The 21st century will be the
Celiac Century -- and it won’t take the entire century to realize that! Before
2025, everyone will know what celiac disease is and celiacs will live totally
normal lives everywhere, including at the table. Within a few years, doctors will be able to diagnose celiac
disease without the endoscopy. This landmark development will mean that more
people will be diagnosed more easily and on a more timely basis. Simple,
cost-efficient celiac diagnosis will revolutionize treatment of problems such as
osteoporosis and infertility,
As the celiac population grows,
more vendors will enter the market offering a wider variety of gluten-free
foods, hopefully at lower prices than we have now relative to their
gluten-containing counterparts. This will also mean restaurants, hospitals,
airlines, caterers, etc. will have easier, less expensive access to the GF foods
Research and expanding
knowledge will also bring changes to the lives of non-celiacs. Not only will it
be easier to accommodate their gluten-sensitive relatives, but if the
gluten-free diet pans out as enormously helpful with other autoimmune diseases,
as some limited research is starting to show, then the world will have a very
simple way of reducing the impact of such devastating problems as type 1
diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
As researchers work on
diagnosis and documenting prevalence, and on figuring out the serendipitous
benefits of the gluten-free diet, we celiacs can do our part. We need to support
research and get the word out by personally contacting individuals and groups
who need to know about celiac disease -- doctors, dietitians, chefs,
On a practical basis, we will
have less and less to complain about. Not
only can we expect even more variety in gluten-free food, but also easier access
to it. This will not only save
money, but will also cut down on the anxiety we now feel in certain situations.
GF food will be easily available in local supermarkets, GF bakeries will spring
up in cities and towns across North America, and expanding knowledge and
technology will
Even now celiacs can do their
part to create this tantalizing future by working with vendors to get the word
out, talking to local supermarket managers and helping restaurants, hospitals
and other institutions learn how to serve their GF clients with ease.
Most importantly, celiacs need to get any remaining chips off their
The future will not contain
very many unhappy, angry celiacs as celiac disease becomes the diagnosis of
choice. Fewer and fewer dour-faced
celiacs will assume their lives will never be the same post celiac
diagnosis. On a personal level, acceptance
of the gluten-free life will come about much more quickly as our lives improve.
Good nutritious food that is easily accessible and expanding
knowledge will take the edge off our fears.
We will also be relieved of anxieties about family members and life at
the family table will be great for everyone all (well, most!) of the time.
We will see our doctor over the computer, attend virtual support group
meetings and maybe even annual conferences, order all our food, not just our
gluten-free supplies, over the computer, and in general become computer nerds
whether we like it or not.
Whatever reservations some of
us may have about the future, there is no question that the future of celiac
disease is bright. We are moving rapidly into the celiac century -- and it’s
about time.