General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Modern wheat a "perfect, chronic poison," doctor says [View all]pnwmom
(110,341 posts)had a serious problem with gluten. Now they think about 1 in 100 has Celiac (damage to the intestinal villi), and many more have another form of gluten sensitivity.
Lactose intolerance causes discomfort but, again, if the person isn't producing antibodies then exposure doesn't cause the same damage that it does to people who do. People who produce antibodies to peanuts must avoid them completely, unlike people who just get gassy from beans.
There have been large-scale studies with blood that was stored decades ago, comparing the samples with new blood drawn from the same individuals. There was a real increase in the number of cases over the decades; that is, people who weren't positive for Celiac antibodies several decades ago are positive now. Something happened over the intervening years -- they just don't know why people are more susceptible now.