Gluten. Gluten. Gluten. Dietary movement as much about marketing as medicine.

• Author: Rundles, Jeff
• Position: RUNDLES WRAP UP

ALL YOU HEAR THESE DAYS IS "GLUTEN, gluten, gluten." It's so incessant, it is ringing in my ears as if being spoken by the Swedish chef from the Muppets in a fake Scandinavian accent.

And it all seems as silly as the Swedish chef, really, going way beyond a legitimate and serious disease (celiac) to a multi-billion-dollar fad based on spurious claims that the diet offers an amazing array of health benefits, from curing ADHD, to preventing autism and diabetes, to fostering weight loss.

I have a family member who suffers from "gluten sensitivity." Although not diagnosed as full-blown celiac, I am certainly not making fun of the condition. It took a while for her to figure out that gluten was at the heart of her ailments, and at the time is was very difficult to avoid and even harder to find true gluten-free products and alternatives.

And while I am grateful that her options have multiplied, and her overall health has greatly improved, I have to observe that the gluten-free explosion borders on snake-oil hawking.

Statistics indicate that only 1 percent of the population suffers from true celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder set off by the ingestion of gluten (not caused by gluten) that can lead to serious health problems. Some studies suggest 8 percent to 10 percent of the population have various levels of "gluten sensitivity" and suffer from such afflictions as nausea, aching joints and bones and migraine headaches. But it is estimated that as much as 18 percent of the population (and growing) buys gluten-free breads, pancake mixes, flour, cookies, desserts, pasta, restaurant meals and more. In 2012 this gluten-free marketplace was estimated to be worth some $4.2 billion and is expected to top $6.5 billion by 2017!

Given the numbers, you can see why companies are jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon even labeling long-standing and always gluten-free products as such to get in on the excitement.

Because of my personal involvement over a fairly long period of time, I have met many, many people who proclaim gluten sensitivity or those who have cut...