Gluten-free flour and bread are dietary staples for a growing number of celiac Finns.

“The number of people suffering from gluten intolerance in Finland has doubled in the past 20 years, according to a Finnish scientist. In the early 1980s, about 1 percent of Finnish adults had gluten intolerance, but the figure has since gone up to 2 percent.

"We've already seen a similar trend emerge earlier on where allergies and certain autoimmune disorders are concerned. Screening has shown that gluten intolerance occurs in 1.5 per cent of Finnish children and 2.7 per cent of the elderly. The higher figure for older people is explained by the fact that the condition becomes more frequent with age," said Professor Markku Mäki. Mäki is head of a research project in the Academy of Finland's Research Programme on Nutrition, Food and Health.

According to Mäki, gluten intolerance may often be symptom-free, and people may be unaware that they have the condition if their symptoms are mild or atypical. Three out of four people with gluten intolerance have not been diagnosed, which also means they going without treatment.

Gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, is an inherited autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats.”

All Headline News MARCH 5.
Lehtikuva - Marja Airio