why the disease is on the rise. One leading explanation suggests that it results from wheat breeding that led to production of wheat varieties containing higher...