(Disclaimer: First, before all of you think that I'm racist or anything of that sort, I want to clarify that this article is just my personal opinion from the things I've observed on my now 2 years of happy gluten free living and eating. All of the ideas/thoughts here are not meant to offend or upset anyone. )
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So, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that celiac disease is a white man's disease.
You may ask, how and why have I even come to this conclusion?
As an Asian American diagnosed with celiac disease, I represent a small community of non-Caucasian persons who suffers from this autoimmune disorder and must commit to a strict gluten free diet. In general, I find that many of the people around me who become diagnosed or know someone who has celiacs is indeed of Caucasian descent.
Is it such a coincidence that celiac disease mostly strikes the Caucasian race? Well, perhaps not.
Scientists and researchers can now definitively state that celiac disease affects persons of mostly European descent (especially Northern Europe) more so than any other type of race. In fact, it was thought in the past that celiac disease was uncommon to rare among other races.
1
Although celiac disease predominantly affects those of European descent, what can possibly explain the statistics that celiac disease is on the rise among other races? 2003 statistics from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center says that 1 in 236 African-, Hispanic-, and Asian-Americans have celiacs.
2 That was only in 2003. Imagine the numbers now!
Still to this day it is unclear why celiac disease enjoys targeting our Caucasian friends more so than other races, but there is one thing for sure: the gluten free market is definitely geared towards whites. And not just any whites- rich, trendy, fad-diet-following whites.
Celiac disease is the new hot disease to have (if there ever was one). Celebrities left and right are self proclaiming that they have gluten sensitivity and that it feels SO much better after they didn't eat that bagel. Although I don't necessarily like that fact that celiac disease and gluten free diets are losing medical importance when in the hands of American celebrities, I do appreciate that because of the gluten free craze, my gfree friends and I can enjoy a very impressive selection of gluten free foods in our local supermarkets. Well, that is, if we go to more upscale American supermarkets.
Let me break it down for you.
Reasons why Celiacs is geared towards Affluent Caucasians:
1) Most gluten free foods are expensive (I am excluding foods that are naturally gluten free)- almost double the price.
2) Those expensive foods are only found in specialty stores or upscale American supermarkets- certainly none are found in Asian or ethnic supermarkets
3) Mostly upscale American restaurants have gluten free menus; the same applies for American specialty bakeries
4) Celiacs/food allergies are pretty much unknown to ethnic races
Point 4 may be a little confusing for some people, so allow me to elaborate. As a Chinese American, I can say that most Chinese people (and probably other Asian races) are completely unaware of food allergies beyond the general types- peanuts, seafood, eggs, dairy, etc. (tangent-Actually, there are SO many people that think that celiacs is an anaphylactic thing, which is a bit frustrating. I once had my boss say that it wasn't that serious because I wasn't going to die after I eat gluten...frustrating... but that's a different story for another time). I've even heard that some Chinese parents refuse to admit that food allergies are even a legitimate concern let alone a source of extreme danger and even death. Even though it is understandable that they may not know about food allergies (since food allergies are relatively new concepts), they cannot deny much longer that food allergies could become the next "Type II Diabetes" in seriousness and prevalence.
The world is changing and so are the diseases that afflict the people that live in this world. We have to educate ourselves and keep our minds open and accepting to new ideas.
At the end of the day, I am incredibly blessed and thankful to have gluten free food at my fingertips. I applaud restaurants, supermarkets, small bakeries and all businesses that have dedicated themselves to serving gluten free customers. As the gluten free market grows, I hope one day that we can get more promotion among other races besides Caucasians so that in the future, if I happen to walk into a Chinese restaurant or ethnic place, perhaps I'll see a list of gluten free options on their menu or in their store.
Works Cited
1) Celiac Disease Statistics: http://www.celiac.com/articles/1164/1/Celiac-Disease-Statistics/Page1.html
2) Celiac Disease Facts and Figures: http://www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_007937.pdf
For your reading pleasure: Article entitled "Celiac: the Trendy Disease For Rich White People" http://www.science20.com/science_20/celiac_trendy_disease_rich_white_people-93422
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