Continued from What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac (pronounced SEE-lee-ack) disease, though still relatively unknown to the public at large, may affect as many as 1 percent of Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health, although many maybe misdiagnosed and some suffer from only minor symptoms.

One reason is the wide variety of those symptoms: fatigue and anemia, abdominal bloating and pain, both diarrhea and constipation, and even infertility – all brought on by a dangerous immune-system response to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains

“It’s crucial to be diagnosed because it will lead to a definite improvement in one’s health,” says Dr. Peter Green, the director of Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center.

Celiac Disease and your diet Indeed, reversing celiac’s effects can be as simple – or hard – as removing the offending ingredients from a patient’s diet. Faced with that task, many people feel overwhelmed. Sandwiches, cereal and spaghetti suddenly become off-limits, and “hidden” glutens, they learn, lurk in licorice, soy sauce and even lipsticks.

But thanks to better food labeling and a market that has made gluten-free – pastas, bread and other baked goods made with rice flour, potato starch and tapioca – it is now easier to follow a gluten-free diet.