title: Prevalence of gluten-free diet adherence among individuals without celiac disease in the USA: results from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Clinical inference suggests the prevalence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity is substantially higher than that of celiac disease in the USA. Unfortunately, there are currently no data supporting these claims. The authors analyzed nationally representative data to estimate the prevalence of adherence to a gluten-free diet among participants without celiac disease and also to characterize the demographics and general health status of these participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010 enrolled 7762 individuals representing the civilian, non-institutionalized, US population free of celiac disease. Participants responded to interviewer administered questionnaires regarding current adherence to a gluten-free diet. Prevalence estimates were computed using SAS survey procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 49 individuals who reported current adherence to a gluten-free diet reflecting a weighted prevalence of 0.548% (95% CI 0.206-0.889). The prevalence of a gluten-free diet was higher in females (0.58%) than males (0.37%), although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.34). Participants reporting a gluten-free diet were older (46.6 vs. 40.5 years, p = 0.005), had higher high-density lipoprotein, lower iron and lower body mass index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The estimated national prevalence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity is 0.548%, approximately half that of celiac disease. Future studies are merited in order to better understand the population burden of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: DiGiacomo
authors.forename: Christina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Tennyson
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Ryan T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Demmer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002446:Celiac Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055050:Diet, Gluten-Free / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005983:Glutens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005983:Glutens